Lower Cotton, Sweet Potato Yields Attributed to Louisiana Rains

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Louisiana’s cotton and sweet potato harvests have been negatively affected by the flooding rains in August, state agricultural specialists say.

Based on reports, Dan Fromme, LSU AgCenter cotton specialist, said in a news release the rains had a significant impact on the cotton crop, especially in the central part of the state.

“The yields are very variable in central Louisiana — anywhere from 500 to 600 pounds, and some fields in excess of two bales,” Fromme said.

Two bales contain nearly 1,000 pounds to the acre. Yields in the northeastern part of the state, where a good deal of the state’s cotton crop is grown, are expected to be much higher.

“Yields there are just fantastic, well over 1,000 pounds with reports of 1,200 to 1,300 pounds of lint to the acre,” Fromme said.

According to Fromme, this year’s statewide average yield is will be around 900 pounds per acre, which is approximately 100 pounds lower than last year. The rain not only reduced yields but also caused some quality problems.

“We had some cotton open at that time when we got all that rain, so we’re having some color-grade issues from the rain and weathering,” he said. “That means a discount to the growers.”

Fromme estimated that fields damaged by the weather will see yields reduced by a half a bale to a full bale per acre.

On top of the weather, cotton prices remain relatively low, which has led to low acreage statewide.

Prices for cotton have ranged between 60 and 70 cents per pound and are expected to remain low for the foreseeable future.

“That’s still on the low side, and I think it’s going to take a lot more than that to bring back a significant amount of cotton acres,” Fromme said.

Louisiana sweet potato growers also are experiencing a tough harvest period following record rains that hit the state in August.

Myrl Sistrunk, LSU AgCenter extension associate in Chase, an unincorporated community in Franklin Parish, said in a news release many growers in north Louisiana took a double hit from wet weather, first in March and again in August.

Wet weather in the spring had a negative impact on the planting, and the August and early September rains are causing losses during harvest.

“Every grower is experiencing some amount of potatoes rotting in the fields,” Sistrunk said. “Growers in south Louisiana have been impacted worst from the August rains.”

Growers planted more than 9,200 acres of sweet potatoes, down from about 20,000 acres a few years ago, he said.

More than 30 percent of this year’s crop has sustained some damage, the extent of which varies statewide, but Sistrunk is not sure how much prices will be affected.

About 50 percent of Louisiana’s crop has been harvested, and Sistrunk hopes harvest is complete by late November.

The good news is that about two-thirds of the growers have some form of crop insurance, he said. That will help some, but their current financial situation will determine whether they will stay in the business or get out.