Finding The Right Source United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) members – fashion brands, retailers, importers and wholesalers based in the United States and doing business globally – are industry leaders in terms of ethical sourcing. While our members have always...

The U.S. cotton harvest was moving along rapidly at the time of this writing (early November). Although picking efforts in Texas lagged the normal pace, harvest across most of the Cotton Belt advanced well, producing a good quality crop. The Memphis Territory (Ark., Ala., La., Miss. and Tenn.) is expecting about 3.3 million bales, and the USDA has classed 2.2 million to date. About 900,000 bales of the 2.8 million expected from Georgia and Florida have been classed to date, as have 1.9 million of TexaJan 2015 Cotton Farming_Page_08_Image_0001s and Oklahoma’s expected 6.6 million bales. In the first third of classings to be completed this season country- wide, 73.2 percent are of tenderable qualities. We are in agreement with the USDA and believe the United States will produce 15.9 million bales in the 2014/15 season. More noteworthy is the percentage of much sought after high grades with long staple. The Memphis territory has produced around 73 percent middling (31) and better color, and 44 percent

In recent crop years, Chinese import demand was supported by official cotton policies. The defining element of these policies was a government stockpiling program that enforced price guarantees made to producers by physically taking possession of bales. Guaranteed prices of...

Crisis. It’s hard to even think about the future when things seem to be crumbling down around you. In the cotton business, it’s rare to find a sustained period of good crops, reasonable prices, a stable farm program, strong...

The outlook for Australia’s cotton production in 2015 is turning increasingly downbeat. An unusually hot and dry October crimped early germination and depleted local irrigation supplies. Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology reported the country as a whole saw the seventh driest and hottest October on record. The main cotton-producing states of Queensland (ninth driest) and New South Wales (twelfth driest) saw an unusually dry October, with rainfall only 23 percent and 34 percent of their mean October amounts, respectively. It was the same for heat across the two key cotton-producing states. In fact, after commencing with temperatures generally near average, October developed into an unusually warm month with well-above-average temperatures across the entire country. This intensification of heat later coincided with the typical acceleration in cotton plantings, suggesting temperatures may have been too hot, too soon, for young seedlings.

What motivates a person to pursue a career as a cotton consultant? No matter how that question is posed, you might receive numerous answers. But, one familiar theme rings true for those who have chosen this career – commitment....

BY BRUNO ZANUTTO MANAGER/COTTON GROUP FCSTONE DO BRAZIL LTDA. INTL FCStone Inc. It's hard to remember but at one time Brazil, now the world’s fifth largest cotton producer,er, was once a net cotton importer. Production was limited by the climate diversity of the...

The change in leadership at the National Cotton Council will be smooth and without any problems when the organization has its annual meeting at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis in February. Although no official announcement has been made, everyone...

Frankly, I didn’t know what to expect when I attended the recent Deltapine New Product Evaluator (NPE) Summit event in Nashville, Tenn. This has always been an upbeat meeting as producers learn about new cotton varieties that Deltapine will launch in the upcoming year. But something called “low prices” was overshadowing the event, and it was anybody’s guess what producers would have to say about the situation. No matter how well a new variety might perform, it’s hard to deal with prices in the low 60-cent range – especially when those same prices were in the 80 and 85-cent range a year ago.

BY JIM LAMBERT DIRECTOR OF SALES FCSTONE MERCHANT SERVICES INTL FCStone Inc. 15 cotton season started off with a thump as most of the country’s key cotton-producing provinces experienced adverse weather conditions, which delayed planting. Despite the early setback, farmers were able to...

When a cotton producer has spent nearly four decades fighting insect pests, it’s nice to find a new plan of attack. That is one way of describing Alabama producer Charlie Speake’s situation near Eufaula in the southern part of the...

ALABAMA The northern half of Alabama had another good cotton-growing season with yields above two bales per acre on many farms. Overall, yields the last three to four years have been the best and most consistent I have seen during...

Pre-Registration Begins For Mid-South Farm/Gin Show Companies or interested parties planning to attend the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show on Feb. 27-28 at the Cook Convention Center may register online by going to www.farmandginshow.com or calling (901) 947-3104. The show,...

BY CHRIS KRAMEDJIAN RISK MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT, COTTON FCSTONE LLC INTL FCStone Inc. As a long-time runnerup to China’s cotton story, India is now taking center stage, at least as the world’s largest producer. India’s agriculture is critically dependent on the monsoon, and this...

Cotton Council International (CCI), the National Cotton Council’s export promotions arm, conducts numerous successful cotton demand-building events and activities, including the Sourcing USA Summit. What is the Summit’s purpose? The biennial event provides first-class networking opportunities that result in promoting cotton...