Document Type

Report

Publication Date

7-2021

Keywords

Arkansas, cotton, planting, fruiting, harvesting, crop yield, crop quality

Abstract

In the five years before 2020, cotton acreage in Arkansas had steadily increased from an all-time low of 210,000 acres in 2015 to 610,000 planted acres in 2019. One reason for the increase can be attributed to a downturn in prices received by producers for commodities such as corn and soybean, which compete for acres with cotton. With the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, cotton mill use dropped significantly during the first half of 2020 https://www.cottongrower.com/market-analysis/ncc-cotton-demand-returning-as-u-s-and-world-economies-rebound/. This disruption of the cotton supply chain was felt across the entire cotton industry. The resulting downturn of cotton prices prior to planting impacted producers planting decisions.

Arkansas producers planted 525,000 acres, down from the intentions of 590,000 released in March by USDA-NASS https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Arkansas/Publications/Crop_Releases/Prospective_Plantings/2020/arplant20.pdf. Producers harvested 520,000 acres in 2020, down 15 percent from 2019. The yield averaged 1,200 pounds per harvested acre, a new Arkansas yield record and up 15 pounds from last year. Production was approximately 1.30 million bales https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Arkansas/Publications/Crop_Releases/Annual_Summary/2020/arannsum20.pdf. The 2020 crop brings our five-year average to 1,154 lb lint/ac. Arkansas currently ranks third in cotton production behind Texas and Georgia https://downloads.usda.library.cornell.edu/usda-esmis/files/k3569432s/w3764081j/5712n018r/cropan21.pdf.

Series Number

678

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