More U.S. Land Area Devoted to Organic Cotton

The total acres planted in organic cotton grew from 8,510 in 2007 to 9,279 in 2008, constituting a nine percent increase, the study shows.

Carl Pepper, an organic cotton farmer who serves on the board of the Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative, says he grows organically on his 1,040 acres because, "the organic way is the best system for the land," and also because he gets satisfaction from doing what others said couldn't be done.

By federal regulation, organic cotton is grown without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. In addition, federal regulations prohibit the use of genetically engineered seed for organic farming.

Soil condition must be fostered primarily by increasing the soil's organic content through crop rotation, cover cropping, manuring and composting, according to the Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative.

A field of organic cotton (Photo courtesy Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative)

Soil amendments and fertilizers categorized as allowed or allowed with restrictions may be utilized for supplemental sources of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, management of soil pH and micronutrients. Crop nutrition management must be monitored to evaluate the effectiveness of the management program.

By contrast, the current conventional cotton production system is heavily dependent upon pesticides and fertilizers. Current data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicates that 5.87 pounds of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides are applied per acre of conventionally grown cotton.

It is not only the amount of pesticides that are applied, but also the types of impacts they have on the health and well-being of the people in the rural communities, warns the Organic Exchange, a nonprofit group that facilitates expansion of the global organic cotton fiber supply by working closely with farmers, leading brands and retailers and their business partners to develop organic cotton programs.

"Pesticides used on cotton can cause a number of health risks. Several are rated as highly hazardous, able to cause sickness and even death," says the Organic Exchange. For instance, the pesticide Trifluralin was the second most used on cotton in total pounds, at 3.5 million pounds, while Diuron was the third most used. Both Trifluralin and Diuron are categorized as possible human carcinogens by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The Texas Department of Agriculture certifies crops as "organic" only if harvest has occurred at least three years after the most recent use of a prohibited material.

To compile the research, the Organic Trade Association surveyed organic cotton farmers in the United States who grew organic cotton in 2007, and combined those results with acreage and harvest figures from the Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative.

OTA's survey was funded by Cotton Incorporated, an industry association representing U.S. growers of upland cotton and importers of cotton and cotton textile products.

The survey asked farmers about the types of cotton planted and harvested. Ten of 62 farms surveyed returned surveys that met the criteria for analysis.

Survey respondents planted 2,590 acres of organic upland cotton and 245 acres of extra high quality organic pima cotton. In 2007, survey respondents harvested 1,716 acres of organic upland cotton and 225 acres of organic pima cotton.

Other survey findings revealed that changes are taking place within the organic cotton market.

Organic cotton farmers saw the range in average price they received per pound increase from between $0.85 and $1.25 for organic upland cotton in 2006 to between $1 and $1.50 in 2007.

Organic pima cotton farmers saw a similar increase in price, ranging from $1.65 to $2.09 in 2006 to $1.05 to $3 in 2007.

Harvest acreage figures for 2008 are not yet available. Other findings show 14,025 bales of organic cotton were harvested in 2007, representing a 73 percent increase over the previous year, when the total number of bales was 8,116.

Additional findings from this year's survey make clear that several challenges lie ahead for U.S. organic cotton producers.

The Organic Trade Association says these producers remain in need of educational and economic resources to support their organic practices and build awareness of and access to high-quality markets for their organic cotton products.

Despite these challenges, survey data and projections from farmers forecast growth in production of U.S. organic cotton to approximately 12,000 acres in 2009, a 29 percent increase from 2008.

The U.S. organic cotton harvest represents about 2.1 percent of total global organic cotton production.

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