Cotton Harvest Progress

Tim Hammerich

News Reporter

Well it’s December now, and the cotton harvest in the region is still behind schedule. This according to US Department of Agriculture Meteorologist Brad Rippey.

Rippey… “In the Southeast, however, still a bit of a struggle to complete the cotton harvest. That is most apparent in Virginia, only 62% of the cotton harvested by November 29th. Five-year average is 94%. Fairing only a little better in North Carolina is 74% harvested, versus 88% on average. We also see below average harvest progress in Georgia, 80% complete versus 82%; and South Carolina, 77% versus 80% on average. Since the report on the 29th, we have seen additional heavy rain in some of those areas, including North Carolina and Virginia. So it really is going to be a struggle to finish up harvest activities for cotton in some of those Southern mid Atlantic States.”

Rippey says outside of the southeast, the U.S. cotton crop is actually ahead of the normal pace at 84% harvested versus the five-year average of 79%. Texas, he says, seems to be a significant reason for this quick pace elsewhere. The lone star state currently has 82% of their cotton crop harvested.