By Karn Dhingra
After two years of low prices, cotton prices rallied — though Texas growers’ fortunes still depend heavily on where they farm, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert.
John Robinson, Ph.D., an AgriLife Extension economist-cotton and professor in the Texas A&M Department of Agricultural Economics, said conditions form “a definitely mixed bag” depending on location.
He said conditions for cotton across the state match a Drought Monitor map that shows distinct lines between dry, moderate-drought and drought-free areas.
Growing conditions split by region
Texas’ cotton acreage is concentrated in the northwest regions of the state in the AgriLife Extension districts of the Panhandle, South Plains, Rolling Plains and West Central, with the rest spread across the Interstate-35 corridor, Gulf Coast and Rio Grande Valley, Robinson said.
The Rolling Plains, West Central Texas, the I-35 corridor, the Gulf Coast and the Rio Grande Valley have seen increased rain and cotton fields have steadily improved, Robinson said. Cotton in South Texas is nearing harvest, and producers now need dry weather to avoid delays.
The upper Panhandle has stayed hot and dry most of the season and has likely lost significant dryland acreage, while the South Plains, home to most of the state’s cotton, has seen only patchy rain along with extreme heat.
“It just sort of depends on where you are,” Robinson said.
A June 30 U.S. Department of Agriculture report projected Texas cotton acreage at 5.4 million acres, slightly above last year, Robinson said.
He said cotton often performs better than corn or sorghum under drier conditions.
Source : tamu.edu