National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released report on cotton plant acreage.
Area planted to cotton in 2011 is estimated at 13.7 million acres, up 25 percent from last year and the highest level since 2006. Upland acreage is estimated at 13.4 million acres, up 25 percent from 2010. American Pima acreage is estimated at 289,000 acres, up 42 percent from 2010. In Texas, Upland planted acreage is estimated at 7.10 million acres, the highest level since 1981. Strong cotton prices are driving acreage increases throughout the cotton belt.
Cotton planting got off to a slow start this year due in large part to dry conditions across much of the cotton belt.
However, planting gained speed in May, and by month's end, 73 percent of the cotton acreage had been planted. This was only 4 percentage points behind last year and 3 percentage points behind the 5-year average.
By June 26, the crop was rated 41 percent very poor to poor, the highest percentage in these categories since estimates began in the mid-1980s. The poor condition of the crop is mainly due to extreme drought throughout much of the southern and southeastern United States.
Producers planted 90 percent of their acreage with seed varieties developed using biotechnology, down 3 percent from last year. Varieties containing bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) were planted on 17 percent of the acreage, up 2 percent from last year.
Herbicide resistant varieties were planted on 15 percent of the acreage, down 5 percent from 2010. Stacked gene varieties, those containing both insect and herbicide resistance, were planted on 58 percent of the acreage, unchanged from a year ago.
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
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