Cotton: rain delays California's Pima planting

Cold, wet weather continues to stall cotton planting in California’s San Joaquin Valley. The University of California’s Cotton Planting Forecast page has been mainly predicted unfavorable planting conditions for the last three weeks, and the forecast for the next five days doesn’t look at better. With more of the state’s acreage shifting to Pima, delays like this could become critical after April 1, since Pima takes longer to mature. Generally, the goal is to plant Pima before mid-April. Dale Deshane, a PCA in Bakersfield, told us last week that one of his growers intended to trade Pima seed for Acala varieties on anything planted after April 12. Other growers would likely push Pima planting dates into the third week of April.