CURRENT ISSUE ARTICLES

Lincoln, Chambliss Commend Kirk Position

Acreage Responses Needed

'09-10 US Production Seen Lower in USDA Report

US Mill Use, Exports Unchanged

High Cotton Winners Overcome Challenges

Feaster Receives '09 Cotton Genetics Award

Sales Hit Marketing Year High

---

---

PhytoGen^® Brand Varieties Pay Off

In the field, on the scale and at the gin, PhytoGen^® brand varieties pay off. And for 2010, PhytoGen offers three Acala varieties.

• PhytoGen brand PHY 755 WRF has WideStrike^® Insect Protection (two-gene Bt cotton) and Genuity^™ Roundup Ready^® Flex. Plus, check out that staple length of 40! Parentage is PHY 72.

• PhytoGen brand PHY 725 RF is the most widely planted Acala in California, offering Genuity Roundup Ready Flex, high yield potential and long staple length.

• PhytoGen brand PHY 72 is a high-yielding conventional Acala with wide adaptability and long staple length.

For more information, see your cottonseed dealer or call 1-888-395-7378.

^®PhytoGen and the PhytoGen Logo are trademarks of PhytoGen Seed Company, LLC.
^®WideStrike and the WideStrike Logo are trademarks of Dow AgroSciences LLC.
^®™Genuity and Roundup Ready are registered trademarks of Monsanto Company.
PhytoGen Seed Company is a joint venture between Mycogen Corporation, an affiliate of Dow AgroSciences LLC, and the J.G. Boswell Company.

---

---

Lincoln, Chambliss Commend Kirk Position

Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Chairman Lincoln (D-AR) and Ranking Member Chambliss (R-GA) noted in a Committee-issued news release that comments by US Trade Representative Ron Kirk strongly defended the US position at the World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial meeting last December in Geneva.

In a letter to Kirk, the Senators praised his call for an ambitious agricultural market access agreement within the Doha Development Round. They also highlighted the importance of maintaining the “single undertaking” approach with respect tocotton, which ensures that no separate agreements affecting US cotton programs would be signed outside of a comprehensive agreement in the Doha Round. They emphasized that such an insistence is specifically important to maintain the Senate’s support for and confidence in the multilateral negotiations.

In the Committee’s release, Sens. Lincoln and Chambliss said, “We greatly appreciate Representative Kirk’s strong defense on behalf of U.S. agriculture as we negotiate with our partners around the world. With U.S. cotton production and exports down more than 40 percent in the past five years, it is time for critics to stop focusing on U.S. policies, and to start taking note of the market distortions caused by trade barriers imposed by major importing and other cotton exporting countries. Throughout the negotiations we clearly stated that our support for an agreement in the Doha Round is contingent on a market access agreement that lowers such trade barriers. We cannot support a one-sided agreement that exposes our farmers and ranchers to a greatly reduced farm safety net without corresponding improvements in market access.”

The Senators’ letter can be found attached to the Committee’s news release on the Committee’s website. (http://ag.senate.gov/site/news.htm)

NCC Chairman Jay Hardwick and Vice Chairman Eddie Smith sent a similar letter to the Ambassador in December (see news release at http://www.cotton.org/news/releases/2009/wtokirk.cfm). The letter thanked him for his strong stance in defense of the US position regarding a single undertaking in the Doha negotiations and the recognition of the need for greater ambition in market access.

Acreage Responses Needed

Producers are strongly encouraged to respond to the NCC’s annual acreage survey by the Jan. 19 deadline. The annual survey of ’10 planting intentions was distributed to upland and ELS cotton producers across the Cotton Belt. The survey, conducted each year to aid with industry planning and policy deliberations, provides the basis for the economic outlook presented to delegates during the NCC Annual Meeting in early February. Survey results initially will be presented during the open session of the American Cotton Producers meeting on Feb. 5.

The current survey was distributed through a combination of regular mail and email with the intent of reaching all cotton farms across the Belt. Growers who did not receive a survey may contact the NCC via email at econsurvey@cotton.org for survey instructions.

’09-10 US Production Seen Lower in USDA Report

In its January report, USDA estimated a ’09-10 US cotton crop of 12.40 million bales, down 190,000 bales from its December report.

