Posted December 5, 2017

 

By Seshadri Ramkumar

 

LUBBOCK, Texas – The cotton crop in Texas this season will be exceptional in terms of yield.

 

Recently, more than 50 people representing different regions of Texas and the entire spectrum of the cotton industry that included producers, agricultural lenders, policy personnel and researchers gathered in the conference room of the Plains Cotton Growers (PCG), Inc. office here. This meeting probably had the highest attendance this season, which shows the importance of cotton in the High Plains of Texas.

 

The quality of this season’s cotton was in the minds of all those who attended the gathering. In a question from this scribe to a producer, he responded “I am still harvesting, but the quality?” Maturity has been affected by cold weather during the end of September and early October in the High Plains, he added.

 

Coming to the yield, there is going to be a lot of cotton from Texas. The High Plains will have more than 5 million bales of cotton – a large crop. While some a low micronaire issue is being experienced in the High Plains, other qualities are outstanding, according to Steve Verett, executive vice president of PCG.

 

Producers said they are pleased with exceptional crop yield per acre. In the High Plains, although a good crop is expected, there has been good variability in the yield with some regions not performing well while others have exceeded normal expected production resulting in overall good crop. John Spence, a producer from El Paso, reported that his area is witnessing yields of 1,300 pounds/acre for Upland cotton and 900 pounds/acre.

 

Toby Robertson of Robstown, Texas, who has a family farm of 10,000 acres, said that this year the crop has been exceptional with 1,505 pounds/acre in his operations. Normal yields in his area are about 800-1000 pounds/acre, but this year it has been about 1,500 pounds.

 

A similar experience was shared by Jeff Nunley, executive director of the South Texas Cotton and Grain Association, who stated that this year, his region would have about 1.8 million bales as against last year’s production of 1 million bales.

 

The mood in terms of the market was very optimistic, as the demand is strong. While cotton is being harvested, cotton is at 73 cents, which is a good signal of cotton’s demand world over.

 

Mills in Pakistan and Turkey are buying U.S. cotton and, more recently, the demand is huge from Pakistan, said a cotton trader. The overall picture is yields are good and the market is showcasing good price points. Prices never rise during harvest season, but the past two weeks or so, price is on the rise, which is positive news for the industry, said Shawn Wade, director of Policy Analysis and Research at PCG.

 

With India’s crop downsized recently and the growing demand for cotton, the U.S. cotton industry is looking forward to the new year with full optimism.

 

Dr. Seshadri Ramkumar, Ph.D, FTA (honorary), is a professor at the Nonwovens & Advanced Materials Laboratory at Texas Tech.