Former Vidalia Mills, Fruit of the Loom to Be Deeded to Credit Union
The former Fruit of the Loom that once housed Vidalia Mills now belongs to a credit union that is reportedly owed millions in unpaid loans, officials said. The property, including the 900,000 square foot building and 81.87 acres of land a that was purchased from the Town of Vidalia in 2017, had been advertised for a sheriff’s sale that took place Aug. 6. In Louisiana, sheriff’s sales are public auctions conducted by the Sheriff’s Office to sell property that has been seized by court order, typically to recover unpaid debts.
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Louisiana Inspects Cotton Harvest Equipment to Prevent Boll Weevil Return
Restrictions are being applied for all cotton harvest equipment traveling into Louisiana to avoid the reintroduction of an invasive pest.
The boll weevil was declared eradicated from Louisiana in 2012. The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) said there is a risk for the pest to be reintroduced from equipment traveling through the state as the harvest season starts.
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Ultra-Low Gossypol Cottonseed Takes Next Step Toward Humanitarian Use
Texas A&M AgriLife Research has reached a major milestone in increasing the value of cotton, marking the initial step toward commercial adoption of food-ingredient cottonseed.
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The Cotton Board Holds Annual Meeting And Approves Cotton Incorporated’s 2026 $85.1 Million Budget
The Cotton Board recently held its 2025 Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas, along with Cotton Incorporated’s Board of Directors. During this meeting, board members serving the Cotton Research and Promotion Program (the Program) reviewed, analyzed, and voted to recommend Cotton Incorporated’s 2026 budget of $85.1 million to the Secretary of Agriculture.
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Moving Cotton Harvest Equipment Into Louisiana Is Restricted Without Proper Inspection
As Louisiana cotton producers move into cotton harvest season, Louisianians will see an influx of cotton harvest equipment moving into and through the state. To protect our cotton producers from the reintroduction of boll weevils, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) implements restrictions for all cotton harvest equipment entering the state.
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Good Week For Cotton Prices, But Bears Maintain Control
Cotton’s good news: the December futures contract settled the week near the upper end of last Friday’s trading range. That’s always a good sign, and the first one that suggests prices might be higher tomorrow. Good news also came in the form of a 24-point increase in prices for the week.
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Louisiana Crop Conditions As Of August 10
According to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, as of last Sunday all of the Louisiana soybean crop was blooming, which is also the five year average for this time of year. 94-percent was setting pods, same for the five year average. That crop was rated 8 percent fair, 90 percent good and two percent excellent.
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Cotton Market Remains "Stuck In The Mud"
This past week gave new meaning to the phrase “stuck in the mud.” The market recorded its daily low trading volume for the year at midweek and has now suffered through ten consecutive days of 68-cent area settlements — all within little more than a 150-point trading range.
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Cotton Production Continues To Decline As Cost To Produce Rises
Farmers are moving away from growing cotton, as demand decreases and the cost of growing it continue to rise.
Farmers say they’re now switching to other crops such as corn, soy beans or grains.
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Cotton Prices Remain Range Bound, Yields Look Promising
Cotton is like a good spouse, it promises little and delivers more. And USDA estimates a 14.6 million bale crop for the current year.
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Market Update for Corn, Soybeans, Rice, and Cotton: July 2025
This month’s 2025/26 U.S. corn outlook calls for smaller supplies, domestic use, and ending stocks. USDA cut corn beginning stocks by 25 million bushels to 1.3 billion, reflecting an increase in exports that is partly offset by lower feed and residual use for 2024/25. Feed and residual use is down 75 million based on indicated disappearance in the June 30th Grain Stocks report. Exports are raised 100 million bushels to 2.8 billion based on current outstanding sales and shipments to date and, if realized, would be record high.
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After Decades of Rule, Cotton is Dethroned by Soybeans as Louisiana’s Top Crop
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.
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King Cotton Faces 'Bleak' Future in Louisiana After Centuries as Backbone Crop
Cotton, 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.
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USDA Report Pegs 10.1 Million Total Planted Cotton Acres For 2025
USDA’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.
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Louisiana Crops Newsletter: June 2025
Common 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.
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