Cooler Temps Aren't Helping Cotton Crop
By: Amy Montalvo
Updated: September 10, 2008
Most of us dont mind the cooler temperatures, but its bad news for cotton producers at this point in the season. They need warm temperatures from now until October to help get the crop ready for harvest. The current cool temps are tough for the already-small crop, and its not just producers that plan to see lower profits from cotton this year; cotton gins expect to take a hit too. Says Ropes Gin manager Sammy Means says "If you dont get the weather, youre for sure not gonna get the crop, so it always plays a big factor, its something that you cant control but its a big factor." Doug Hlavaty, a local cotton producer, explains, "Anytime you get below 80 degree temperatures, you dont get heat units, and that doesnt help mature the cotton out, so we need to get back in the 80s."
