Organic Cotton Acreage Up 14%

Farmers planted 6,786 acres of organic cotton in 2007, up 14% from 2006, according to an Organic Trade Association survey. And farmers in the six states surveyed – California, Arizona, Missourri, New Mexico, Tennessee and Texas – expect 2008 plantings to increase another 13%.

The survey was based on a small sample; 49 farmers were asked to respond, and just 14 farmers returned surveys.

Despite the increase in acreage, the harvest was down 16% due to poor weather conditions. Perhaps because of the decreased supply, prices were up 47% on average for upland cotton and 26.6% for pima cotton.

Though the organic fiber industry is increasing, organic upland and pima cottons still represent just a fraction of 1% of all cotton planted in the United States, where farmers planned to plant 13.2 million acres of cotton in 2007, according to the National Cotton Council of America. And more and more of that crop – 87% in 2007 – is grown genetically modified seeds, according to the USDA. (USDA-certified organic products cannot be derived from genetically modified seeds.)

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