By Beck Barnes

I have stopped trying to keep count of how many stories have been written recently about a consumer backlash against high cotton prices. As a journalist, it is my job to continue to read them. But I’ve been finding that harder to do.

The first few I saw came in the fall of last year, warning that cotton demand might be hurt during the holiday season because prices were so high. Mercifully, I still had some much needed boxer shorts and socks under the tree on Christmas morning. Somehow, Mom was able to save up enough to buy me that three-pack of business socks.

I don’t claim to be an economics expert, but I was always under the impression that cotton prices – or any commodity prices for that matter – are a direct reflection of what the market will support. In our case, I believe “the market” means a casual shopper in a clothing store – my Mother in the sock aisle at the Wal-Mart, for example. If she finds something better and cheaper, she will refrain from buying the cotton product, and that process repeated on a larger scale will drive cotton demand and prices down.

Contrary to popular belief, however, consumers have had every opportunity to choose other options over cotton, and thus far they simply haven’t.

All of this is to say that some in the agricultural media have been predicting the cotton “bubble” to burst for months now, and prices still seem to be holding. Several economists have gone on record to say that cotton’s fundamentals should remain strong through 2012 and beyond.

To switch gears briefly, I would encourage those of you who haven’t already signed up for the Building Profitability webinar to go ahead and do so. Aimed at helping you make more lucrative on-farm decisions, our webinar is free of charge and available to anyone with an internet connection and a computer. In conjunction with MapShots, Red Wing Software and Cotton Incorporated, the online event will take place on February 23 at 2:00 p.m. Central Standard Time, and should last just under an hour. Sign up today by clicking here.

In the coming February issue of Cotton Grower (which should be hitting your mailboxes shortly) we’re previewing the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show, which is set to break attendance records this year. If you plan on attending, we encourage you to take part in the ‘Weeding Out Hunger’ food drive, which you can read about in this week’s eNewsletter. With so many of you attending the Gin Show in Memphis this year, we’ll have to keep our heads on a swivel while hanging out at the Cotton Grower booth. I’ll be the guy in the brand new pair of high-dollar socks. Keep an eye out for me.