For decades cotton was king. But this year the Louisiana cotton crop is expected to be the smallest in history. State Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says input costs to produce cotton has gone up and the price farmers can get for cotton has gone down from two dollars a pound in the mid-1800s.
Read MoreCotton, once king in Louisiana, has become little more than an afterthought for farmers whose fertile fields once looked like snow covered ground with fluffy white bolls during the late summer as harvest approached.
But this summer Louisiana producers will plant the fewest acres of cotton in the history of the state as the crop's decline accelerates.
Read MoreUSDA’s Planted Acres report issued on June 30 showed that U.S. cotton growers have planted an estimated 10.1 million acres of upland and Pima cotton in 2025 – down 10% from 2024’s final acreage figures.
The report reflects a 2.3% acreage increase from USDA’s Prospective Plantings estimate of 9.87 million acres on March 31.
Read MoreCommon rust may be the first disease found in corn fields and usually occurs in the lower-to-mid-canopy. Pustules of common rust are brick red to dark orange, somewhat elongated, and will appear on both leaf surfaces (Figure 1).Common rust will progress during relatively cool temperatures (60-75oF) combined with rainy weather or heavy dews (6 hours of leaf wetness), and cloudy weather; however, very rarely are fungicide applications warranted for common rust. Warmer temperatures (> 80oF) will greatly slow common rust development.
Read MoreThe U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol today announced its sixth consecutive year of growth, marking an expansion in both planted acres and enrolled growers. The program now represents 2.58 million planted acres, an 18% increase from the previous year, planted by 1,512 participating growers – a 14% rise compared to 2024. This growth underscores the program’s increasing value to U.S. cotton farmers, particularly in today’s challenging environment with fluctuating input costs, changing weather, and evolving market conditions.
Read MoreCrop nutrients are typically applied at planting. However, in-season foliar applications have demonstrated yield increases in both cotton and soybeans throughout the southern U.S. in research conducted by AgroLiquid.
On-farm trial work is ongoing in parts of the Midsouth, Southeast, and in Texas. This work is through a partnership between AgroLiquid and Southern Ag Services, headquartered in Starkville, Miss., along with cooperating farmers across the region.
Read MoreThis year reminds us that what happens tomorrow is much more important than what happened today.
Even though cotton production is off to a very late and wet beginning across the Southeast and Mid-South, much of the Southwest has received very timely and beneficial rains. Better weather tomorrow offers the potential for a bigger and better crop.
Read MoreThe U.S. cotton industry is disappointed with the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission’s report.
In a statement issued May 22, the National Cotton Council notes that, for decades, the Environmental Protection Agency has subjected pesticides to rigorous review and eliminated those that were deemed unsafe. Current products have been tested and re-tested to protect the farmer, the environment, and the consumer.
Read MoreThe 2025/26 U.S. corn outlook is for record supplies and total use, and higher ending stocks. The corn crop is projected at 15.8 billion bushels, up 6 percent from a year ago on increases to both area and yield. Planted area of 95.3 million acres if realized would be the highest in over a decade. The yield projection of 181.0 bushels per acre is based on a weather-adjusted trend assuming normal planting progress and summer growing season weather.
Read MoreThe year 1965 gave us the song “Catch Us if You Can.” Reference to those lyrics fits the scenario of a market continuing higher and higher. Maybe just the mention of it will seed a price jump in the market.
Yet, for now, we must be content with a continuation of a market just backing and filling, headed nowhere and going nowhere.
Read MoreThe 2025 soybean planting season in Louisiana began favorably, with 80% of the crop planted by May 4th, significantly ahead of the 5-year average of 54%. However, recent heavy rainfall has introduced concerns. Late April storms caused flooding in some fields, necessitating replanting in certain areas.
Read MoreLet’s tip a cap to Jason Kelce.
Yes, that Jason Kelce. All-Pro center and Super Bowl champion with the Philadelphia Eagles. Big brother to Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce…and thus, a personal friend of Taylor Swift. Now retired from his playing days, he’s become his own corporation of sorts, including broadcasting, podcasting, social media, and his own YouTube channel…not to mention endorsements.
Read MoreIn USDA’s March 31 Prospective Plantings report, farmers said they intended to plant 9.87 million acres of cotton this year – down 12% from last year. Some industry observers expected as much as a 15% decline. I wonder now if, in fact, that’s where we’re headed. New crop prices (Dec.‘25 futures) haven’t helped.
Read MoreNew crop cotton prices held the 70-cent line…well almost, slipping as last Friday’s trading session expired leaving the weekly close at 69.87 cents.
Read MoreJoe Nicosia, Head of Cotton at Louis Dreyfus Company and 2024 National Cotton Council Chairman, believes it’s time for the U.S. cotton industry to reset its thinking and approach to trade, marketing, consumer education – practically everything.
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