Crop Progress: Cotton Catching Up to Five

For a crop that’s generally been behind schedule for most the season, the 2023 U.S. cotton crop is progressing back to within a few percentage points of its 5-year average for mid-August.

According to USDA’s Crop Progress report for the week ending Aug. 20, boll set is now visible in 81% of the crop – off average by 3 points. And open bolls are reported in 19% of the crop – just one point behind the average.

Boll set gained 9 percentage points in the past week, with 9 cotton producing states on or ahead of their respective averages. Open bolls gained 5 percentage points in the past week, led by impressive gains in Arkansas (up 16 points) and Louisiana (up 14 points).

Cotton condition continues to be a concern, especially in Texas and Oklahoma. The report shows that 33% of the total crop is rated good/excellent, 21% fair, and 46% poor/very poor – including poor/very poor ratings of 71% for Texas and 65% for Oklahoma. Crop ratings remain strong in the Southeast and Mid-South. We’ll know in next week’s report about any setbacks from Hurricane Hilary in the Western states.