California Cotton Acreage is Down Due to Lack of Water

In December, growers indicated California would see an increase in cotton acreage for the third year in a row.  But then it didn’t rain until March.  And then when it rained, the water allocations didn’t match expectations.  As a result, California is preliminarily expecting about at 15% decrease in overall cotton acreage for 2018.

According to preliminary planting intentions survey conducted by the California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association this past month, the Association is currently estimating approximately 205,000 acres of pima and 43,000 acres of upland statewide for the 2018 cotton season plus or minus 10%.   This survey is based on surveys from all of the gins in California prior to planting and a lot can happen between now and when things are actually planted.  If it plays out, it will represent a 2% decrease in pima acreage and a 50% decrease in upland acreage in California as compared to 2017.   Again, this is very preliminary, but reflects what all gins are reporting.