# Crop Progress: Cotton Condition Continues to Slide

Author: Jim Steadman
Published: 2023-08-14
Canonical URL: https://www.cottongrower.com/cotton-production/crop-progress-cotton-condition-continues-to-slide/

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The 2023 U.S. cotton crop continues to deteriorate, as excessive heat and too little water are taking their toll on the acres across the Cotton Belt.

According to the [USDA Crop Progress report for the week ending Aug. 13](https://downloads.usda.library.cornell.edu/usda-esmis/files/8336h188j/gb19gp25x/vq2814891/prog3223.pdf), there’s been a 9-percentage point shift into the poor/very poor category. The report shows that only 36% of the crop is now rated good/excellent, 21% fair, and 43% rated poor/very poor. The majority of the stress is visible in the Texas and Oklahoma crops (66% and 63% respectively rated poor/very poor).

Cotton squaring is now reported in 96% of the crop, with boll set now visible in 72% of the crop (up 9 percentage points). Open bolls can be found in 13% of the crop. That’s up 5 percentage points in the past week.