USDA’s Prospective Plantings report for the 2024 crop year shows an intended cotton planted area of 10.7 million acres for the year – up 4% from 2023 acreage.

The report was issued by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) on March 28.

Upland cotton area for 2023 is estimated at 10.5 million acres, up 4% from 2023. American Pima area is estimated at 203,000 acres – up 38% from last year.

Estimated cotton acres are projected to increase in all but five cotton-producing states, where acreage is reported unchanged or down 1-2%. Regionally, the report shows total Southeast cotton area at 2.33 million acres and 1.97 million acres across the Mid-South states. Southwest area is projected at 6.15 million acres, with 323,000 total cotton acres noted for Arizona, California, and New Mexico.

Among other crops, the USDA report for 2023 showed a 5% decrease in planted acreage for corn, a 4% decrease for wheat, an 11% decline for sorghum, a 3% increase for soybeans, and a 1% increase for rice. Total projected peanut acres are expected to remain unchanged from 2023.

Estimates in the Prospective Plantings report are based primarily on surveys conducted during the first two weeks of March. The March Agricultural Survey is a probability survey that includes a sample of approximately 71,800 farm operators across the U.S. Data from operators was collected by mail, internet, or telephone to obtain information on crop acreage intentions for the 2024 crop year.