Dr. Andrew Muhammad and Dr. Aaron Smith published an Extension article earlier this week entitled “Impacts of the Trade War on the U.S. Cotton Sector.”  I found the article to be extremely informative and while we typically focus on production issues, felt it was appropriate to share here.  You can access the publication by clicking the image or  following this hyperlink: https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/W835.pdf

Quoting Dr. Muhammad:

This publication focuses on the negative effects of Chinese retaliatory tariffs on U.S. cotton, an important U.S. export that has received significantly less attention in the context of the trade war. Recent data suggest that current trade tensions have resulted in China replacing U.S. cotton with imports from Brazil and Australia and other competing exporters to a lesser degree. This has occurred even as China’s cotton imports have increased overall. With growing Chinese demand, it appears that U.S. exports are being diverted to other textile-producing countries. In the important case of Vietnam, U.S. cotton imports are often for re-exports to China as yarn. Elsewhere in the world, increased sales of Australian and Brazilian cotton to China have increased sales by the United States of cotton that might have otherwise been sold to China.