According to the Organic Trade Association (OTA) US acreage planted to organic cotton in 2004 gained ground from that planted the previous year.
This survey conducted by OTA and funded by a grant from Cotton Incorporated.
OTA's organic cotton survey found 12 farmers grew and harvested organic cotton in the United States during 2004.
Farmers in 2004 planted 5,550 acres of organic cotton, an increase of nearly 37 percent over the 4,060 acres planted in 2003. Plantings included 5,020 acres of organic upland cotton and 530 acres of organic pima cotton. Most was grown in Texas, with limited acreage in California, New Mexico and Missouri.
Acreage planted in 2005 totaled 6,577 acres of mostly upland organic cotton, an increase of 19 percent over that planted in 2004. Harvesting figures for 2005 are not yet available.
The survey was mailed to 52 people in seven states; 17 farmers returned completed surveys, with another four answering in phone interviews or by e- mail. Nine responding farmers did not grow organic cotton in 2004, while seven respondents were found not to be farmers.
Only 12 of the respondents grew and harvested organic cotton in 2004. However, survey results for acreage and the number of growers may be lower than actual figures because only eight of the 16 members of the Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative answered the survey.
Based on survey results and additional information from the Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative, approximately 6,814 bales of organic cotton were harvested in 2004, compared with 4,628 bales harvested in 2003.
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