Market prices in the mid-90 cent range and much-improved premium for seed at the gin once again make cotton a profitable option for planting behind winter wheat in the Mid-South and the Southeast.
At the 60th annual Mid-South Farm and Gin Show, Memphis-based CrescoAg presented results of a study that showed positive economic results for planting cotton behind wheat.
Across 38 locations in Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana, DP 0912 B2RF was planted behind wheat after June 1 due to flooding.
Overall, the study showed that cotton yields were excellent and were an economically-better choice than soybeans.
Double-Cropping Cotton Behind Wheat Could Work
When factored with cotton priced at $1 per pound and soybeans at $12.50 per bushel, the study showed irrigated cotton had a gross return advantage of $226.69 per acre over irrigated soybeans. Non-irrigated cotton showed an advantage of $337.83 per acre over non-irrigated soybeans. Neither of the gross revenue figures included the seed premium a cotton farmer could receive from the gin.
Average soybean yiedls in the study were 46 bushels per acre under irrigation and 36 bushels per acre non-irrigated. The average yield of DP 0912 B2RF across the locations was 800 pounds per acre on irrigated and 788 pounds per acre on non-irrigated.
"We are providing research data on double-cropping cotton behind wheat because the price of cotton lin and cotton seed farmers can receive has improved over the past few years," says Dave Rhylander, Deltapine marketing manager for Monsanto.
"Monsanto reminds farmers to take a close look at double-cropping their winter wheat with cotton instead of soybeans this spring," Rhylander says.
More information will come in a future issue of the Mid-South Farmer magazine.