Cotton

The latest crop report is out, and while most numbers stayed put, sugarcane is seeing a surprising little bump.

With the rise of fast fashion, U.S. cotton faces tough competition — and it’s not just from synthetic fibers but from other countries, too.

According to ERS’s most recent America’s Farms and Ranches at a Glance report, most American farms, 86% are small family operations.  These farms operate on 41% of U.S. agricultural land and account for 17% of the total value of American production.  Large-scale family ...

The value of U.S. exports of so-called bulk commodities, such as wheat, corn, soybeans, and cotton continue to struggle.  The USDA says the export of those high-profile commodities are down 14% year-over-year.  Department of Ag economist Bart Kenner says more exports of high value products are helping to make up the difference.   “We have s...

USDA’s October crop production forecast was released last week, and it was a mixed bag on the national scene.  The latest projections released Friday show a less than 1% increase in corn production from the previous month, coinciding with a slight adjustment up in corn yields.  Soybean produ...

Milkfat and protein yield are the main drivers of ROI on dairy operations.  Dr. Kevin Harvatine, a professor of nutritional physiology at Penn State University, says high-fat feed additives like whole cottonseed can help dairy producers maximize milkfat content on their farms.  ...

We now have the complete U.S. Ag trade numbers for the first nine months of this fiscal year October through June and the central theme running through it all.   “The continued cooling of U.S export values, which is really tied to the bulk commodities," said USDA economist Bart Kenner.   His la...

American agricultural exports in fiscal year 2023 are projected at $184.5 billion, down $5.5 billion from the November forecast.  The export forecasts for all major commodity groups are down, with the largest drops projected for corn, sorghum, and soybeans.  Corn ex...

The USDA is out with the final Ag trade numbers from December, closing the books on 2022.  USDA’s Bart Kenner said December was a record December for exports $17 billion worth of sales.  He said that puts calendar year 2022 export sales at a record high $196 billion beating 2021's record by $20 billion, but he noted, “most of the gains in exports came from unit value increases from higher prices a

It was January 15th, 2020 when the U.S. and China signed the Phase One Trade agreement, which the Trump Administration said tore down major market barriers for American food and Ag exports.  The long-term hope was China would committee to buying even larger amounts of U.S. produc...