That would be the most cotton planted in Alabama since the early 1960s when as much as 800,000 acres were devoted to the crop. He adds soybean acreage could drop to as few as 160,000 acres. But Goodman points out that while farmers will be planting corn this month, planting time for cotton in Alabama is more than a month away. Changes both in fertilizer costs and the commodity market could impact total cotton acreage. Or if bean prices improve, others may not abandon soybeans for cotton.
Nothing is really firm yet.
The severe drought last summer took a heavy toll on the state's row-crop production. Producers harvested only 540,000 bales of cotton the lowest number of bales since 1995. Yields were also way down for corn, peanuts and soybeans.