HIGHER COTTON YIELDS COULD LEAD TO LARGER CRUSH

COTTONSEED MEAL WORKS FOR COMPOSTERS

WHAT’S NEW @ COTTONSEED.COM

BELTWIDE COTTON CONFERENCES—JANUARY 2008

SUMMARY OF US COTTONSEED CRUSHINGS & STOCKS

MOVING?

HIGHER COTTON YIELDS COULD LEAD TO LARGER CRUSH - Higher-than-expected cotton yields per acre in 2007 could produce a larger cottonseed crush, meaning more cottonseed oil to satisfy the food industry’s craving for trans-free oils. That’s the message a recent NCPA press release notes, as November and December crop reports have shown a steady increase in crop yields. NCPA notes that ever since New York City banned trans fats in restaurants in July 2006, there has been a growing demand for stable, healthy cooking oils, like cottonseed oil. The Association also adds that cottonseed oil is a highly stable oil that does not require hydrogenation, the process that produces artificial trans. As USDA reports have shown, cotton plantings were down 20 percent in 2007, but the latest news shows higher cotton yields are making up for lost ground. On November 23, the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast domestic cottonseed production to reach 6.54 million tons in 2007, up 252,000 tons from the October estimate of 6.29 million tons. On December 11, USDA forecast domestic cottonseed production to reach 6.58 million tons, up another 40,000 tons and nearly 300,000 tons higher than the October estimate. According to Dr. Bill Pettigrew, a cotton expert with USDA’s Agriculture Research Service in Stoneville, Miss., Mississippi Delta cotton yields per acre were better than earlier expected partly “because many farmers, chasing higher grain prices, shifted some of their poorer-performing cotton acres to corn and soybeans. What’s left was the good stuff.” NCPA tracks the cottonseed crush on a weekly basis and sees the impact. While weekly crush numbers earlier in the season were tracking behind the prior year, the industry is on pace to potentially catch up to last year’s crush of 2.6 million tons.

COTTONSEED MEAL WORKS FOR COMPOSTERS - The Anderson (SC) Independent Mail notes that gardeners looking to convert leaves to compost fairly quickly should add a nitrogen-containing fertilizer such as 10-10-10 — or a natural substitute such as cottonseed meal…..The Jackson (MS) Clarion Ledger (clarionledger.com) advises dusting the leaves down every now and then with some cottonseed meal for nitrogen to “feed” the beneficial bacteria, fungi and worms that do the actual composting.

WHAT’S NEW @ COTTONSEED.COM - Cottonseed  crushings for the week ending December 9 totaled 55,648 vs 57,900 tons the previous week. Year-to-date crushings, based on weekly reports, have totaled 920,522 tons vs 928,421 tons a year ago and 1.11 million tons two years ago......USDA forecast all cotton production for 2007/08 at 18.99 million bales vs 21.6 last year; cottonseed production forecast at 6.6 million tons vs 7.3 million tons a year ago.....Based on NCPA estimates, cottonseed production is forecast to be nearly 40% higher in the Southwest (KS, OK, TX) vs a year ago, and 35% lower in the Southeast (AL, FL, GA, NC, SC, VA) and Midsouth (AR, LA, MS, MO, TN)…..Cottonseed exports for marketing year 2006-07 totaled just under 600,000 mt vs 522,000 a year ago. Meal exports were just over 95,000 mt vs 128,000 mt a year earlier. Complete details are available in the Statistics section of the NCPA web site.

BELTWIDE COTTON CONFERENCES—JANUARY 2008 - The 2008 Beltwide Cotton Conferences will be held January 8—11, 2008 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, TN. The goal of the conferences is to “speed the transfer of new technology to U.S. cotton producers and other industry members with the goal of strengthening U.S. cotton’s competitive position in the world marketplace and enhancing industry members’ profitability.” Three days of individual reports, panel discussions, hands-on workshops and seminars are designed to enlighten industry members about the latest research developments and their practical applications in cotton production and processing. The 600-plus reports are subsequently made available on CD-ROM and on the Beltwide web site at http://beltwide.cotton.org. Among the presentations are analysis of the new John Deere and Case IH on-board module building cotton harvesters, high speed cotton ginning, module averaging, moisture meters, tarp performance, and sawless lint cleaners. In addition, John Lewis, Frost, Brown, Todd, LLC, Nashville, TN will discuss cottonseed sales and contracts.

SUMMARY OF US COTTONSEED CRUSHINGS & STOCKS

MOVING? - Please send all change of address information to: National Cottonseed Products Association, 866 Willow Tree Circle, Cordova, TN  38018, or email to info@cottonseed.com.

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© National Cottonseed Products Association, Inc.

November 16, 2007