April 5
1998 crop gins 13.9 million bales
Texas was the largest U.S. cotton producer in 1998. Not surprised? OK, guess which state was second. Not California; not Mississippi. It was Georgia. California's pima nudged the Golden State ahead of Mississippi in total production. Arkansas was close behind in fifth place. The last of the six states which produced more than 1 million bales was North Carolina, the only state in the top six with higher production in 1998 than in 1997.

USDA's March 25 Cotton Ginnings report shows total U.S. production of 13,912,600 statistical bales (480 pounds each), a drop of about 24 percent from 1997. Texas contributed 3,616,950 bales of upland and 55,750 bales of pima. Georgia had 1,564,150 bales, all upland. California's production was 1,162,450 bales of upland and 352,750 bales of pima. Mississippi brought in 1,435,050 bales, all upland. Arkansas had 1,191,650 bales of upland. North Carolina produced 1,039,000 bales, all upland.

Two other states, Alabama and Virginia increased production from 1997 to 1998. All the rest of the states showed decreases. Texas, for example, saw production drop some 1.5 million bales. California dropped more than 1 million bales. Arizona, 200,000 bales. Louisiana, traditionally a member of the million-bale club, missed last year's production by 350,000 bales. Neighboring Mississippi was down more than 400,000 bales. Tennessee was down more than 100,000 bales; Missouri, 200,000 bales.

Show me how ginning progressed through the 1998 season.

Seeds are hitting the dirt
Cotton planting has begun. USDA reports that as of April 4, Arizona had planted 10 percent of its 1999 cotton acreage, Texas 9 percent, California 2 percent, and Georgia and Alabama 1 percent each.

Last year on the same date, Arizona had planted 14 percent of its crop; Arizona's five-year average for the date is 24 percent. Texas had planted 9 percent last year and its five-year average is 10 percent. California had planted 4 percent last year, and the five-year average is 9 percent. Georgia and Alabama matched both last year's percentage and their five-year averages.

New Mexico, as in 1998, had not yet begun planting by April 4. The state's five-year average is 1 percent. North Carolina has not begun this year, but had planted 1 percent by this time last year. It's five-year average, however, is zero.

Show me the entire list.

Some comments on planting from Cotton-L, the cotton industry discussion list:

Most of the Lower Rio Grande Valley's 1999 cotton crop has been planted, according to a report from Texas A&M. John Norman, cotton IPM entomologist at the school, estimates total cotton acreage at 240,000 acres in the LGV. "A few growers have already had to irrigate to either get a stand or to keep the plants growing. But overall, the valley's young cotton crop is doing well and growing rapidly," Norman says. He adds that there has been plenty of warmth to promote growth, but wind has been a problem. If winds continue, it will dry up any soil moisture that's out there.
-- Roger Haldenby

Pretty boring here in California, no planters running with the morning lows in the 30s over the last week and rain today (Tuesday) and more predicted for later in the week. Yield decreases begin if seed is not in the ground by the 15th of April. And, will the pima acreage remain high with the delays in planting? Looks like another great year!
--Don Cameron

Wednesday's high temperature in Fresno, Calif., hit 49 degrees; 72 degrees is the norm. It was cloudy all day with light showers too! There is also another storm forecast for the weekend.

Growers are also very concerned about the cold germination potential of their planting seed for both pima and upland..

We are hopeful that favorable planting conditions will arrive here sooner than later.  Most in the California cotton industry (and many other US states) are  a little "gun-shy" after experiencing  the 1998 cotton season from hell.

A big positive is that most growers' land is ready to plant once the weather conditions permit.  Planting will be fast and furious.
--Dan Kemble

Trans Pecos welcomes BWEP
By Roger Haldenby

Producers in the El Paso/Trans Pecos Boll Weevil Eradication Zone voted a resounding yes to initiating a combined boll weevil eradication program and pink bollworm suppression program in the 15-county zone.

Cotton farmers and landowners with cotton production voted in a March 26 referendum to determine whether to establish the  program and set a maximum assessment. Votes were counted Tuesday.

Matt Brockman, Texas Department of Agriculture assistant commissioner for producer relations, informed Plains Cotton Growers Tuesday afternoon that the establishment question on the referendum passed with 80 percent of the votes cast in favor, representing 62 percent of the acres in the zone. State law dictates that boll weevil referenda can pass with either a two-thirds majority of those voting or a simple majority of the zone's acreage.

