Delta Farm Press Logo

USDA Prospective Planting Report showed increase in Midsouth cotton acres ... particularly in Louisiana.

Ginger Rowsey, Senior writer

April 11, 2022

7 Slides

When USDA’s 2022 Prospective Plantings Report was released on March 31, it was no surprise that fertilizer-intensive corn acres were projected to be down across the country.  

It also surprised few that the report projected soybean acres to be up — with farmers estimating they will plant a record-breaking 91 million acres of beans this spring.  

Here in the Midsouth, soybean acres are expected to go up in every state. However, the greatest percentage change in crop mix is moving, not to soybeans, but to cotton, according to USDA’s numbers.  

All U.S. cotton planted area for 2022 is expected to total 12.2 million acres. That’s a 9% increase over last year. Growers from every cotton state except Arizona and California intend to increase their upland cotton acres over 2021 totals. 

The largest cotton gains are projected to come from Louisiana. Growers there intend to plant 200 thousand acres of cotton. If realized, the planted area of cotton in Louisiana would nearly double that planted in 2021. 

“You just can’t ignore cotton when it’s over $1,” said Tensas Parish farmer Jamie Davis. “Even with the high input costs we are facing, at today’s market prices, anyone should be able to make money on cotton.” 

Return to our roots 

James Davis drives tractor

Davis farms around 2,000 acres in the fertile ground of the Mississippi River bottom near Waterproof, La. Historically, he and his late father, James Davis, grew mostly cotton in their fields. But beginning in the 2000s lower cotton prices and increased profitability in grain crops slowly chipped away at the farm’s cotton acres. Four years ago, Jamie moved completely to grain. There hasn’t been a stalk of cotton on the place since. But he plans to change that in 2022. 

“I felt it was time to put some acres back in cotton. I enjoy growing cotton, and it’s hard to pass up when prices top $1,” he said. 

While cotton prices are certainly the main driver in Davis’ decision to get back into cotton, it’s not the only factor. 

“I’m about soybeaned out,” he said. “My soybean yields have plateaued the past few years. Adding cotton to the rotation should also help my soybeans in the long-term.” 

This will be Davis’ first crop to plant since the passing of his father last summer.  

“Dad started this farm in the 1970s and just out of sheer determination kept it going through some hard years. Cotton was what we started with. So, I’m excited to get back to cotton,” he said. “I feel like I’m getting back to my roots.” 

Jumping back in 

As Davis has learned, a lot has changed over the past four years in the cotton industry. New varieties and technology are available now that weren’t the last time he planted. He’s spent the winter researching new varieties and comparing the costs of purchasing a used cotton picker versus going with a custom picking service. 

Davis is not the only farmer jumping back into cotton this year. LSU AgCenter Cotton Specialist Matt Foster has been busy fielding calls from growers like Davis who are looking to get back into cotton this year. 

“Their number one question is what’s the best variety,” Foster said. 

Based on the call volume, Foster feels the projected increase in cotton acres is on the mark. He said he has spoken to several growers who are significantly increasing their cotton acres and purchasing pickers. 

“There is a lot of optimism surrounding cotton right now,” he said. 

Hank Jones, an independent ag consultant from Winnsboro, La., has also observed increased enthusiasm for cotton in northeastern Louisiana. 

“We had a good crop last year and there’s always a little bit of optimism following a good crop,” Jones said. “This is an exciting time to be in cotton, mainly because the varieties are so good. It’s magical what can happen. The yields we talked about when we were kids, we’re finally making. The dream yields are now a reality.”  

men stand in field

Jones said seeing projections for large increases in cotton acres makes him feel better about the stability of the infrastructure in the region. 

“We’ve gone through 20 years of mainly corn and beans and very little cotton in this part of the world,” he said. “The more you plant, the more exposure to the younger generation. We need to get some younger folks interested in cotton.” 

Next generation 

You could certainly describe Kody Beavers as part of the next generation of cotton growers. At 27, this will be his fifth crop to plant on Boeuf Prairie Farm, the operation he runs with his wife, Melanie, and business partner, Jack Dailey. Beavers will also be increasing his cotton acres this season. 

“We picked up acres this year in a predominantly cotton area that had some dryland mixed in. With fertilizer where it was, it made sense to put that in cotton to hedge a little drought risk along with nitrogen and phosphorus costs,” Beavers said. 

In addition to the new ground Beavers, who farms around 3,000 acres, plans to increase cotton planting on the rest of the farm by roughly 10%. 

“The rest of the increase in cotton is being moved out of soybeans just out of risk mitigation from a wet fall on soybean harvest,” he said. 

Kody Beavers

Beavers is just hopeful he and other growers don’t face another wet spring that could prevent cotton planting. 

“A lot of growers in our area were planning on getting more cotton in the ground last year, but they couldn’t get it planted timely due to weather,” he said. “I think a lot of the jump in projected acres is growers getting back to where they want to be with cotton provided the weather cooperates. The weather has already been challenging this year, but that’s Louisiana.” 

Weather will not be the only challenge this year, and Beavers admits he’s ready to get this one behind him. 

“With input costs we’re trying to maintain as close to our normal program as possible, but we’re having to shave a few dollars to keep costs in check so we can survive the year and hopefully make a profit,” he said. “We’re variable rating our P & K so we can put it where we need it and not waste on spots we don’t. With nitrogen, we’re going to start on the conservative side and will monitor through the season. If we feel like we’re short, we’ll run some analysis and see if we need to add a little more. As the season goes on, if we see we have a lot of potential we may make the choice to add a little bit. From a budgeting standpoint, we’re trying to stay as close to budget as possible.” 

Being able to plant more cotton will be a bright spot in a challenging year. 

“I love growing cotton. I would have the whole farm in it if it made sense,” he said. 

About the Author(s)

Ginger Rowsey

Senior writer

Ginger Rowsey joined Farm Press in 2020, bringing more than a decade of experience in agricultural communications. Her previous experiences include working in marketing and communications with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. She also worked as a local television news anchor with the ABC affiliate in Jackson, Tennessee.

Rowsey grew up on a small beef cattle farm in Lebanon, Tennessee. She holds a degree in Communications from Middle Tennessee State University and an MBA from the University of Tennessee at Martin. She now resides in West Tennessee with her husband and two daughters.

Subscribe to receive top agriculture news
Be informed daily with these free e-newsletters

You May Also Like