Upland production was estimated at 12.01 million bales and extra long staple (ELS) production at 390,000 bales. Harvested area was estimated at 7.69 million acres, implying a non-harvested area of 1.46 million acres based on USDA’s revised acreage number. The resulting abandonment rate is roughly 15.94%. The national average yield per harvested acre was estimated to be 774 pounds, 65 pounds below the five-year average.

On a regional basis, the Southeast crop is estimated at 3.38 million bales based on a harvested area of 1.87 million acres and a regional average yield of 869 pounds, 97 pounds above the five-year average for the region. In terms of yield per harvested acre, Virginia leads all states in the region with an estimated yield of 990 pounds per harvested acre, 123 pounds more than the five-year average. The largest gains in yield are expected to be seen in NorthCarolinawith an estimated yield of 986 pounds per acre, 173 pounds above its five-year average. Floridais the only state in the region expected to see a decline in yields when compared to its five-year average. Florida’s yields are estimated at 646 pounds per harvested acre, 99 pounds below their five-year average.

In the Mid-South, expected production is 2.62 million bales. Harvested area is estimated to be 1.56 million acres and the expected yield is 805 pounds per harvested acre. Only Tennesseeis expected to see gains in their expected yields with yields estimated at 857 pounds per harvested acre, 21 pounds higher than their five-year average.

The Southwest upland crop is an estimated 5.28 million bales. Harvested area is 3.88 million acres and the regional average yield is 653 pounds, 68 pounds below their five-year average of 721 pounds per harvested acre. Kansasis expected to see the greatest gains in yield with an expected yield of 720 pounds per harvested acre, 177 pounds higher than their five-year average. In Texas, yields are estimated at 644 pounds per harvested acre, 80 pounds lower than their five-year average.

Upland production in the West is estimated at 740,000 bales with a harvested area of 243,000 acres and a regional average yield of 1,462 pounds, 87 pounds higher than the five-year average. Californiais expected to see the greatest gains in yield with an estimated yield of 1,714 pounds per harvested acre, 300 pounds higher than their five-year average.

The ELS crop is an estimated 390,000 bales.  Harvested area is pegged at 139,000 acres with an average yield of 1,353 pounds per harvested acre.

US Cotton Crop, ’09-10
	PLANTED ACRES Thou.	HARV. ACRES Thou.	YIELD PER HARV. ACRE Lb.	5-YEAR AVG. YIELD Lb.	480-POUND BALES Thou.
UPLAND
SOUTHEAST	1,891	1,865	869	772	3,375
Alabama	255	250	691	668	360
Florida	82	78	646	745	105
Georgia	1,000	990	882	792	1,820
North Carolina	375	370	986	813	760
South Carolina	115	114	842	736	200
Virginia	64	63	990	867	130
MID-SOUTH	1,627	1,560	805	945	2,615
Arkansas	520	500	797	1,052	830
Louisiana	230	225	725	884	340
Mississippi	305	295	692	910	425
Missouri	272	260	960	997	520
Tennessee	300	280	857	836	500
SOUTHWEST	5,243	3,884	653	721	5,281
Kansas	38	34	720	543	51
Oklahoma	205	200	792	718	330
Texas	5,000	3,650	644	724	4,900
WEST	247	243	1,462	1,375	740
Arizona	145	144	1,467	1,412	440
California	71	70	1,714	1,414	250
New Mexico	31	29	828	960	50
TOTAL UPLAND	9,008	7,552	763	829	12,011
TOTAL ELS	142	139	1,353	1,267	390
Arizona	2	2	1,129	866	4
California	119	116	1,448	1,333	350
New Mexico	3	3	688	845	4
Texas	18	18	863	831	32
ALL COTTON	9,149	7,691	774	839	12,401
Source: USDA-NASS January Annual Crop Production Report.

US Mill Use, Exports Unchanged

In its January report, USDA left US mill cotton use and exports unchanged from the December report at 3.40 million and 11.00 million bales, respectively. This generates a total ’09-10 offtake of 14.40 million bales. Ending stocks for ’09-10 are projected to be 4.30 million bales for an ending stocks-to-use ratio of 29.9%.

