Rainfall Amounts, Timing Hamper Cotton Crop

By Mr. Robert Nathan Gregory

Expect to see significantly less cotton than usual blooming in Mississippi later this year.

Row crop growers in the state had already indicated scaling back cotton acreage by 30% when they locked in their planting intentions for 2025, anticipating planting about 360,000 acres. That was before consistent rain through much of May -- the crop’s primary planting window in Mississippi -- kept planters out of fields.

The latest crop progress and condition report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the state shows only 54% of the crop had been planted as of June 2 compared to 89% by that time last year.

“Planting conditions for cotton this year have been possibly the worst I’ve ever seen,” said Brian Pieralisi, cotton specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “It’s hard to say how much is planted so far, but I can believe it’s less than half the intended acreage.”

Favorable weather in April allowed for early planting, but some acres planted in cotton became stunted by excess rainfall.