Thursday, February 12, 2026

Texas drought, shifting markets shape 2026 crop outlook

Karn Dhingra / Communications Specialist / Texas A&M University Texas Crop and Weather Report Texas row crop producers are heading into planting season amid early weather uncertainty, shifting price relationships in major commodities, and ongoing economic pressure from high input costs,...

2026/27 Fundamentals, Outlook, and Caveats

DR. John R.C. Robinson Professor and Extension Specialist for Cotton Marketing It is never too early to develop a marketing plan for the next crop year. Longer run price outcomes for the 2026 crop depend on expectations of supply and...

The Cotton Research & Promotion Program Funds Mid-South Research Through Cotton Incorporated Core and State Support Projects

By Grant Saum, Mid-South Regional Communications Manager, The Cotton Board Across the Mid-South, Cotton Incorporated continues to invest in the future of cotton through its Agricultural and Environmental Research Division, funding projects that directly impact grower profitability and sustainability. Through two...

Postdoc Leads Study to Turn Cotton Waste into Climate-Smart Compost

Brenda Ortiz, UC Merced / ucmerced.edu From colorful scraps to soil-like material, a groundbreaking two-year research study explores the journey of cotton textiles through composting. UC Merced researchers are collaborating on a two-year research project to develop effective composting methods for...

Cotton Marketing News: Will 2026 > 2025?

Don Shurley, UGA Emeritus Cotton Economist In 2026, provisions of an improved ARC/PLC income safety net and higher loan rates in the OBBBA will fully kick in.  Payments from the 2025 crop year will be received in October 2026.  Producers will...

Cotton Strip Soil Test: Rapid Assessment of Soil Microbial Activity in the Field

Anthony Bly / SDSU Extension Soils Field Specialist Written collaboratively by Debankur Sanyal, Johnathon Wolthuizen and Anthony Bly. Soil has always been considered as a living system due to its biological components: fungi, bacteria and plant roots. While physical properties maintain...

Why do we grow cotton in Arizona?

Rosemary Brandt / Senior Director, Strategic Communications & Creative Services / arizona.edu Cotton is a famously thirsty crop, yet Arizona is one of the top U.S. producers. But how does a crop that thrives on water and humidity manage to...

Watch for stink bugs in crops in 2026

Linda Geist /Sr. Strategic Communications Consultant / College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, MU Stink bugs vary in size and shape, but they are generally described as having shield-shaped bodies. Adult green stink bugs are usually light green. The...

Fertilizer Source Matters! Comparison of Alternatives for Nutrient Content

DR. Cheryl Mackowiak Associate Professor Soil and Water Science North Florida Research and Education Center Fertilizer source is one of the four Rs of fertilizer management (Right source, Right place, Right time, and Right placement). Mineral fertilizers are typically synthesized (i.e., nitrogen from the...

Cotton Market Summary as of Friday, January 16, 2026

DR. John R.C. Robinson / Professor and Extension Specialist for Cotton Marketing /  cottonmarketing.tamu.edu Through Friday, January 16, ICE cotton futures stepped up from the mid-64-cent level, bounced off the 65.20ish level multiple times, then gyrated back down to where...

Deltapine® Brand Class of ’26 Cotton Varieties Add More Proven-Performing Planting Options for Growers

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (Dec. 13, 2025) — New cotton varieties named to the Deltapine® Class of ’26 provide growers more planting options for proven performance potential in leading trait systems. “The Class of ’26 includes four additional Deltapine varieties with NPE-grower-proven...

Machine Learning For Better Bolls

UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA ATHENS, GEORGIA Snider’s research lays the groundwork for improving cotton genetics, dovetailing closely with that of UGA cotton breeder Peng Chee, whose mission is to develop high-performing cotton with genetics tailored to the Southeast. While Snider investigates how specific traits...

Cotton and Wool Outlook: December 2025

Approved by USDA’s World Agricultural Outlook Board Economic Research Service | Situation and Outlook ReportNext release isJanuary14, 2026CWS-25k|December 11, 2025 Leslie Meyer and Taylor Dew Global 2025/26Cotton Ending Stocks Rise asProduction Remains Above Mill Use The latest U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)...

Arkansas Cotton Gins Sink To All-Time Low, But State Has Most Productive Gin In U.S.

  MARY HIGHTOWER JONESBORO, ARKANSAS PHOTO: Ryan McGeeney / University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture While the number of gins in Arkansas has declined to tie the all-time low of 26 set in 2015, the state still boasts the nation’s busiest gin. The...

Seeing What Others Miss: Making Sense of Agricultural Risk Today

merri.day / agrilife.org Agriculture has always faced uncertainty. Although agricultural risk management has come a long way in recent years, producers face a multifaceted risk landscape that is constantly changing due to unpredictable weather, evolving regulatory frameworks, and volatile markets....

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