U.S. cotton producers intend to plant 9.0 million cotton acres this spring, down 3.2 percent from 2025, according to the National Cotton Council’s 45th Annual Early Season Planting Intentions Survey. (see table attached)
Upland cotton intentions are 8.8 million acres, down 3.4 percent from 2025, while extra-long staple (ELS) intentions of 161,000 acres represent a 14.0 percent increase. The detailed survey results were announced today during the 2026 National Cotton Council Annual Meeting.
Dr. Jody Campiche, the NCC’s Vice President, Economics & Policy Analysis, said, “Planted acreage is just one of the factors that will determine supplies of cotton and cottonseed. Ultimately, weather and agronomic conditions are among the factors that play a significant role in determining crop size.”
Based on average abandonment rates and yields, Cotton Belt harvested area totals 7.1 million acres for 2026 with an estimated crop of 12.7 million bales. This includes 12.3 million upland bales and 393,000 ELS bales.
The NCC questionnaire, mailed in January to producers across the 17-state Cotton Belt, asked producers for the number of acres devoted to cotton and other crops in 2025 and the acres planned for the coming season. Survey responses were collected through the end of January.
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