On the proposed assessment, Brockman reported 77 percent in favor and 58 percent of the acreage giving a thumbs up.

The El Paso/Trans-Pecos Boll Weevil Eradication Zone consists of approximately 60,000 acres in 15 counties: Brewster, Crane, Crockett, Culberson, El Paso, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Loving, Pecos, Presidio, Reeves, Terrell, Val Verde, Ward and Winkler.

Larry Turnbough of Reeves County was elected to the board of the Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation to represent the zone. Turnbough is a cotton producer who has farmed in Reeves County since 1974 and has served as the director for the El Paso/Trans-Pecos zone.

The Permian Basin zone referendum voting deadline is April 9 with ballots to be counted April 15. Proposed maximum assessment is $12 per cotton land acre irrigated, and $6 per cotton land acre dryland. The Northern Rolling Plains zone vote deadline is April 22, with ballots to be counted April 29. Proposed maximum assessment $15 per planted row acre irrigated, $10 per planted row acre dryland.

Roger Haldenby is vice president for operations of Plains Cotton Growers in Lubbock.
 

April 16
Permian Basin growers welcome eradication program
The boll weevil eradication referendum has passed in the Permian Basin Boll Zone, The Texas Department of Agriculture announced Thursday. Producers in the six-county zone voted 1,507-556 to establish a boll weevil eradication program. They also voted to set a maximum annual assessment for the program not to exceed $12 per land acre for irrigated cotton and $6 per land acre for dryland cotton.

Jim Brown of Midland County was elected to represent the Permian Basin Zone on the statewide board of directors for the Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation Inc. Brown is a cotton producer who has farmed in Dawson County since 1979.  He has been serving as the commissioner-appointed director for the Permian Basin zone.

The Permian Basin Boll Weevil Eradication Zone consists of approximately 779,183 acres in six counties:  Dawson, Ector, Howard, Martin and portions of Borden and Midland.

The referendum for the Northern Rolling Plains zone is April 22. Producers should have received ballots in the mail. Producers in the 14-county zone who planted cotton in 1998 but did not receive a ballot should call the Texas Department of Agriculture at 512-463-7593 or 1-800-TELL-TDA (1-800-835-5832).

The Northern Rolling Plains zone includes approximately 271,000 acres in 14 counties: Gray, Wheeler, Donley, Collingsworth, Hall, Childress, Cottle, King, Hardeman, Wilbarger, Wichita, Clay, Foard and portions of Archer.

The proposed maximum assessment for the zone is $15 per planted row acre irrigated, $10 per planted row acre dryland.

To counted, ballots must be postmarked by midnight April 22 (that's next Thursday). Ballots are to be counted April 29.

Slow progress in planting
Cotton planting is progressing slowly in the United States, with most states well behind their five-year averages, according to USDA's weekly Crop Progress report issued Monday. Only South Carolina, which began planting during the last week, is ahead of its five-year average with 3 percent planted.

Arizona has the greatest percentage of its crop planted, but also is the most behind. With 15 percent planted, Arizona is 20 percent behind its five-year average and 3 percent behind last year on the same date. California is 2 percent planted, 18 percent behind its five-year average. Far West growers wisely have chosen not to plant in snow. With the temperatures expected to rise to the 70s and 80s, growers predict they'll have planters in the field by late this week.

Texas has planted 10 percent of its cotton, progressing only 1 percent from the previous week, but remaining only 1 percent behind its five-year average. Beneficial rains over the last week portend active planting in the High Plains over the next several weeks, although growers this week are complaining of high winds blowing away their topsoil and preplant chemicals.

Alabama has planted 4 percent and Georgia 3 percent, both close to their five-year averages. After pleasantly warm, dry weather last week, though, temperatures have dropped into the 50s and 60s in the Southeast, so planting is likely to slow down.

Mississippi has made its tentative start, planting 1 percent of its crop during the past week, exactly matching last year on the same date and its five-year average. Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee have not yet begun planting.

Show me the entire list.

Take me to USDA's Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin.

Disaster assistance sign-up extended
The Farm Service Agency has announced that sign-up for assistance under the new Crop Loss Disaster Assistance
Program will continue through Friday.

"Adding one final week to the sign-up will not affect the timing of payments under the program," said agency administrator Keith Kelly. "We're doing this because we had such  a high volume of applications and because we made some changes recently broadening eligibility for the multi-year loss assistance portion of the program."

