After hitting lows last year not seen since the Great Depression, California’s 2016 cotton acreage is up at least 26 per cent. Roger Isom, president of the California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association, called the news ‘better than expected.’ Total cotton acreage in the San Joaquin Valley is a little more than 209,000 acres. Kings County continues its top spot at 83,260 acres of cotton planted, an 38 percent increase from last year.

Total cotton planting estimates for the United States range from 9.1 million acres by the National Cotton Council and 9.5 million acres based on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The higher USDA estimate puts the 2016 U.S. crop 11.4 per cent higher than last year’s cotton crop.

Based on the USDA and NCC projections, national figures show upland cotton acreage projected to be between 17 and 24 per cent higher. Western ELS cotton plantings could range from 5.7 per cent to 11 percent higher, depending on the source of the estimate.

Arizona planting intentions suggest a crop size between 115,000 and 137,000 acres, up from 29-54 per cent. Upland plantings in the Southeast are projected down 5.1 per cent based on estimates by both organisations. The Mid-South could plant anywhere from 25 to 45 per cent more cotton this year. The Southwest could plant anywhere from 6.1 to 11.2 per cent.