It’s not a stretch to say that 2020 will go down in history as a year like no other and in response to the challenges, National Cotton Ginners Association (NCGA), as well as other gin associations, shifted to virtual meetings and disseminated COVID-19 information to member gins.

Big Report from USDA–USDA gave the cotton market a small gift with its April supply demand report. Estimates included higher consumption and lower carryover of U.S. stocks. Estimated world consumption was increased, world production was lowered, and world carryover was lowered.

Extension weed specialists from across the Cotton Belt believe new dicamba labels will have little effect on application recommendations for 2021.

They do, however, urge producers and consultants to practice product stewardship to safeguard important tools in herbicide-resistant weed control.

“Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On.” It’s a brand-new pair, the old ones completely wore out. This new pair appears to be made of high strength cotton and ready for a good bull ride—back to the mid to upper 80’s before Mother Nature takes control of price activity.

Spot quotations were 385 points lower than the previous week, according to the USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service’s Cotton and Tobacco Program. Quotations for the base quality of cotton (color 41, leaf 4, staple 34, mike 35-36 and 43-49, strength 27.0-28.9, and uniformity 81.0-81.9) in the seven designated markets averaged 78.13 cents per pound for the week ending Thursday, March 25, 2021.

In last year’s Farm Press Gin Show edition, I reported on the successful completion of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol pilot. I urged U.S. cotton producers to begin enrolling in this voluntary industry-leading initiative aimed at fostering a further reduction of U.S. cotton’s environmental footprint while promoting producers’ caring of people/community and personal/corporate integrity. By assessing their farming operations’ performance against specific sustainability goals, Trust Protocol producer participants can help ensure U.S. cotton remains the responsible choice throughout the global supply chain — from textile manufacturers to retailers.

Spot quotations were virtually unchanged from the previous week, according to the USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service’s Cotton and Tobacco Program. Quotations for the base quality of cotton (color 41, leaf 4, staple 34, mike 35-36 and 43-49, strength 27.0-28.9, and uniformity 81.0-81.9) in the seven designated markets averaged 81.98 cents per pound for the week ending Thursday, March 18, 2021.

The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol welcomes one of China’s top three denim manufacturers, Advance Denim, as a member of the system that provides mills and manufacturers the critical assurances they need to prove to their customers that they are an approved supply chain partner for brands and retailers who are sourcing more sustainably grown cotton.

Don’t plant naked seed, advises plant pathologist Trey Price, LSU AgCenter, Winnsboro.

Price, speaking by Zoom to the Louisiana Agricultural Technical and Management Conference in early February, said seed treatments “are very effective” in managing seedling cotton diseases. “Don’t plant cotton without it,” he said. “If you do, you are setting yourself up for disaster.

Spot quotations were down 254 points from the previous week, according to the USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service’s Cotton and Tobacco Program. Quotations for the base quality of cotton (color 41, leaf 4, staple 34, mike 35-36 and 43-49, strength 27.0-28.9, and uniformity 81.0-81.9) in the seven designated markets averaged 81.96 cents per pound for the week ending Thursday, March 11, 2021.

This month’s 2020/21 U.S. cotton forecasts show lower production, consumption, and ending stocks relative to last month. Production is reduced 250,000 bales to 14.7 million, based on the March 9 Cotton Ginnings report.