More than $2 billion was authorized by the Congress to reimburse farmers hit by natural disasters who suffered losses in 1998 or in at least 3 years from 1994 to 1998.

Kelly urged interested farmers to contact their local USDA Service Center or Farm Service Agency local office. These are usually listed in telephone directories under "U.S. Government, Department of Agriculture."

Cotton acreage: Going up
Low cotton prices won't keep cotton planters in the shed this spring, according to the Agriculture Department. U.S. growers plan to plant 13.9 million acres in 1999, according to USDA's Prospective Plantings report. That's an increase of 526,300 acres -- 4 percent -- over 1998 and up 46,200 acres from 1997.

The Midsouth shows a 9 percent increase, while the Southeast expects plantings to rise 7 percent from last year. Georgia growers plan to add 100,000 acres. Producers in the Southwest intend to plant 2 percent more acreage than in 1998, although Texas expects to drop 21,000 acres.

California growers intend to plant 50,000 more acres of Pima cotton this year, but Pima acreage overall will be down 7 percent, at 305,200 acres.

Corn acreage, meanwhile, is expected to drop 2 percent nationwide with about 1.3 million acres of that decrease in cotton-producing states.

Have cotton growers lost their infatuation with corn? Are they shifting that acreage back into cotton? That may be the case for some growers, but it's not a one-for-one swap. The drop in expected corn plantings in cotton-producing states overall far outstrips the increase in cotton, and the same is true in most of the states. The only cotton-producing states adding to their corn acreage are Missouri, which is not changing its cotton acreage; and Kansas and Oklahoma, which are increasing both corn and cotton acreage. The only states decreasing their cotton acreage, California, South Carolina and Texas, are all decreasing corn acreage even more. That means 11 states of the 17 that produce cotton will be increasing cotton acreage and decreasing corn acreage.

Show me a state-by-state comparison.
 

May 18
Planting at 35 percent
Cotton planting continues to lag across the belt, with 35 percent planted as of Sunday, according to USDA's May 10 Crop Progress report. Some places had too much rain, some had not enough, the Agriculture Department reports in its May 11 Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin.

California is now 90 percent planted. USDA reports fieldwork was active last week as dry conditions prevailed, although temperatures again dropped as much as 5 degrees F. below normal. While California is ahead of its five-year average of 82 percent for the date, Arizona is significantly behind. Arizona has planted 77 percent of its cotton, trailing its five-year average of 92 percent. New Mexico, with 64 percent planted, is slightly behind its five-year average of 68 percent.

The Atlantic Coast also had dry conditions early last week -- dry enough, in fact, to hamper planting. Nonetheless, North Carolina jumped from 15 percent planted a week ago to 40 percent on Sunday. That's still a little short of the state's five-year average of 45 percent. Late-week showers eased moisture shortages in some areas of Georgia and South Carolina, but muddy fields prevented planting at the end of the week. South Carolina made good progress, adding 13 percent for a total of 33 percent as of Sunday. South Carolina's five-year average, however, is 54 percent for the date. Georgia has planted 28 percent, compared to a five-year average of 52 percent.

The Tennessee Valley and adjacent areas of the Southeast and lower Mississippi Valley also received heavy rains that halted fieldwork and delayed planting. Alabama managed to reach 53 percent, up from 38 percent the previous week but still behind the five-year average of 60 percent. Tennessee is up to 32 percent with a five-year average of 36 percent.

Planting rapidly progressed in the lower Mississippi Valley despite midweek showers in Mississippi. Soil crusting hindered emergence in some areas following heavy rains. Mississippi has planted 46 percent of its crop, compared with a five-year average of 53 percent. Arkansas leapt from 7 percent a week ago to 37 percent as of Sunday, matching its five-year average. Missouri also made huge gains, from 7 percent last week to 40 percent Sunday -- well ahead of its five-year average of 21 percent. Louisiana had the biggest gain with 71 percent now planted, up from 28 percent the week before and pushing ahead of its five-year average of 67 percent.

Extreme dryness persisted across southern Texas, where temperatures occasionally topped 100 degrees F. On the High Plains, favorably drier weather followed heavy rains of the previous week. Texas gained just 4 percentage points for the week, with 20 percent planted. The five-year average for Texas is 29 percent for the date.

