This year’s cotton crop is not holding up quite as well as farmland prices.
The National Cotton Council says that acreages are down belt-wide
“I think it’s going to be a pretty low crop. The WASDE numbers have not really caught up to that, but I expect they will soon when the acres report— now that the new reports come out based off of what the FSA officers have reported on acres. But it’s a down crop across the board. Hopefully, we’ll see a spike in prices do that, but we have not seen that yet,” according to Tas Smith, the council’s VP of Producer Affairs.
Despite price and crop production challenges, Smith says that there is a lot of optimism in the Big, Beautiful Bill signed by President Trump.
“We’re very excited about the ag provisions, the cotton provisions, and the reconciliation package raises the sea cotton reference prices to $0.42, which is a very good increase. Going back to 1990, that reference price was triggered 35 in the last 37 crop years and a $141 an acre average payment... it makes a really good change. It makes SEO more like stacks, and growers can enroll their sea cotton base acres in PLC, and also take SEO as well. So that’s a positive change,” he notes.
Smith goes on to say that the National Cotton Council has been at the forefront of advocating for that increase for some time.
Strong corn exports are anchoring U.S. trade, while soybean sales remain steady, but shipments lag.
September 26, 2025 04:48 PM
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China’s buying decisions continue to be a critical factor in shaping cotton prices and export opportunities worldwide.
September 26, 2025 11:55 AM
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The Big Beautiful Bill has the potential to keep rural residents living and operating in their home communities.
September 25, 2025 02:59 PM
Speaking about his administration’s tariff strategy, Trump acknowledged that producers could face financial strain in the short term but promised stopgap support.
September 25, 2025 01:07 PM
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The USDA is moving to close the farm trade gap through promotion, missions, and stronger export financing.
September 25, 2025 10:46 AM
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Cotton farmers should weigh potential PLC payments against STAX coverage and act before the September 30 deadline.
September 24, 2025 12:57 PM
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Corn and beef exports showed strong momentum, cotton sales surged, and soybean sales held steady, though China remains absent from the U.S. market.
September 18, 2025 04:43 PM
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California rancher and former NCBA President Kevin Kester joined House Republicans on Tuesday to tout provisions in the Big, Beautiful Bill that support family ranches.
September 17, 2025 01:40 PM
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Understanding the Big, Beautiful Bill’s complex impact on SNAP benefits – that’s the topic of today’s Firm to Farm blog post by RFD-TV’s legal expert, Roger McEowen.
September 15, 2025 04:37 PM
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