In this week’s Georgia Cotton Commission update we will discuss the USDA NASS June plantings report. The June report from NASS has Georgia planting 1.35 million acres of cotton this year and 850,000 acres of peanuts. This is a 14% increase in cotton acreage (170,000) and an 18% increase in peanut acreage (130,000). Those increases in acreage total 300,000 acres. A reduction of corn by 40,000 acres and a reduction in soybeans of 80,000 still shows Georgia planting a total of 180,000 more acres of row crops this year versus last year. Most of this increase can be seen in a relatively stable peanut market and, until just a few weeks ago, a much stronger cotton market this year versus 2015 and 2016. With an insurance price of 73 cent set for the 2017 cotton crop, it was widely expected that cotton acreage would increase this year. Total US cotton plantings increased from 10 million acres to 12 million this year. For more info, visit our ‘GA Cotton Stats’ page at GeorgiaCottonCommission.org.
| GEORGIA PLANTED ACRES | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | ’16 to ’17 difference | % change | |
| Cotton | 1,380,000 | 1,130,000 | 1,180,000 | 1,350,000 | 170,000 | 14% | |
| Peanuts | 600,000 | 785,000 | 720,000 | 850,000 | 130,000 | 18% | |
| Corn | 350,000 | 330,000 | 410,000 | 370,000 | (40,000) | -10% | |
| Soybeans | 300,000 | 325,000 | 260,000 | 180,000 | (80,000) | -31% | |
| Sorghum | 40,000 | 50,000 | 20,000 | 20,000 | – | 0% | |
| total | 2,670,000 | 2,620,000 | 2,590,000 | 2,770,000 | 180,000 | 7% | |
| Source; USDA NASS Southern Region Plantings, June 2017 | |||||||
Georgia Cotton Commission 