Everett Griner talks about the the tough year cotton farmers had in 2017 in today’s Agri View. Everett looks at what happened with the cotton crop last year. What affected the crop the most?
It is in the books now. 2017 was a tough year for cotton farmers. It wasn’t the crop. It was the prices. In fact, the crop was considered outstanding with many new production records set. Still, a lot of growers lost money. Very few managed to break even.
Now, if you drove through cotton country back in the summer, you had the feeling that everything was good. So, with global demand continuing to rise, how could this be? Well, this isn’t the only reason, but it is a good one. Man made fibers.
There are many ways that cotton is used. The clothing industry is one of the biggest uses. The clothing industry is turning more and more to synthetic fibers. Synthetics are much more versatile than cotton. Synthetics cost more. But, the versatility outweighs the difference.
They will never replace cotton. But, they can make a difference.
That’s Agri View for today. I’m Everett Griner…