Crop Progress: Cool Weather Slows Planting

USDA’s Crop Progress report for the week ending Apr. 30 shows that 15% of the U.S. cotton crop for 2023 has been planted. That’s a three-percentage point increase in the past week and just slightly ahead of the 5-year average for the date.

The biggest weekly increases in planting were reported in California at 85% (up 65 percentage points!), Arizona at 47% (up 14 points), Louisiana at 17% (up 12 points), and Virginia at 31% (up 11 points). Planting increases in other states were minimal, primarily due to cool and/or wet conditions that stopped field activity or simply kept planters in the shed for the near term.

Current planting progress for other Cotton Belt crops of interest shows rice at 63%, sorghum at 21%, peanuts at 8%.