Saturday, October 16, 2010

Will Louisiana Farmers Switch Back to Cotton?

Cotton has reached $1.29 a pound, the highest officially since 1890. although cotton was traded as high as $1.89 a pound during early states of the War Between the States.  Adjusted for inflation, cotton was $5.26 a pound in 1918.  I've heard my dad talk about selling cotton for high prices during World War II when we saw prices as low as 6 and 8 cents a pound during the depression.  I remember it reaching 20 cents early in World War II.

Years ago the river parishes like Caddo and Bossier were heavily planted in cotton.  Much of the cotton acres gave way to soybeans and then corn took over because of ethanol.  Over 50 years ago there was a saying about cotton leaving the South and going West while cattle was coming South. Of couse federal restrictions on acreage allowed a farm was the death blow to cotton in the hill parishes.  I've often mentioned that Claiborne parish led all parishes in the state in natural gas production and acres planted to cotton in the 1930's. Homer had two gins operating in 1950 but a few years later not one acre was planted  to cotton in Claiborne parish.  The parish switched to cattle on Coastal Bermudagrass and to timber.  I doubt we'll see cotton come back in he hill parishes although if prices remain high more acres may return to cotton in the river parishes.

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