Bootheel Crop Production Hold Onto Increases

Harvest came in lower than expected, but rice growers in the Bootheel were still able to increase their production in 2021.  USDA’s Annual Crop Production Report indicated that Missouri rice producers hauled in 1.53 billion pounds of the grain, the only major rice-producing state that managed an increase this past season.  That increase was just by 7.7 million pounds, when in November the state was projected to witness an increase of 19.2 million pounds.  Missouri’s yield increased 780 pounds per acre to 8,040, compensating for the 20,000 fewer acres harvested this year at 194,000.  Nationwide rice harvest tumbled 16 percent to 19.2 billion pounds.  Missouri farmers and elevators held onto 814 million pounds of rice at the start of December, up 20 percent from the previous year, while nationwide stocks were down seven percent at 12.7 billion pounds.

Missouri cotton producers rebounded from the lackluster crop of 2020, producing 835,000 bales.  That’s an increase of 22 percent, following a jump in yield to 1293 pounds per acre, equal to almost 2.7 bales.  Harvested acreage also increased by 23,000 acres to 310,000.  Missouri’s increase was slightly stronger than what farmers nationwide experienced, as producers brought in 17.6 million bales of cotton, and yield slightly improved at 849 pounds per acre.  9.97 million acres of cotton were harvested nationwide this past year.