Cotton Production Down and New Approach to Bird Flu
From the Ag Information Network, this is your Agribusiness Update.
**U.S. cotton producers intend to plant 9.6 million cotton acres this spring, down 14.5% from 2024, according to the National Cotton Council’s 44th Annual Early Season Planting Survey.
www.morningagclips.com reports Southeast respondents indicate a 19.3% decline in cotton acreage to 1.9 million acres, with Alabama down 10.5%, Florida 17%, and Georgia down 21.5%.
The expected decline in cotton acres is due to increases in corn, soybeans, wheat, sorghum, and peanuts.
www.morningagclips.com/ncc-survey-suggests-u-s-producers-to-plant-9-6-million-acres-of-cotton-in-2025/
**The Trump administration is preparing to move away from depopulating entire flocks infected by bird flu.
The focus will instead be on biosecurity and medication to contain the outbreaks.
Reuters reports the USDA has given conditional approval to Zoetis (zoh-EH-tis) to use its bird flu vaccine in poultry.
Zoetis says the conditional license was granted based on safety and a reasonable expectation of efficacy, for a specific period of time.
**Hatcheries last week increased the number of eggs set in incubators and more chicks were placed into meat production year over year, according to the USDA.
About 249.3 million eggs were set in incubators for the week ending Feb. 15, the highest in more than a month.
Alabama had the largest number of eggs set at 35.3 million, followed by Georgia at 34.9 million and North Carolina at just under 26 million.
www.agriculture.com/3-big-things-today-february-20-2025-11683225
