A Good Week for Cotton Progress, Reports USDA

Throughout the Cotton Belt, this year’s crop averaged an eight percent jump in squaring and a 10 percent increase in boll set over the past week, as cotton continued to move closer to the four-year average for crop progress.

According to the July 21 USDA Crop Progress Report, the weekly numbers reflected the positive movement of the 2013 cotton crop, which – in most states – got off to a slow, cold, late start. Maturity numbers were somewhat higher for states like California, Arizona, Arkansas and Louisiana, where growers were able to get the crop in on a timely basis. Yet all cotton-producing states showed positive progress during the past week, especially in the Southwest where timely rains fell.

Those rains and other positive weather patterns also stopped the pattern of crop deterioration reported over the past few weeks. On average, the crop held its own, showing a very slight increase in the fair-to-excellent ratings and a corresponding decrease in the poor-to-very poor conditions.