Production Facts

• In 2007, there were 207 cotton farms in Florida with reported acreage of 72,422 acres. Over ninety percent of the acreage was reported as being non-irrigated. The yield in irrigated cotton (576 pounds per acre) was nearly 100 pounds less per acre than that of non-irrigated cotton (672 pounds per acre) (1). • In 2008, Florida cotton production was 122,000 bales (nearly sixty million pounds) harvested from 65,000 acres. The price per pound (52 cents a pound) received equated to a crop value of slightly over thirty million dollars. Acreage planted in 2009 (65,000 acres) is slightly less than that planted in 2008 (67,000 acres) (2). • Florida cotton production has increased from a low in the early nineties (approximately 75,000 bales) and peaked at 166,000 bales in 2006 (3). • In 2008, Florida ranked 15th out of the 17 states reporting cotton statistics. Florida accounts for one percent of cotton grown in the U.S. (4). In 2008, the average yield for the U.S. cotton crop was 803 pounds per acre, while it was 916 pounds per acre in Florida (2,5)