Growers who could think about planting in Oklahoma and Kansas were the fortunate ones, as the states were raked by tornadoes, damaging hail and heavy rains that eroded soils and flooded small streams. Oklahoma growers increased their plantings only 2 percent for the week, now up to 9 percent. That, however, is ahead of the state's five-year average of 7 percent.

Show me planting progress for the year.

May 25
Bt may target unintended insects
Pollen from corn carrying a Bt gene to control European corn borer can also kill monarch butterflies if it gets on the milkweed the monarchs eat, according to a new study published today in the journal Nature.

The study, led by Corneal University entomologist John Losey, found that the caterpillars that ate milkweed leaves coated with pollen from the genetically engineered corn ate less, grew more slowly and died more quickly than larvae that ate untreated leaves.

After four days, 44 percent of the larvae feeding on treated leaves had died, while none of the control group died.

Monarchs are not an endangered species, but their annual migration takes them into the heart of corn country to breed. Losey said he did not know how many butterflies were being affected in the wild, but as Iowa State University entomologist  Marlin Rice told the New York Times, "If you're a monarch, odds are you're going to be close to a cornfield."

Bt corn is manufactured by Novartis, Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. and the Monsanto Co.

The findings surprised many researchers, as previous studies have shown the myriad Bt strains to be extremely species-specific in their activity. Predictably, environmentalists hailed the findings as a “smoking gun,” while industry minimized their importance. Both academic and industry experts noted that the risk to the butterflies (and potential risk to any other species) is likely to be much less than that from applied insecticides.
 

Chemical use in cotton down in 1998
Agricultural chemical use in upland cotton dropped slightly in every category in 1998, according to USDA’s Agricultural Chemical Usage report released Wednesday. Nitrogen fertilizer was applied on 84 percent of U.S. upland cotton acreage during 1998, compared to 90 percent in 1997. Herbicides were applied to 96 percent of upland cotton acreage, compared to 97 percent the previous year, and insecticide applications covered 71 percent of planted acres, compared to 77 percent the year before. Area treated with other chemicals covered two-thirds of the 1998 planted acreage, compared to 73 percent in 1997. The Economic Research Service based its 1998 figures on a survey of 92 acres in 10 cotton-producing states.
 

Show me the reports:    1998  1997  all available

Carryover expected to rise to 5.5 million bales
With U.S. cotton stocks estimated at 3.6 million bales by the start of the 1999 season and production projected to exceed total demand, stocks are expected to increase significantly next season, according to USDA's monthly Cotton and Wool Outlook, released May 13.

In 1999-2000, domestic mill use is forecast to rise only slightly, to 10.6 million bales, as the continued rise in textile imports is expected to nearly offset the anticipated growth in retail cotton consumption. On the other hand, U.S. raw cotton exports are projected to jump by one-third to 5.5 million bales next season as a result of the large U.S. crop expectations and the improved world consumption demand outlook.

With global trade projected above the current season, the U.S. share of world cotton trade is expected to rise 5 percentage points to 22 percent in 1999-2000. Based on these initial U.S. cotton supply and demand estimates, stocks would rise nearly 2 million bales to 5.5 million by July 31, 2000, a stocks-to-use ratio of 34 percent, which would be the highest since 1988-89.

Planting reaches halfway mark
The 1999 U.S. cotton crop is half planted, according to USDA's May 17 Crop Progress report. That does not mean that planting is half done in every state. Of the 14 states USDA surveys, six are ahead of normal and eight are behind.

California, which got a slow start, has more than made up the difference. It has 95 percent of its crop planted, compared to 81 percent at the same time last year and 93 percent for its five-year average. At the other extreme, Oklahoma has planted only 16 percent. That's not far behind normal, however. The five-year average is 17 percent and progress last year at this time was 18 percent.

Missouri growers appear to have hired NASCAR drivers to run their tractors. With 88 percent of the crop planted, Missouri is 33 percent ahead of its five-year average and 35 percent ahead of last year. Progess in the last week brought the state's total up 48 percent.

Georgia and South Carolina show the most significant lags. Georgia has planted 53 percent, 20 percent behind its five-year average. South Carolina has planted 56 percent, 21 percent behind its five-year average. Still, both states made good progress during the last week and if that continues, they'll soon catch up.

Show me planting progress for the year.

