In their first official crop production estimates for the area this season, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service pegged the 2019 High Plains upland cotton crop at 4.93 million bales, harvested from 3.63 million acres. Planted acres are estimated at 4.44 million, reflecting a projected 18 percent abandonment rate, which is about average. Yield per acre is estimated at 831 pounds per acre in the northern counties of the PCG service area, and 601 pounds per acre in the southern counties. Of particular interest in this report is the significant decrease in planted acreage in the northern portion of the PCG service area.