Cotton News Feed
Cotton Feed

Keith Good's Farm Policy News, 5-16: 81-15, Senate Passes Farm Bill Conference Agreement (Read More)

Closing Cotton Commentary from Arkansas Farm Bureau, 5-15: Cotton ended unchanged across the board after trading lower at mid-day. (Read More)

Doane: Cotton closed higher Thursday, 5-15: The Intercontinental Exchange shut down its electric trading platform for three and a half hours this morning due to a power outage, thus greatly reducing today's volume. (Read More)

Closing Cotton: Power Outage Shuts Cotton Futures Trading, 5-15: The market closed the abbreviated session unchanged. (Read More)

Georgia Cotton Insect Newsletter, 5-15: Thrips building to high numbers; scouting schools; sand damage from last weekend. (Read More)

Arkansas Cotton Update, 5-15: Cotton Status; Replant Decisions; Latest Possible Planting Date; Market Update; Thrips Concerns; Cotton Scouting Schools. (Read More)

Opening Cotton: Cotton Trades Just Below Unchanged After Export Report, 5-15: Market showed little initial reaction to the USDA's weekly U.S. export sales-shipments report (Read More)

South Carolina: Cotton Insect Newsletter, 5-14: Status of cotton crop; Pesticide label; Soybean Insect. (Read More)

Texas Crop and Weather Report, 5-14: "What a difference one week makes when it finally does start to rain." (Read More)

Georgia Cotton Marketing News, 5-12: Market Finds Support and Rallies; Farm Bill Situation and Progress. (Read More)

Louisiana Cotton Bulletin, 5-12: Early Weed Competition and Concerns; New Insecticides for 2008. (Read More)

Georgia Cotton, 5-12: Glyphosate-Resistant Palmer Amaranth Update; What Does Reflex Injury Look Like in Cotton?; Early Season Insect Management; Cotton Scout Schools. (Read More)

Ag Report, (E-Central La.), 5-11: Some cotton replanting; thrips issues. (Read More)

Mississippi: Cotton holds promise, just on fewer acres, 5-9: Cotton offers strong profit potential for growers even though it no longer rules as king among the state's row crops. (Read More)

North Carolina Pest News, 5-9: Thrips in Cotton; Current Status of Soybean Rust in North America, May 2008; Another Host for Soybean Rust. (Read More)

Nunn Cotton Letter, 5-9: Futures close week higher. (Read More)

USDA: Tennessee Has Largest Wheat Crop since 1982, 5-9: Tennessee farmers seeded 620,000 acres last fall, up 47 percent from the previous year. But hay stocks are short. (Read More)

Tennessee IPM Newsletter, 5-9: Cotton planting behind due to cool temperatures, wet fields, and more corn being planted; Glyphosate Resistant Horseweed Management; Ryegrass Control in Corn; no reports of significant true armyworm infestations in wheat; thrips in cotton; Corn and Sorghum Updates. (Read More)

Cotton Commentary

Gerloff On Cotton - May 10, 2008

From Delton Gerloff, Ag Economist, University of Tennessee

Short Run: The July futures contract closed Thursday at 70.85 cents/lb, 1.60 cents higher than the previous Thursday’s close. Friday’s USDA report added another 200,000 bales to old crop stocks, as both domestic and export use dropped. This latest stock number will make it more difficult for old crop stock prices to rally substantially.

Long Run: The December 2008 futures contract closed Thursday at 79.35 cents/lb, 1.90 cents higher than the previous Thursday’s close. USDA’s first projection for the 2008/09 marketing year put U.S. ending stocks at 5.6 million bales, over 4 million below the level expected this year. The 5.6 million bale level is not a low stock level historically, but indicates more of a directional change in the recent U.S. stock buildup. Total 2008 production is estimated to be 14.5 million bales in the U.S., with total use estimated to be 18.8 million bales. That shortfall can be taken out of carryover stocks this year, but would likely mean increasing acres in the 2009 crop to meet demand. Exports are the key - if they can remain 14 millionplus, I think prices will move higher later this year. For now, consider pricing up to 25% of expected 2008 production using options.