Council seeks Senate action to offer ag relief
The National Cotton Council is asking members of the Senate Appropriations Committee to provide assistance for relieving the economic stress that is undermining U.S. agriculture.

In a letter to Committee Chairman Ted Stevens, an Arkansas Republican, NCC President Ron Rayner reminded panel members that "all of agriculture is suffering severe economic stress even though the U.S. economy continues to be strong. The U.S. cotton industry is in its most serious economic crisis since the early 1980s."

The Arizona producer said the $6 billion disaster assistance included in the 1998 omnibus-spending legislation has provided important help, but the disaster component of that package has still not been distributed and is reported to be significantly under-funded. U.S. cotton also is suffering from a loss of funding necessary to operate Step 2 of cotton's
three-step competitiveness program.

"In the absence of funding for Step 2, farm income will remain stagnant, U.S. cotton exports will be minimal, U.S. manufacturers will have difficulty competing, U.S. cotton stocks will increase and prices will sink even lower," Rayner said.

Rayner's letter recommended the following action during conference on the fiscal 1999 supplemental appropriations measure:
 

While acknowledging there will be concern about budget implications and timing, Rayner said, "We believe expenditures in agriculture are returned many-fold to the economy and to consumers. It is clear that many farmers are experiencing difficulty obtaining financing and that the weather-related disaster assistance included in last year's spending measure, when it is finally made available, may fall short of meeting claims filed with USDA."

Rayner said the highly unusual economic crisis has been well documented by USDA, private economists and members of both political parties.

In the letter, Rayner noted that the U.S. cotton industry, for example, has suffered:
1. Disastrous weather-related crop losses,
2. Declining export demand attributable in part to the Asian financial crisis,
3. An unprecedented increase in imported cotton textiles into the U.S. market (now accounting for about 60 percent of U.S. consumer retail purchases) and
4. A weak international market, caused not only by the Asian crisis but also by overproduction of cotton and synthetic fibers by countries with non-market based economies.
 

Chem giants see increased sales in '98
Nearly all the major agricultural chemical companies increased sales in 1998. This information comes by way of the Pesticide Action Network, which is hostile to the pesticide industry, but based on March and April reports from Agrow: World Crop Protection News. Du Pont had the greatest increase, 25 percent, followed by Monsanto with a 23 percent increase. Novartis, which had the largest sales volume, was the only company among the top 10 that saw a drop, 1.1 percent.

Here are the top 10 listed by sales volume in U.S. dollars:
 

Company	Sales	% Change
Novartis (Switzerland)	$4,152,000,000	-1.1
Monsanto (U.S.)	$4,032,000,000	23.0
Du Pont (U.S.)	$3,156,000,000	26.0
Zeneca (U.K.)	$2,897,000,000	8.3
AgrEvo (Germany)	$2,410,000,000	2.5
Bayer (Germany)	$2,273,000,000	0.2
Rhone-Poulenc (France)	$2,266,000,000	2.9
Cyanamid (U.S.)	$2,194,000,000	3.5
Dow Agro-Science (U.S.)	$2,132,000,000	11.0
BASF (Germany)	$1,945,000,000	4.9

Something else to worry about
Planning to do some plowing next New Year's Day? Apparently some folks are worried about it, or at least about whether their field equipment will work after the calendar rolls over to '00. That has prompted a University of Wisconsin extension engineer to start reassuring farmers that most of their equipment will not be affected by the Y2K bug. That's right, take it from Ronald Schuler, tractors and other farm machinery WILL start Jan. 1, 2000. (He doesn't make any predictions about whether the farmers themselves will start on that date).

You might be concerned about yield monitors and associated software, however. Schuler points out that Y2K affects only equipment that has a calendar and must use the date, including year, to do a calculation. Since tractors have hour meters rather than calendars of any kind, Y2K will not cause tractor starting problems on or after the big day, he says. Yield monitors do use calendar dates. Newer monitors and software should be Y2K compliant, says Schuler, but if you are uncertain about your equipment, contact your supplier. (Thanks to Roger Haldenby of Plains Cotton Growers for sending this item.)

Add Northern Rolling Plains to BWEP list
Cotton producers in the Northern Rolling Plains zone voted to establish a boll weevil eradication program and approved an annual assessment of up to $15 per planted row acre for irrigated cotton and $10 per row acre for dryland cotton. Each proposition passed with approximately 70 percent of the vote.

