According to a recent report from the Associated Press, farmers were delayed from getting their agricultural equipment out for planting because of a lack of moisture in the soil. But, cotton producers have bounced back with great harvesting conditions that haven't been delayed by rainfall.
"We had a rocky start. I feel very fortunate to have what we have," Steve Smith, a cotton grower in the western part of the state, told the AP.
What the growers in the state have is a cotton crop that tops last year's production by 10 percent. The AP, relying on statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, noted that Texas will produce 4.9 million bales of cotton this year, compared to 4.4 million last year. At that rate, the state will account for 39 percent of the country's cotton crop.
However, cotton production in the country overall will come in as the smallest amount in 20 years at 12.5 million bales, the AP report stated.
Cotton producers in some states, such as Tennessee and Missouri, are being delayed from harvesting by wet weather. That is also the case for producers of other crops like corn and soy beans, with farmers in states like Illinois being held back due to moist weather.
