Posts in Cotton
Demand Growing For Sustainably Sourced Cotton

Many clothing brands and large retailers have set goals of obtaining 100% of their raw materials from suppliers who can document that they produce those fibers using environmentally sustainable practices.

That should give cotton producers a leg up because they are providing a naturally grown fiber rather than one created in a manufacturing facility with petroleum products. But growers have to be able to back up their claims.

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USDA Weekly Cotton Market Review

Spot quotations were 328 points higher 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 78.25 cents per pound for the week ending Thursday, April 15, 2021.

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USDA Announces 2021 Cotton Loan Rate Differentials

The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced the 2021-crop loan rate differentials for upland and extra-long staple cotton, which are applied to the crop loan rate to determine the per bale actual loan rate.

The differentials, also referred to as loan rate premiums and discounts, were calculated based on market valuations of various cotton quality factors for the prior three years. This calculation procedure is identical to that used in past years

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USDA Invests More Than $330M In Specialty Crops Grants & Help For Cotton Producers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the availability of more than $330 million to help agricultural producers and organizations in the food supply chain recover from the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding announced today is part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative launched in March, and includes $169.9 million for the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP), the availability of $75 million for Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program [GusNIP; formerly known as Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI)] grantees and approximately $80 million in payments to domestic users of upland and extra-long staple cotton.

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Variety Testing: A Critical Component For Sustainable Production Systems

New row crop varieties — soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, cotton, grain sorghum, sweet potatoes and sugarcane — are released annually by private companies and university breeding programs. Each variety can vary dramatically in yield potential, agronomic traits such as maturity, and resistance to insects, diseases and environmental stress factors. It is important to note a variety with high yield potential at one location may not be competitive in another location because of a lack of adaptability to different environments, including weather patterns, soil characteristics, disease pressure and cropping systems. Furthermore, a variety achieving a high yield or quality one year may not perform as well the next year at the same location because of yearly changes in the environment, such as rainfall or disease patterns.

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Dicamba Labels Bring Few Recommendation Changes

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.

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Weekly Cotton Market Review

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.

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Trust Protocol Producer Participation Vital

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.

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Weekly Cotton Market Review

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.

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