More U.S. Land Area Devoted to Organic Cotton
LUBBOCK, Texas, December 23, 2008 (ENS) -
U.S. acreage planted with organic cotton increased for the second
straight year, according to research compiled by the Organic Trade
Association and released today.
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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