Mississippi State, Mississippi
December 14, 2006
Cotton’s reign as king of
Mississippi’s row crops remained unchallenged in 2006 as it
posted an estimated $583 million production value, but growers
paid a high price to bring it to harvest.
Cotton’s estimated value rose 9 percent from the state’s $533
million production in 2005.
“It was a real frustrating year,” said Tom Barber, cotton
specialist with the Mississippi
State University Extension Service. “Some people picked the
best crop they’ve ever picked, but it was probably the most
expensive crop they’ve ever paid for.”
With the exception of localized showers, it didn’t rain from
April when cotton was being planted until September across most
of the state.
Barber said by July 25 when cotton was filling out bolls, the
drought was categorized as severe across the majority of the
state, and extreme along the Gulf Coast.
With few exceptions, the only good harvests in 2006 were from
irrigated acres. Barber said just 40 to 45 percent of the
state’s 1.2 million acres of cotton were irrigated.
“Our yield on the non-irrigated acreage was better than everyone
thought it would be, with yields averaging maybe a bale an
acre,” Barber said.
“Where we started irrigation early enough and carried it long
enough, those yields were excellent.”
Cotton prices have been about 55 cents a pound, but with high
pumping costs for irrigation, many producers had to have
excellent yields to break even.
“It’s hard to sit there and let a crop burn up, but at the same
time, it’s hard to put a lot of money into a crop not knowing if
the market price is going to be good,” Barber said.
Diesel fuel averaged about $2.20 cents a gallon, well above fuel
costs in 2005. Barber said the effect of low cotton prices and
high input costs is going to drive the 2007 cotton acreage in
Mississippi to the lowest levels its been in years.
“My guess is we’ll lose 25 percent to 30 percent and go below a
million acres,” Barber said.
On top of the drought, cotton producers fought a significant
battle with seedling disease and had to replant many acres.
“Our typical April and May weather conditions flip-flopped, and
we had warmer weather in April than in May,” Barber said.
“Almost 60 percent of the cotton was planted by May 1, rather
than the usual 40 percent. When May turned cool with windy,
cloudy days and some wet weather, we got a lot of seedling
disease.”
After the crop was established, spider mites became a problem.
Angus Catchot, an Extension entomologist, said spider mite
populations reproduce rapidly in hot, dry weather. Mississippi
has had these conditions for the last two years.
“In 2005, we sprayed just under 300,000 acres for spider mites,”
Catchot said. “Up until that point, that was pretty much
unprecedented for spider mites in Mississippi, but this year, we
sprayed about 415,000 acres.”
Spider mites feed by puncturing cells on the underside of
leaves, causing those with a high enough infestation to turn red
and sometimes fall off prematurely. As this happens, the plant
loses its ability to create photosynthesis, and this ultimately
reduces yield.
Budworm and bollworm numbers spiked this year, causing producers
to treat acreage for these pests. Aphid numbers increased and
required treatment on many acres. Plant bugs, which in recent
years have been cotton’s No. 1 pest in Mississippi, were not as
big a problem in 2006 as the extreme drought reduced alternate
weed hosts and lowered their numbers.
By Bonnie Coblentz |