NASS Adjusts Cotton Forecast, Peanuts Making Big Gains

The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) adjusted its forecast yield for Georgia-produced cotton and the state's peanut and soybean crops are still expected to make big gains according to the agency's October Crop Production Report.

Georgia's cotton crop is forecast to yield 995 pounds per acre, up from 951 pounds per acre forecast in the September report. The state's production is forecast at 2.3 million bales in 2015, down from 2.57 million bales in 2014.

Georgia's peanut production is forecast at 3.43 billion pounds in 2015, up 41 percent from 2014, when the state produced 2.44 billion pounds.

The state's soybean growers are expected to produce 14.1 million bushels in 2015, up 21.4 percent from the 11.6 million bushels produced in 2014.

Georgia hay yields are forecast at 3 tons per acre, resulting in an overall production of 1.62 million tons in 2015, which would be a seven percent increase over 2014, when the state's hay growers produced 1.51 million tons.