Crop Progress: 2023 Cotton Season is Underway

Thanks mostly to growers in Arizona and the southern parts of Texas, the 2023 cotton season is officially underway, reports USDA in its Crop Progress report for the week ending Apr. 16.

The report shows that 8% of the U.S. cotton crop is now planted – just a single percentage point behind the 5-year average for mid-April. Arizona (at 21% planted) and Texas (at 13% planted) have a head start on the rest of the Cotton Belt, with initial activity also reported this past week in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Virginia.