Heavy cotton irrigation affects profits of Mississippi
29 Dec '06
3 min read
Cotton's reign as king of Mississippi's row crops remained unchallenged in 2006 as it posted an estimated $583 million production value, but growers paid a high price to bring it to harvest.
Cotton's estimated value rose 9 percent from the state's $533 million production in 2005.
“It was a real frustrating year,” said Tom Barber, cotton specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “Some people picked the best crop they've ever picked, but it was probably the most expensive crop they've ever paid for.”
With the exception of localized showers, it didn't rain from April when cotton was being planted until September across most of the state. Barber said by July 25 when cotton was filling out bolls, the drought was categorized as severe across the majority of the state, and extreme along the Gulf Coast.
With few exceptions, the only good harvests in 2006 were from irrigated acres. Barber said just 40 to 45 percent of the state's 1.2 million acres of cotton were irrigated.
“Our yield on the non-irrigated acreage was better than everyone thought it would be, with yields averaging maybe a bale an acre,” Barber said. “Where we started irrigation early enough and carried it long enough, those yields were excellent.”
Cotton prices have been about 55 cents a pound, but with high pumping costs for irrigation, many producers had to have excellent yields to break even.
“It's hard to sit there and let a crop burn up, but at the same time, it's hard to put a lot of money into a crop not knowing if the market price is going to be good,” Barber said.
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