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February 20, 2015
 

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PAST ISSUES/ARCHIVES
 
Cotton's Week: March 22, 2024
Cotton's Week: March 15, 2024
Cotton's Week: March 8, 2024
Cotton's Week: March 1, 2024
 
 


 
Sales Closing Date Nears For STAX, SCO

Producers wanting to sign up for the Stacked Income Protection Plan for Upland Cotton (STAX) and the Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) must do so before the sales closing dates for eligible '15 spring crops. The sales closing date was Jan. 31 for certain counties. However, many regions of the Cotton Belt have a sales closing date of Feb. 28, with some areas having a later date of March 15.

STAX is an area-based revenue policy that is only available for upland cotton beginning with the '15 crop year. It may be purchased as a stand-alone policy or as an endorsement to an underlying multi-peril crop insurance policy. SCO is a county-level policy endorsement that covers a portion of the producer's deductible of their underlying multi-peril crop insurance policy. SCO is available for cotton, corn, grain sorghum, rice, soybeans, spring barley, spring wheat and winter wheat in select counties for the '15 crop year.

Producers wanting to learn how STAX and SCO can help them manage risk can find maps showing '15 crop year availability, fact sheets, frequently asked questions, policy information and more at the Risk Management Agency (RMA) farm bill site, www.rma.usda.gov/news/currentissues/farmbill/index.html.

To help farmers better understand how STAX and SCO interact with traditional crop insurance, RMA developed an online Crop Insurance Decision Tool, which also is available for use on smartphones. This user-friendly resource, at http://prodwebnlb.rma.usda.gov/apps/CIDT/, and available as a free download from the Apple iTunes store and Google Play store, demonstrates how the STAX and SCO plans work, including how coverage is determined, when insurance indemnity payments are triggered, approximate premium costs, and how STAX and SCO interact with an underlying multi-peril crop insurance policy. The online tool and the mobile application can help producers quickly explore and understand the variety of coverage options that these new products offer. Producers must consult their crop insurance agent for detailed information and to obtain a specific premium quote.

 
CSP Application Deadline Near

Farmers and ranchers have until Feb. 27 to apply for funding this year from USDA through its Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).

The CSP, which is administered by USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), helps private landowners and NRCS broaden the protection of natural resources. Participants take additional conservation steps to improve soil health, air quality, wildlife habitat, and water quality and quantity. It also encourages them to conserve energy. NRCS says CSP producers are conservation leaders who show how science-based conservation and technological advancements can improve the environment and farming operations at the same time.

The '14 farm law brought changes to CSP, including an expanded conservation activity list that will offer participants greater options to meet their conservation needs and protect the natural resources on their land. These enhancements, include cover crops, intensive rotational grazing, and planting wildlife-friendly and pollinator friendly habitat.

Applications should be submitted to local NRCS offices. As part of the CSP application process, applicants will work with NRCS field personnel to complete a resource inventory of their land, which will help determine the conservation performance for existing and new conservation activities. The applicant's conservation performance will be used to determine eligibility, ranking and payments.

A CSP self-screening checklist to help producers determine if the CSP is suitable for their operation is at www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detailfull/mo/home/?cid=nrcs143_008316. The checklist highlights basic information about CSP eligibility requirements, stewardship threshold requirements and payment types. Contact your local NRCS office for more information on CSP.

 
Bill Re-Introduced to Eliminate Duplicative Requirements

Rep. Gibbs (R-OH) re-introduced a bill in the House (H.R. 897) that would prevent EPA from requiring National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits for any pesticides that already are authorized for sale, distribution and use under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).

The NCC, along with a broad coalition of other agriculture groups, supports this legislation. Rep. Gibbs has been pushing for this bill since Oct. '11 when a federal appeals court ruling made pesticide applicators, including farmers and ranchers, subject to Clean Water Act permits in addition to the FIFRA regulations already required for pesticides.

During Congress' last session, while he was serving as chairman of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, Rep. Gibbs introduced and the House passed an identical version of this bill. The Senate, however, never considered the bill.

 
Gin Schools Emphasizing Efficiency, Safety

US certified ginners, gin managers and superintendents are urged to register for one of the '15 Ginner Schools.

School locations and dates are: Southwest Ginners School at the South Plains Ginning Laboratory in Lubbock on April 6-8; Western Ginners School at the Southwest Ginning Research Laboratory in Mesilla Park, NM, on May 5-7; and Stoneville Ginners School at the USDA Ginning Laboratory in Stoneville, MS, on June 9-11.

The three schools' programming is coordinated by the National Cotton Ginners' Assoc. (NCGA), working in conjunction with Tommy Valco, USDA's cotton technology transfer coordinator, and the three USDA ginning laboratories. The schools will continue to offer the Levels I, II and III of course instruction as well as the continuing education courses. Registration and course descriptions are at http://www.cotton.org/ncga/ginschool/index.cfm.

