By Clint Thompson
Plenty of sunshine and dry weather this week means weather conditions are ideal for Georgia cotton producers to be in the field harvesting this year’s crop. That’s exactly what the Georgia Cotton Commission and University of Georgia (UGA) Extension Cotton Team are encouraging farmers to be doing this week, says Camp Hand, UGA Extension cotton agronomist.
“The weather since the storm has been really good. It’s cleared out nice, and it looks like the two-week forecast has us at sunshine and dry weather for a while. We need to be out there taking advantage of it,” Hand said.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Georgia cotton harvests were at 29% as of Oct. 20, compared to 19% on Oct. 13 and 19% on Oct. 20, 2023.
“I imagine we’re going to be north of 20%. People have been able to get after it. I know some folks that just got started this weekend, and I know some folks that have been hard at it for a while,” Hand said.
The USDA also reports that 94% of cotton bolls are opening in Georgia, compared to 90% on Oct. 13 and 92% on Oct. 20, 2023.