Cotton Production Down 3 Percent from November Forecast
Orange Production Unchanged from November Forecast
All cotton production is forecast at 15.9 million 480-pound bales, down 3 percent from last month but up 23 percent from last year. Yield is expected to average 773 pounds per harvested acre, down 48 pounds from last year. Upland cotton production is forecast at 15.3 million 480-pound bales, up 25 percent from 2013. Pima cotton production, forecast at 578,000 bales, was carried forward from last month.
The United States all orange forecast for the 2014-2015 season is 6.96 million tons, unchanged from the previous forecast but up 3 percent from the 2013 - 2014 final utilization. The Florida all orange forecast, at 108 million boxes (4.86 million tons), is up 3 percent from last season's final utilization. Early, midseason, and Navel varieties in Florida are forecast at 52.0 million boxes (2.34 million tons), down 2 percent from last season's final utilization. The Florida Valencia orange forecast, at 56.0 million boxes (2.52 million tons), is up 9 percent from last season's final utilization. In Florida, citrus growing conditions were ideal from the beginning of the citrus bloom to the start of the 2014-2015 season harvest. Arizona, California, and Texas forecasts are carried forward from the previous forecast.
Florida frozen concentrated orange juice (FCOJ) yield forecast for the 2014-2015 season is 1.60 gallons per box at 42.0 degrees Brix, unchanged from the November forecast but up 2 percent from last season's final yield of 1.57 gallons per box. Projected yield from the 2014-2015 Early-Midseason and Valencia 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