Relevant

“To Build Well – To Deal Square”

May 2011

Greetings from North Alabama, I hope this finds you all happy and in good health going in to Spring after the Winter we’ve all had.  After all the rains we’ve had in the recent past, it’s hard to believe that we’re still behind our yearly average rainfall for this time of year.  However, things are beginning to green up pretty good.  I’ve already had to mow my yard twice (early part of April).  And to beat all, we’ve already had a couple of days where the temperature has jumped to the high 80’s.  Looks as if it’s going to be a long hot summer here in the south.
Speaking of the south, it appears that Cotton will once again eyeing the King’s throne.  At the expense of peanuts and soybeans, cotton is poised to have production boosted across the U.S. and especially along the Gulf Coast.  However, all the major crops prices are expected to remain relatively hig, and some farmers are reportedly plowing up pastures and even making new fields out of cut-over timberland to try and cash in on the upsurge.
Bill Weaver, who collects statistics in Alabama for the U.S. Department of Agriculture said “It’s not King Cotton, but it may well be Prince Cotton right now.”
Nationwide, growers expect plant 92.2 million acres of corn which will be the second largest planting since 1944, only behind the record of 93.5 million acres set in 2007.  Farmers have already planted much of their corn and acres planted are expected to rise and Alabama and Mississippi.
In Alabama alone, farmers are expected to bump their cotton acres planted by 21%, to 410,000 acres.  If planted, that would be the highest acreage since 2006, however, Mr. Weaver said that would still not match the record of 575,000 acres set in 2005.