Cotton Production Up 2 Percent from November
Orange Production Unchanged
All cotton production is forecast at 16.5 million 480-pound bales, up 2 percent from November and up 28 percent from last year. Yield is expected to average 821 pounds per harvested acre, up 55 pounds from last year. Upland cotton production is forecast at 16.0 million 480-pound bales, up 28 percent from 2015. Pima cotton production, forecast at 562,000 bales, was carried forward from last month.
The United States all orange forecast for the 2016-2017 season is 5.32 million tons, unchanged from last month but down 10 percent from the 2015-2016 final utilization. The Florida all orange forecast, at 72.0 million boxes (3.24 million tons), is unchanged from last month but down 12 percent from last season's final utilization. Early, midseason, and Navel varieties in Florida are forecast at 36.0 million boxes (1.62 million tons), unchanged from last month but down slightly from last season's final utilization. The Florida Valencia orange forecast, at 36.0 million boxes (1.62 million tons), is unchanged from last month but down 21 percent from last season's final utilization.
Florida frozen concentrated orange juice (FCOJ) yield forecast for the 2016-2017 season is 1.44 gallons per box at 42.0 degrees Brix, down 2 percent from last month but up 2 percent from last season's final yield of 1.41 gallons per box. The projected yield from the 2016-2017 early and midseason and Valencia varieties will be published in the January Crop Production report. All projections of yield assume the processing relationships this season will be similar to those of the past several seasons.
Source: USDA WASDE