John Inman of Childress County was elected to represent the Northern Rolling Plains Zone on the statewide board of directors for the Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation Inc. Inman is a cotton producer who farms in the zone and has been serving as the commissioner-appointed director for the Northern Rolling Plains zone.

The Northern Rolling Plains Boll Weevil Eradication Zone consists of approximately 340,000 acres in 14 counties: Gray, Wheeler, Donley, Collingsworth, Hall, Childress, Cottle, King, Hardeman, Wilbarger, Wichita, Clay, Foard and portions of Archer.

Chinese transgenics
Chinese scientists are claiming advances in transgenic cotton, The Bowditch Group reports. One new strain is said to be resistant to bollworms and other disease-producing parasites, while another is resistant to both verticillium and fusarium wilt.

A scientist with China's Institute of Genetics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences explained that to achieve bollworm resistance, they implanted a special proteinase inhibitor into the embryo of the cotton. The proteinase inhibitor interferes with the bollworms' digestion of proteins and eventually kills them.

The wilt-resistant strain was grown in experimental farms in northwest China, and the yield and quality were said to be greatly improved. The genetically engineered cotton is expected to be planted in the region on a large scale next year.
 

June 15
EPA OKs Section 18s for Pirate
Pirate will be available this season to control beet armyworm in cotton, thanks to an agreement last week between American Cyanamid and EPA for Section 18 emergency exemptions.

Eleven cotton states which previously requested Pirate have been urged to submit requests as soon as possible, and EPA has
agreed to approve packages within days of receipt.

Industry leaders and Cyanamid have said they will continue to work toward full registration of the product.

Pirate, and its sister compound Alert, are the first products with the active ingredient chlorfenapyr, a member of a new class of chemical compounds known as pyrroles. EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs "has concluded that the use of chlorfenapyr on cotton meets the Food Quality Protection Act standard of a 'reasonable certainty of no harm' with respect to human health; and, that it has not been found to be carcinogenic."

OPP also found, "chlorfenapyr has clear economic benefits to the cotton industry because it can play an important role in control of several important cotton pests. However, chlorfenapyr appears to be persistent in the environment, and studies show a potential adverse impact to wildlife, particularly birds. For these reasons -- and our limited experience with pyrroles -- we believe this chemical presents special issues for pesticide regulation."

Environmental groups, including The American Bird Conservancy and the Pesticide Action Network North America, oppose registration of the product, citing its toxicity to birds.
 

Crop progress
Only Oklahoma and Texas have significant acreage of cotton left to plant, and there are unconfirmed reports that the season's first bale has been ginned in the Rio Grande Valley. The Texas Department of Agriculture reported Monday that crop progress ranges from planting or replanting in the High Plains to setting bolls in the Coastal Bend and opening bolls in the RGV.

Elsewhere in the Cotton Belt, growers report near ideal conditions in the Midsouth, cool weather in the West and dry in the East. Young cotton in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina is paying the price of the dry weather, according to USDA's weekly Crop Progress report.. With 13 percent of its crop squaring, Georgia reports 30 percent in poor or very poor condition. South Carolina has 8 percent squaring and 20 percent in poor condition or worse. North Carolina has 10 percent squaring and 14 percent in poor condition.

Despite its late start and a bout of low temperatures, California's crop has surged forward. With 25 percent squaring, California reports 50 percent of the crop in good condition, 40 percent in fair condition and 10 percent in poor condition.

Tennessee's crop looks best this week. While only 5 percent of the crop is squaring, 21 percent is reported in excellent condition, 57 percent in good condition and 18 percent fair.

Crop progress looks good (mostly)
Weekend storms destroyed many acres of West Texas cotton, much of it that had just been replanted after an earlier storm. Early estimates put the damage from wind, hail and flooding at 250,000 acres, but that number could rise to 500,000 acres, according to Roger Haldenby of Plains Cotton Growers. Most of this acreage won't be replanted to cotton, Haldenby says.

Texas growers have not planted all the acreage they had expected to. USDA reports the state's crop is 91 percent planted, a little ahead of its five-year average of 85 percent. In its June 14 Crop Progress report, the agency shows 19 percent of Texas' cotton in poor or very poor condition. Oklahoma is 95 percent planted, compared with a five-year average of 86 percent.

