Upland Cotton Prices Down,
While Extra Long Staple Types Are Up
By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor
Upland cotton prices are
still bleak, falling 10 cents per pound over the last month, and are now in the
.85 to .95 cents a pound range, but there is a glimmer of good prices for extra
long staple (ELS) cottons on the open market.
Many growers forward
contracted the just harvested crop that might have returned a decent price, but
the Pima and other ELS types are still holding a good price,” said Cannon
Michael, V.P. Bowles Farming Co., Los Banos Calif. Farming more than 11,000
acres of row and field crops, including cotton throughout Merced County.
“I know some guys that have
booked some pricing of ELS for 2014 at $1.60 to $1.70, but that’s a market that
operates in a different world,” said Michael. “There has been good demand and the
world crop is down, and the fact that California does not have that much Pima
year due to an overall decline in cotton acreages.
In 2013 California growers planted
90,000 acres of Upland cotton, down 37 percent from last year. ELS Plantings in
the West declined nearly 14 percent to 206,000 acres with largest decline
-35,000 acres in California.
“There is more optimism on
the ELS side due to higher prices, but on Upland cotton there is so much
pressure as what China and other areas of world can grow, the prices are on the
depressed side,” Michael said.
Michael noted that in his
area, farmers grow the Hazera type of ELS, an Israeli hybrid type. which is not
as strong as Pima, but has the staple length and other properties. “It performs
like an Upland type in terms of yield in the north end of the valley but pays
about 10 cents less than Pima.
Michael said that the Hazera
seed is more expensive and does not have any Roundup Ready traits. However it
has a better quality fiber that the mills are looking for right now.
Labels: Bowles Farming, California Ag Today, Cannon Michael, Los Banos Cotton ELS Prices Good, While Upland is Bleak