Available time to plant and harvest cotton across the cotton belt

Abstract

Field efficiency and machinery capacity have improved overtime, however optimal decisions for acreage allocation remain heavily dependent upon weather uncertainty. We evaluated days suitable for fieldwork (DSFW) during key cotton production times and report historic trends that farmers face for 13 cottonproducing states. The objective of this study was to report the number of days suitable for fieldwork during typical planting and harvesting time periods for each cotton-producing state. Weekly DSFW data reported by United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA NASS) from 1995 to 2016 were analyzed to develop a probability distribution and estimate longterm trends. These results are usable to farmers, practitioners, and researchers for decision making including determining the number of acres that can be planted and/or harvested in a given year. These results are important for farm decision makers to make machinery selection and acreage allocation decisions.