By Clint Thompson
It is the second week in December and there is still cotton left to be harvested throughout Georgia.
Camp Hand, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension cotton agronomist, discussed the crop at this week’s Georgia Farm Bureau meeting in Jekyll Island, Georgia.
“We’re probably about 80% or 85% harvested. Yields are all over the board. It just depends on where you are,” Hand said. “Grades are looking good. I think we’re still averaging a premium as a state, which is really a bright spot for us. Price needs to go up, bad. We’re at 71, 72 cents. It is what it is now, I just feel like we’ve learned how to deal with it.”
Though there is an estimated 15% of cotton fields that have yet to be harvested, it is not uncommon for this time of year. Growers have to deal with more persistent rains that can delay harvests.
“Once we get to about Thanksgiving, we normally have 20% to 30% left. That takes just as long as the first 60% to 70%,” Hand said. “It’s just this last little bit tends to drag on a long time.”