NCGA Executive Vice President Harrison Ashley said this year's programming will again feature practical information on all aspects of ginning. Topics will range from understanding basic air flow to controlling gin plant emissions and from lint cleaning to gin waste disposal methods. He said the schools' overall emphasis will be placed on increasing ginning efficiency, turning out high quality fiber and on improving safety.

The Ginner Schools' Continuing Education courses will feature presentations covering new technology and current research efforts; developing an effective worker safety program and equipment upgrade strategy; controlling gin emissions and identifying capacity robbers.

School cooperators include: USDA's Agricultural Research Service, NCGA and its member associations, the NCC, Cotton Incorporated, gin machinery/equipment manufacturers and suppliers, and select land grant universities.

 
COTTON USA Stars at Paris Trade Shows

While showcasing its new "Love My Cotton" global advertising campaign, COTTON USA delivered US cotton sourcing assistance to major apparel industry players at the Texworld and Première Vision trade shows in Paris. About 72,082 visitors attended both fairs, with a total of 2,419 exhibitors from more than 120 countries.

COTTON USA exhibited with Supima at Texworld and jointly exhibited with Cotton Incorporated at Première Vision. The shows – representing the largest combined exhibition of the world's apparel manufacturers – provided a venue for COTTON USA to promote US cotton and its global marketing and licensing program.

Twelve companies from five countries expressed interest in becoming COTTON USA licensees, while four others renewed their agreements at the shows. Additionally, 17 COTTON USA-licensed mills from China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand and Turkey displayed their products at Texworld.

In addition to sourcing support and COTTON USA licensing, the booth supplied information on the Cotton LEADS™ program and global developments in the cotton and apparel sectors.

Various segments of the cotton textile supply chain met at the booths, and COTTON USA helped buyers and manufacturers looking for cotton garments and cotton yarn suppliers to identify new business contacts. International brands and retailers visited the booths, including: Marks and Spencer, The White Company, Gerry Weber, Blue Fire, LK Bennett, Target and Teddy Smith.

COTTON USA and Supima also were visited by USDA Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) Counselor David Salmon and FAS Agricultural Marketing Assistant Laurent Journo.

 
US Cotton Sales Surge at Summit

Cotton Council International (CCI) reports that 300,000 bales of US cotton were sold during the 2014 Sourcing USA Summit held this past November in Arizona. CCI said US cotton exporters said they plan to sell 4.2 million bales – valued at about $1.4 billion – in the six months following the Summit.

CCI also noted that: 1) 89% of buyers at the Summit indicated they were "very likely" or "somewhat likely" to increase their purchases of US cotton over the next year as a result of the Summit, 2) total cotton consumption of the textile mills represented at the Summit was 10.5 million bales and 3) more than 400 top-tier US cotton merchants and textile manufacturers representing 21 countries strengthened their relationships through their attendance at this 8th Summit.

US cotton industry leadership, CCI and Cotton Incorporated, in cooperation with USDA, host the Sourcing USA Summit biennially to gather global leaders along the cotton supply chain for an open exchange of ideas and networking opportunities. Some 23 US cotton exporters and 14 allied industry companies sponsored the '14 event, multiplying the funding provided by USDA.

 
Sales Slip, Shipments Stay Strong

Net export sales for the week ending on Feb. 12 were -62,900 bales (480-lb). This brings total '14-15 sales to approximately 9.9 million bales. Total sales at the same point in the '13-14 marketing year were approximately 9.4 million bales. Total new crop ('15-16) sales are 669,700 bales.

Shipments for the week were 315,600 bales, bringing total exports to date to 4.3 million bales, compared with the 5.2 million bales at the comparable point in the '13-14 marketing year.

 

 
Effective Feb. 20-26, ’15

Adjusted World Price, SLM 11/16

 48.76 cents

*

Fine Count Adjustment ('13 Crop)

0.58 cents


Fine Count Adjustment ('14 Crop)

 0.38 cents


Coarse Count Adjustment

  0.00 cents


Marketing Loan Gain Value

 3.24 cents


Import Quotas Open

13

 
Special Import Quota (480-lb bales)

873,930


ELS Payment Rate

0.00 cents


*No Adjustment Made Under Step I

 
Five-Day Average

Current 5 Lowest 3135 CFR Far East

68.45 cents


Forward 5 Lowest 3135 CFR Far East

NA


Fine Count CFR Far East

 69.92 cents

 
Coarse Count CFR Far East

0.00 cents


Current US CFR Far East

73.20 cents


Forward US CFR Far East

NA