Overview

Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS.

Cotton is the single most important textile fiber in the world, accounting for about 35 percent of all fibers produced. The United States remains a major producer of cotton for the international market, ranking third behind China and India. The United States also remains the leading cotton exporter in the world. Six countries--Brazil, China, India, Pakistan, Turkey and the United States--are the top consumers of the world’s cotton (ERS).  March 2012 ...  Cotton


Marketing

•  Agricultural Projections to 2021, Economic Research Service (ERS), USDA, 2012 - The Baseline Briefing Room provides long-run (10-year) baseline projections for the agricultural sector. Projections cover agricultural commodities, agricultural trade and aggregate indicators of the sector, such as farm income and food prices.
• Cotton and Wool, ERS, USDA.
• Cotton, International Cotton Advisory Committee and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
• Cotton and Wool Outlook, ERS, USDA.
• Cotton and Wool Yearbook, ERS, USDA.
• Cotton Backgrounder, ERS, USDA, 2007.
• Cotton Council International (CCI) - The CCI is the export promotion arm of the National Cotton Council of America. Its mission is to increase exports of U.S. cotton, cottonseed and U.S. manufactured cotton products, from the initial mill buyer of cotton fiber or purchaser of U.S. cotton yarns and fabrics on through to the final consumer.
• Cotton Farming - This journal contains all aspects of cotton farming in the United States. The site links to different organizations in the United States. It has several articles on the practical aspects of the cotton crop.
• The Cotton Foundation - The Cotton Foundation strengthens and expands markets for U.S. cotton.
• Cotton Incorporated - This multinational company builds the market for cotton through research and promotion. The site has information on marketing, processing, research and extension on cotton in the United States and throughout the world.
• Cotton Outlook (International), Cotlook Daily Internet Service, Cotlook Limited, UK.  
• The Cotton Problem, World Bank, 2004 - This paper examines the trade policies and the market setting of the global cotton market.
• Cotton Production and Support in the United States, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, 2004 - This report provides U.S. policy makers with a complete overview of U.S. cotton production and the federal cotton subsidy programs that support that production.
• Cotton USA, Cotton Council International - This organization is the export promotions program of Cotton Council International, the overseas market promotion arm of the National Cotton Council of America. COTTON USA promotes U.S. cotton fiber and manufactured cotton products in markets around the world.
• Cotton: World Markets and Trade, Foreign Ag Service (FAS), USDA.
• Crop Production Annual Summary, National Ag Statistics Service (NASS), USDA.
• Crop Values Annual Summary, NASS, USDA, 2010.
• Fiber Use for Textiles and China's Cotton Textile Exports, Cotton and Wool Outlook, ERS, USDA, 2009.
• Global Ag Trade System, FAS, USDA.
• Journal of Cotton Science
• Market News Reports - Cotton Reports, Ag Marketing Service (AMS), USDA.
• National Cotton Council of America
• National Cottonseed Products Association - Trade association for the cottonseed processing industry. Products include cottonseed vegetable oil for cooking; cottonseed meal, a high protein supplement for livestock and poultry; hulls, a roughage for cattle feed; and linters, a cellulose feed stock for many industrial and consumer products.
• Organic Cotton Survey, Market Trends, Organic Trade Association, 2011.
• U.S. Cotton, LLC - U.S. Cotton’s mission is to work toward manufacturing and marketing high-quality products that the company produces in different fields.

Processing/Manufacturing

• Cottonseed Feed Products for Beef Cattle, Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, 2002 - This publication contains information related to the nutrient composition and feeding management of whole cottonseed, cottonseed meal and hulls.
• Economic Analysis and Feasibility of Cottonseed Oil as a Biodiesel Feedstock, Texas Tech University - This study investigated the costs of manufacturing cottonseed-oil-based biodiesel and tested the performance characteristics for two cottonseed oil types.

Production

• Above the Belt, Rural Cooperatives magazine, Rural Development, USDA, 2007 - Kansas farmers revive cotton production.
• All Cotton, Harvested Acres: 2007, 2007 Census of Agriculture, USDA, 2009.
• Cotton Growth and Development, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, 2007 - Understanding the growth and development of the cotton plant helps producers grow a high-yielding, high-quality crop.
• Cotton Production Information, Louisiana State University Ag Center.
• Cotton Production Information, University of California.
• Cotton Program, Texas A&M University.
• Cotton Research, Delta Research and Extension Center, Mississippi State University - Conducts research and Extension activities to solve crop concerns and transfer new information and technology to area producers.
• Drought Strategies for Cotton, New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service, 2003 - Timely, supplemental irrigation can bring in 200 to 400 pounds more lint per acre in cotton.
• Pest Management Guidelines – Cotton, University of California.
• The Sustainable Cotton Site

Case Studies/Businesses

• Cotton, The New American Farmer, Sustainable Agriculture and Research Education (SARE), NIFA, USDA - Describes three operations located throughout the United States. The operation in New Mexico raises pima cotton and the operation in Texas raises organic cotton.
• Organic Essentials, O’Donnell, Texas - This company was founded in 1996 as a farmer-owned company to take organic fiber from the farm to the store shelf. It manufactures nonwoven cotton products such as cotton balls and cotton swabs that carry the Organic Essential brand.

Links checked March 2012.