SC Commissioner Weathers: 2023 Cotton Outlook

Posted on Posted in Daily Ag Summary, Featured Stories, SC Ag Commissioner Hugh Weathers, Top Ag Headlines

The 2023 SC Cotton Growers Meeting was held a few weeks ago, and Commissioner Weathers was there to speak to the group – and learn.

It’s been an outstanding couple of years for cotton growers in South Carolina, so I guess we were expecting a bit of a downturn sometime.

Experts are projecting reduced demand in 2023.

There’s also a surplus of cotton from 2022.

Those factors will likely combine to keep cotton prices low, meaning we won’t see the strong profits of the past few years.

Fertilizer costs and fuel prices have come down a bit, though, so that’s an upside.  

Cotton yields in South Carolina set record highs in 2021, and 2022 was a strong year as well.

I’ve been known to grow some cotton myself. So just like many other farmers across the Southeast, my brother and I are crunching the numbers and planning our year.