US: Drought Causes Smallest Cotton Harvest in 13 Years

Facts

US cotton yield in 2022 is estimated to be the smallest since 2009, according to a monthly crop production report from the US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA).
The assessment published Fri., cut the nation’s predicted cotton crop output by 19% (almost 3M bales). It also predicted that the domestic carryout would fall to 1.8M bales, with the greatest harvest fall forecast for Texas — 2.9M bales overall this year, compared to 7.7M in 2021.
Drought-struck American farmers are expected to harvest only 60% of the 12.5M acres of cotton sowed and many will be reliant on federal crop insurance to keep themselves in business.
The pressure on supplies has caused December Cotton Futures, the most-traded contract, to rise by the greatest amount allowed by exchange rules twice in a row.
Harvests have been affected by a severe drought with fields scorched by record-breaking hot weather. Many areas haven’t registered measurable rainfall since July 2021.
The effects of extreme weather on harvests in the US aren’t limited to cotton production. The future of corn, as a result of drought in the southwest, is uncertain, while some agricultural experts have speculated the impact could see winter wheat production decrease.

Narrative A, as provided by WE Form. The US is one of many nations that are struggling with the effects of a long-lasting dry spell. Drought frequency and duration have risen by almost a third globally since 2000, and unless something is done, the climate crisis that’s causing water stress across the world could affect more than 75% of humanity by 2050.
Narrative B, as provided by FT. It’s easy to dismiss extreme weather events as a consequence of climate change, but in reality, weather events are usually influenced by a myriad of factors that have nothing to do with it. More research is needed before we can establish any direct causal link between the current situation and climate change.