Beltwide, the crop is off to a strong start, judging by planting, squaring and condition reports. Only three other states are still planting. Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina, hampered by drought, are a little behind. Alabama is 97 percent planted, Georgia 96 percent, and North Carolina 98 percent. All three are usually finished by now.

Louisiana, which had 99 percent of its cotton planted by May 23, now has 50 percent of it squaring and reports 95 percent of the crop in fair condition or better. Mississippi has 41 percent squaring and reports 94 percent in fair condition or better. Arkansas has 27 percent squaring, with 98 percent in fair condition or better. Missouri, with 28 percent squaring, reports 100 percent of its crop in fair condition or better, although some fields are showing an unusual growth pattern now believed to be the result of a combination of wind and sand damage, ensuing seedling disease and possibly herbicide damage.

The return of warm weather helped the crop in California, where 60 percent is in good condition and 35 percent fair, with 30 percent squaring. Arizona has 34 percent of the crop squaring, with 87 percent in fair condition or better.

Georgia's crop has suffered the most from the early season drought in the East, with 30 percent of its crop reported in poor or very poor condition. South Carolina reports 25 percent in poor or very poor condition, while North Carolina has only 8 percent in the poor range and Alabama only 3 percent.

Table showing the year's planting progress by state.
 

Texas gets emergency exemptions for beet armyworm control
Cotton producers in Texas expect to have three new products available to control beet armyworm this season, thanks to Section 18 emergency exemptions.

The Environmental Protection Agency has granted specific exemption under Section 18 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act is granted for the use of Confirm 2F, a Rohm and Hass product; Denim 0.16, manufactured by Novartis; and American Cyanamid's Pirate.

Denim has also been cleared for emergency use in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Mississippi, and was expected to be OK'd for Louisiana last week. Pirate has been OK'd for use in 11 states, pending their individual applications.

Thomaston Mills gives up on denim
Thomaston Mills is getting out of denim and yarn, the company announced Friday. The Thomaston, Ga., based textile company will cut 700 jobs in the reorganization that takes effect Sept. 1. Thomaston currently employs 2,350.

"Thomaston Mills will continue to concentrate on the home furnishings and piece-dyed markets and, as part of the reorganization, the company will exit the industrial, sales yarn and denim markets," said Neil H. Hightower, president and CEO. The restructuring, he said, was designed to keep the company "viable for the future," and "to better focus on those markets deemed most profitable."

Hightower blamed "the continued influx of imports into our domestic markets and the uncertainties relative to the Asian financial crisis and the World Trade Organization" for the downsizing. "These factors," he said, "have prevented the company from achieving its earnings objectives in the industrial, sales yarn and denim businesses.''

The restructuring will close divisions in Thomaston and Zebulon, Ga., and reduce related finishing areas for denim. The company will also decrease the related sales and administrative areas, including in sales offices in New York and Los Angeles, to keep costs in line with reduced sales.

D&PL extends merger deadline
While many people in cotton began to think of Monsanto and Deltapine as one company as soon as the buyout was announced, in fact the merger may not be complete until the end of this year. The deadline originally was June 30, but the board of directors of Delta and Pine Land decided late last month to extend the period for completing the merger until Dec. 31. Chief executives in both companies are positive about the deal.

"We continue to make progress on completing this transaction. However, rather than be constrained by the deadline originally provided in the merger agreement, our board chose to extend the timing for completing the merger," said Roger Malkin, chairman and chief executive officer of Delta and Pine Land, in a Monsanto press release.

"Our relationship with Delta and Pine Land continues to be outstanding, and we're looking forward to closing this transaction as soon as regulatory reviews are complete," added Hendrik A. Verfaillie, president of Monsanto.

Monsanto Co. manufactures widely used cotton pesticides and reached the market first with genetically engineered cotton varieties. It employs 31,800 worldwide and maintains headquarters in St. Louis.

Delta and Pine Land Co. is the world's largest cotton planting seed company. Headquartered in Scott, Miss., Delta and Pine Land has offices in seven states and facilities in several foreign countries.

Lost in the Land of Cotton
Land of Cotton suffered a system failure in late May and has been offline for a few weeks. Data files and archives survived, and we are rebuilding the profiles. The biggest losses were the extensive lists of bookmarks and e-mail addresses accumulated over two years. While we rebuild these files, this is a good time to add your site to Land of Cotton's bookmarks. E-mail gcertain@wwisp.com and we'll put you back on the list.

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