2004 state cotton crop exceeds last years record

By KERYN PAGE
MSU Ag Communications

The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts the 2004 state average yield to be 1,000 pounds of lint per acre, up from 932 pounds per acre in 2003. Mississippi producers planted 1.1 million acres of cotton in 2004 and harvested 1.09 million acres.

The likely main cause is transgenic cotton varieties that have good yield potential and help protect against bollworms and budworms. A light bollworm year contributed to the crop’s success.

Ideal weather also boosted the quality of this year’s crop.

This isn’t all good news for the cotton crop. The estimated value of production for the 2004 cotton crop is $597 million, down about 14 percent from 2003.

MSU Extension economist Steve Martin said this price decrease is a result of an increase in production in the United States, as well as the rest of the world. Globally, 112 million bales of cotton were produced.

Martin said prices in the 60- to 65-cent range typically are considered break-even. The lowest prices in recent history came in 2001 at about 28 cents per pound of lint.

Despite the price slump, Martin expects cotton acreage to remain steady in 2005. DBJ