Photo credit: J. Thompson, Northwest Extension District, UF/IFAS)
The National Cotton Council (NCC) released the results of their annual planting intentions survey. According to the survey, U.S. cotton producers intend to plant 12.0 million cotton acres this spring, up 7.3 percent from 2021.
The 41st Annual Early Season Planting Intentions Survey details were announced during the 2022 NCC Annual Meeting.
The survey shows upland cotton intentions are 11.9 million acres, up 7.1 percent from 2021, while extra-long staple (ELS) intentions of 158,000 acres represent a 24.8 percent increase.
The NCC questionnaire, mailed in mid-December 2021 to producers across the 17-state Cotton Belt, asked producers for the number of acres devoted to cotton and other crops in 2021 and the acres planned for the coming season. Survey responses were collected through mid-January.
Dr. Jody Campiche, the NCC’s vice president, Economics & Policy Analysis, said, “Planted acreage is just one of the factors that will determine supplies of cotton and cottonseed. Ultimately, weather and agronomic conditions are among the factors that play a significant role in determining crop size.”
Here in the Southeast, cotton producers indicate a 3.7 percent increase in cotton acreage to 2.4 million acres. In Alabama, survey responses indicate a 5.0 percent increase in cotton acreage. Georgia growers expect to plant 1.3 percent more cotton, while the survey indicates an 8.0 percent increase in North Carolina’s cotton area. South Carolina growers expect to plant 10.0 percent more cotton, with Virginia growers expanding their cotton acreage by 4.7 percent. The survey indicates the expected increase in cotton acres is due to a decline in corn acres and peanut acres to a lesser extent. With a 4.0 percent decline, Florida is the only state in the region showing a decrease in cotton acres, with those producers shifting to soybeans.
NCC says while cotton prices are higher than in recent years, higher input prices and supply chain disruptions have resulted in significant increases in production costs for 2022. As a result, many producers continue to face difficult economic conditions heading into 2022.