Brattleboro, VT—More and more acreage in the United States is being used for growing organic cotton, according to research from the Organic Trade Association (OTA). The group believes the growth is tied to consumers wanting products made with organic cotton, price premiums and other factors.

In the 2010 and Preliminary 2011 U.S. Organic Cotton Production & Marketing Trends report, OTA said organic cotton acreage was up 36%; in 2011, there were about 11,827 acres of organic cotton on U.S. soil. This is the most acreage of cotton in the country since 1999. The downside is that due to lack of rain in areas like Texas in 2011, harvested are expected to drop 38–45%, once all 2011 data are tabulated.

This year, the group anticipates a 2% increase in organic cotton acreage.

OTA also found that costs per acre average $440/acre (with a range of $350–$650/acre); they received about $1.50 per pound of cotton, some getting as much as $2.40.

The full report is available on the OTA’s Web site at www.ota.com.

Printed in WholeFoods Magazine, March 2012 (online 1/31/12)