Cotton Production Down 1 Percent from November Forecast
Orange Production Down 4 Percent from October Forecast
All cotton production is forecast at 17.3 million 480-pound bales, down 1 percent from last month but up 11 percent from last year. Yield is expected to average 793 pounds per acre, up 3 pounds from last year. Upland cotton production is forecast at 16.6 million 480-pound bales, up 13 percent from 2011. Pima cotton production, forecast at 657,000 bales, was carried forward from last month.
The United States all orange forecast for the 2012-2013 season is 9.01 million tons, down 4 percent from the previous forecast and down fractionally from the 2011-2012 final utilization. The Florida all orange forecast, at 146 million boxes (6.57 million tons), is down 5 percent from the October forecast and down slightly from last season's final utilization. Early, midseason, and Navel varieties in Florida are forecast at 67.0 million boxes (3.02 million tons), down 9 percent from the October forecast and down 10 percent from last season. Projected droppage is the highest since the 1969-1970 season while size is projected to be below average. The Florida Valencia orange forecast, at 79.0 million boxes (3.56 million tons), is down 1 percent from the October forecast but up 9 percent from the 2011-2012 crop. California and Texas orange production forecasts are carried forward from October.
Florida frozen concentrated orange juice (FCOJ) yield forecast for the 2012-2013 season is 1.61 gallons per box at 42.0 degrees Brix, unchanged from the October forecast, but down 1 percent from last season's final yield of 1.63 gallons per box. Projected yield for the 2012-2013 early-midseason and late varieties will be published in the January Crop Production report. All projections of yield assume the processing relationships this season will be similar to those of the past several seasons.
Source: USDA