The National Cotton Council is projecting a crop for the upcoming 1998-99 of 16.1 million bales. That's based on 11.52 million acres of cotton expected to be planted in the Cotton Belt this season. This farm writer visited with seasoned grower and cotton leader Herman A. Propst of Anson during the Rolling Plains Cotton Growers annual meeting last week in Abilene. Propst pointed out that there are some real uncertainties when it comes to guessing cotton acreage. The crop situation in the Rio Grande Valley is worth watching the rest of this month and in early March, Propst said.
Growers there are the first in the United States to plant their cotton.
It will be interesting to watch the amount of grain sorghum and corn that gets planted along the Coastal Bend as well. That's the estimate from NCC's annual Prospective U.S. Cotton Plantings survey. Propst is a former president and board chairman of the National Cotton Council, as well as a past president and chairman of Cotton Council International, the NCC's overseas arm. Looking deeper into crystal ball Obviously, exact cotton production is impossible to predict. But the NCC has an excellent track record of being well within a high and low range.