Last winter, Tensas Parish farmer Will Ratliffe was optimistic about this year's harvest. Commodity prices were up, and his 3,500 acres of soybeans, cotton and corn appeared set for a banner year.
But soon after, prices for fertilizer, fuel and other supplies climbed to unprecedented levels.
Read MoreThe U.S Cotton Trust Protocol is proud to be the lead and recipient of the U.S. Climate Smart Cotton Program, which will receive funding as one of those selected as part of the USDA Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities pilot projects.
Read MoreThe monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, released Monday by USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist, decreased corn supply for the start of the new marketing year, largely driven by a drop in production from a reduction in national average yield and area harvested.
Read MoreLouisiana corn for grain production is forecast at 71.8 million bushels, down 15 percent from the August 1 forecast and down 31 percent from 2021. Based on conditions as of September 1, yield is expected to average 165 bushels per acre, down 10 bushels from last month and down 18 bushels from last year.
Read MoreExcessive rains have resulted in sodden, muddy fields, putting a hold on the 2022 corn and soybean harvest.
The pause in harvest concerns farmers who cannot finish gathering their crops and with late summer heat and moisture, corn and soybeans have started to sprout and rot, according to Kylie Miller, LSU AgCenter Extension agent.
Read MoreThis annual report covers the 2021 calendar and fiscal year for The Cotton Board, the oversight and administrative arm of the Cotton Research and Promotion Program (the Program). The objectives of the Program are to strengthen cotton’s competitive position and to maintain and expand domestic and foreign markets and uses for cotton by developing, funding, and implementing a coordinated plan of research and promotion.
Read MoreA punishing drought in Texas could be a boon for cotton farmers in Louisiana and Mississippi, helping fuel a rebound in the fluffy fiber after historic lows in the previous two years.
The dry spell affecting much of the West has wiped out hundreds of thousands of acres of cotton in Texas, by far the nation's biggest producer.
Read MoreThe Cotton Board recently held its 2022 Annual Meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona along with Cotton Incorporated’s Board of Directors. During this meeting, board members serving the Cotton Research and Promotion Program reviewed, analyzed, and voted to recommend Cotton Incorporated’s 2023 budget of $87 million to the Secretary of Agriculture. This budget recommendation reflects a $5 million increase from 2022.
Read MoreAs we approach late into the summer, we should be on the lookout for late-season lepidopteran pests of soybean. Soybean loopers can build large populations in a short amount of time and can be exaggerated by the use of broad-spectrum insecticides for stink bugs and three-cornered alfalfa hoppers.
Read MoreCottonseed oil is a pretty common ingredient in processed foods — chips, crackers, snack cakes. It is also famously used to fry those beloved Café du Monde beignets that New Orleans visitors eagerly line up for.
Read MoreThe 2022/23 U.S. corn outlook for this month calls for lower supplies, reduced feed and residual use, slightly higher food, seed, and industrial use, smaller exports, and lower ending stocks. Projected beginning stocks for 2022/23 are 20 million bushels higher based on a lower use forecast for 2021/22, where a reduction in corn used for ethanol is partially offset by greater use for glucose and dextrose.
Read MoreLouisiana corn for grain production is forecast at 84.9 million bushels, down 18 percent from 2021. Based on conditions as of August 1, yield is expected to average 175 bushels per acre, down 8 bushels from last year. Producers expect to harvest 485,000 acres of corn for grain, down 80,000 acres from 2021.
Read MoreAs Louisiana cotton producers move into cotton harvest season, Louisianians will see an influx of used and custom cotton harvest equipment moving into and through the state. With this introduction of equipment into the environment, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) must implement restrictions to protect our cotton producers by preventing the introduction of boll weevils.
Read MoreKater Hake, vice president of Agricultural and Environmental Research with Cotton Incorporated, plans to retire by the end of the year. Hake was honored for his many contributions to the cotton industry at the recent Southern Cotton Ginners Association summer meeting.
Read MoreSpot quotations were 37 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 104.41 cents per pound for the week ending Thursday, July 28, 2022.
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