A balance in world cotton supplies and demand for the last two seasons implies fairly stable but weak prices during the year ahead. Yet, strong corn and soybean prices threaten to reduce U.S. cotton acreage well under the 13.9 million for the 1997 crop and far below the 16.9 million planted in 1995. With planting decisions largely guided by financial risk and income potential, producers in several regions of the Cotton Belt plan to cut cotton acreage substantially next season unless the farm price of cotton increases to at least 70 cents per pound or higher.