This year's National Cotton Council (NCC) Beltwide Cotton Conferences in early January will be memorable simply because it was in New Orleans. If you can’t have fun in New Orleans, well ...

But most of all, for the first time in several years there was a sense of optimism. There’s a long way to go before planting, but there are signs that the cotton market has bottomed and an economic recovery has started.

For the third year, the Beltwide began with the Cotton Consultant’s Conference. Dr. Bill Robertson, the NCC’s Manager, Agronomy, Soils and Physiology, and Beltwide coordinator, said 200 consultants attended the session ― about 50 more than expected ― and extra chairs were brought into the room.

And it was there that the optimism first appeared. An interactive poll conducted by Dr. Dan Reynolds of Mississippi State University’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, showed that 65% of the consultants believed cotton acreage would be up at least 10% this spring.

Overall Beltwide attendance was 2,160, down from last year, but as Robertson said, “We had terrible harvest weather this year in the Mid-South, and some of the Southeast people still had cotton in the field. There was a lot of ginning still going on there and on the High Plains.

“But if you think about it, the people who drove here were the hardest hit across the Belt on all crops. Considering that, I was pleased with the crowd.”

Excellent Prospects

In his remarks to open the Production Conference, NCC Chairman Jay Hardwick, a Somerset, LA, grower, said he believed the U.S. cotton industry is once again poised to achieve profitability, but cautioned that it still faces many challenges.

“Research, education and technology transfer continue to be critically important,” he said. “I assure you that the Council will continue its long-standing commitment of its resources for technology development and transfer.”

Hardwick said he was pleased at how the industry’s collective resources have been effectively applied to an array of priority issues this past year through the NCC.

“We were able to maintain the general structure of the cotton program while instituting a more accurate world price formula and providing assistance for the domestic textile industry,” he said. “Storage credits were also continued.”

Hardwick said the 2008 Farm Bill included significant changes in program eligibility and payment limits, no three-entity rule, expanded spouse eligibility, removal of limits on Marketing Loan Gains and Loan Deficiency Payments, and means tests on farm and non-farm income.

On trade, Hardwick said the NCC remains active on several issues, including the WTO Brazilian dispute. The NCC responded to the Arbitration Panel’s findings, then met with the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) Office to consider options, including the USTR calling for a new hearing if Brazil retaliates, or if any retaliation is excessive. Hardwick applauded USTR Ambassador Ron Kirk’s stance in defense of the U.S. cotton program in the face of continued and unwarranted criticism.

The 2011 Beltwide will be held in Atlanta, January 4-7.