Moscow — Kansas' burgeoning cotton business would be in good shape this fall but for one factor no one can control: the weather.
Frequent fall rain and this week's snow across the southern state's tier, where most Kansas cotton is grown, have left fields too wet and muddy for harvesting.
And the industry that has sprung up to service Kansas' newest major crop largely has been idled. Custom cutters and gin operators have been waiting for the business that will produce returns on their investments in costly equipment and expansions.
"I don't ever remember it being this wet for this long this time of year," said Jerry Stuckey, manager of the Northwest Cotton Growers Co-op Gin -- which, despite the co-op's name, is in the far southwestern town of Moscow. "Nobody's been able to harvest."
The Moscow mill opened two years ago and will double its capacity by January. Each Nov-ember for the past two years, the gin has been operating at full speed. But there hasn't been a cotton module through it yet this year as strippers have sat by the edge of the fields.
The state also has gins in Anthony and Winfield and another due to open within weeks at Pratt.
Cotton isn't the only crop affected by the rain, but it has taken the hardest hit.
The Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service reported Monday the cotton harvest was just 13 percent finished, compared to 83 percent for milo, 88 percent for soybeans and 79 percent for sunflowers. And that was before Tuesday's snow.
The rain also is taking a toll on the condition of cotton. The statistics service's weekly report rated the cotton crop as 16 percent poor, 39 percent fair, 38 percent good and 8 percent excellent.
Ironically, the state's typical weather was the biggest driver of an expansion that saw cotton planting rise from about 2,000 acres in 1996 to about 120,000 acres this year. Cotton needs far less water than corn, making it an attractive alternative for farmers seeking to cut their reliance on irrigation.
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