With only 60 percent of the current cotton crop rated fair or better as of Aug. 14, crop conditions are well behind where they were at this time last year when 89 percent of the crop rated fair or better.

Virginia leads the way in terms of crop condition in the Southeast with 100 percent of the crop rated fair or better. North Carolina is not far behind with 89 percent of their crop rated fair or better.

In the Mid-South, at least 72 percent of the crop is rated fair or better in all states. Tennessee is leading all that region’s states with 99 percent of the crop rated fair or better.

In the Southwest, 70 percent of the Kansas crop is rated fair or better, while just 40 percent of the Texas crop and 14 percent of Oklahoma’s crop is rated fair or better.

Due to the extreme drought conditions plaguing the Southwest, crop conditions for Texas and Oklahoma represent the worst ratings since USDA began reporting conditions in 1986.

In the West, 100 percent of the California crop rated fair or better, while Arizona was only slightly behind with 98 percent of their crop rating fair or better.

Nationwide, 88 percent of the crop had set bolls as of Aug. 14, two percentage points behind last year’s pace but four percentage points ahead of the five-year average.

In the Southeast, only North Carolina with 99 percent of their crop having set bolls is ahead of both last year’s pace (97 percent) and their five-year average (95 percent). South Carolina is ahead of last year’s pace (69 percent) and equal to their five-year average with 77 percent of their crop having set bolls.

In the Mid-South, only Mississippi and Tennesseeare were behind their boll-setting five-year average with 97 percent and 93 percent, respectively, of their crops having set bolls.

In the West, Arizona is two percentage points behind their five-year average with 90 percent of their crop having set bolls. With 90 percent of the crop having set bolls, California is equal to their five-year average and slightly ahead of where they were at this time last year in terms of crop progress.

In the Southwest, only Texas with 90 percent of the crop having set bolls is ahead of both their five-year average and last year’s pace.

As of Aug. 14, the 2011-12 crop had 11 percent open bolls. Arizona, Louisiana and Texas led all states with 37 percent, 43 percent and 15 percent of their respective crops having open bolls.