For the ’08-09 crop year, USDA gauged US cotton production at 12.82 million bales. Mill use and exports were unchanged from the December report at 3.59 million and 13.28 million bales, respectively. Thus, total offtake for the ’08-09 crop year is pegged at 16.86 million bales. Ending stocks were 6.34 million bales and the stocks-to-use ratio was 37.6% for the ’08-09 marketing year.

USDA’s January report lowered ’09-10 world production 10,000 bales from the December report to 102.71 million bales. World mill use was lowered 150,000 bales from the December report to a projected 114.36 million bales. Consequently, world ending stocks for ’09-10 are projected to be 51.72 million bales for a stocks-to-use ratio of 45.2%.

For the ’08-09 marketing year, USDA puts world production at 107.48 million bales, unchanged from the previous month. World mill use was unchanged from the previous month at 111.13 million bales. World ending stocks on July 31, ’09 are estimated at 61.12 million bales for a corresponding stocks-to-use ratio of 54.8%.

High Cotton Winners Overcome Challenges

Winners of the ’10 High Cotton awards are: Mike Griffin, Suffolk, VA, Southeast; Jimmy Hargett, Bells, TN, Mid-South; Jeff Posey, Roby, TX, Southwest; and Allen Pierucci, Buttonwillow, CA, Western. They were honored during a breakfast at the recent ’10 Beltwide Cotton Conferences in New Orleans.

The Cotton Foundation awards program, which for the past 16 years has recognized the nation’s most environmentally conscious cotton growers, is supported by Farm Press Publications.

Griffin , a former nuclear electrician, conducts a precision fertility program that not only saves money but also fits in well with his strict adherence to good soil stewardship. “Putting on no more chemicals and fertilizers than is needed by the crops for top production just makes good economic and environmental sense,” Griffin said.

Hargett has done his part to try to help restore profitability to cotton, providing the inspiration if not the original concept for the module building cotton picker that was later launched by Case IH. But Hargett has also put a lot of effort into preventing soil erosion and improving water quality by using reduced tillage farming practices on the 1,700 acres of cotton, soybean, corn and milo he farms in the rolling hills of West Tennessee.

Posey says leaving the land better than they found it has been a priority for the three generations of his family who are currently involved in farming. “We’re always looking for what works best and what’s best for the environment,” Posey said.

Pierucci, also a third-generation farmer, says that like most farmers, he faces the yearly challenges of rising costs but has embraced technology to keep his costs in check. “We used to cultivate at least two to three times for morningglory and bindweed alone,” he said. “With the Roundup-resistant technology, we cultivate once and spray for weeds.”

Feaster Receives ’09 Cotton Genetics Award

Dr. Carl V. Feaster, a retired research agronomist and breeder, is the recipient of the ’09 Cotton Genetics Research Award. The announcement was made at the recent ’10 Beltwide Cotton Improvement Conference in New Orleans.

Dr. Feaster, who received $1,000 for the honor, had a career in cotton agricultural research that spanned almost 40 years as a research agronomist, professor of Plant Sciences at the U. of Arizona and research leader, Cotton Breeding and Production Unit of USDA’s Agricultural Research Service in Phoenix.

During his career in Phoenix, Dr. Feaster and his team developed and released six commercial varieties of American Pima cotton, and Feaster himself also made 225 germplasm releases.

“It is not an exaggeration to say that had it not been for Dr. Feaster and his USDA cotton breeding program, there would not be an Extra-Long Staple (ELS) cotton industry in the United States today,” said one of the nominators, Jesse Curlee, president of Phoenix-based Supima, an organization dedicated to promoting the use of American Pima cotton worldwide.

Sales Hit Marketing Year High

Net export sales for the week ending Jan. 7 were 453,900 bales (480-lb) – a marketing-year high. This brings total ’09-10 sales to approximately 7.0 million bales. Total sales at the same point in the ’08-09 marketing year were approximately 8.4 million bales. Total new crop (’10-11) sales are 172,100 bales.

Shipments for the week were 209,500 bales, bringing total exports to date to 3.8 million bales, compared with the 5.4 million bales at the comparable point in the ’08-09 marketing year.

Return to Top