Farmers in Kansas and Oklahoma are planting more land with cotton than they have for decades as they ditch wheat, attracted by relatively high cotton prices and the crop’s ability to withstand drought, reports KTIC.
A 20% increase from last year marks a sharp turnaround for the crop that once dominated the Mississippi Delta into Texas. Just three years ago, low prices led to U.S. farmers planting the fewest acres with cotton in over 30 years.
Cotton is a safer bet than wheat, says KTIC, because it can be grown with less water, at a time when drought has hit some areas of the U.S. farm belt.
