Cotton Production Up Less Than 1 Percent from November Forecast
Orange Production Down 4 Percent
All cotton production is forecast at 21.4 million 480-pound bales, up less
than 1 percent from November and up 25 percent from last year. Yield is expected to average 902 pounds per harvested acre, up 2 pounds from last month and up 35 pounds from last year. If realized, the cotton yield forecast for the Nation will be the highest yield on record. Upland cotton production is forecast at 20.7 million 480-pound bales, up 25 percent from 2016. Pima cotton production, forecast at 727,000 bales, was carried forward from an earlier forecast.
The United States all orange forecast for the 2017-2018 season is 3.98 million tons, down 4 percent from last month and down 23 percent from the 2016-2017 final utilization. The Florida all orange forecast, at 46.0 million boxes (2.07 million tons), is down 8 percent from last month and down 33 percent from last season's final utilization. Early, midseason, and Navel varieties in Florida are forecast at 19.0 million boxes (855,000 tons), down 10 percent from last month and down 42 percent from last season's final utilization. The Florida Valencia orange forecast, at 27.0 million boxes
(1.22 million tons), is down 7 percent from last month and down 24 percent from last season's final utilization. California and Texas orange production forecasts were carried forward from the previous month.
Source : USDA