Acreage dropped by about 22 percent in Texas, the national leader, and by nearly 20 percent in California, which ranks seventh in domestic production. Cotton also has lost ground for another reason that became apparent this week as the Senate debated the 2007 farm bill: The United States' cotton subsidy program is enmeshed in a global trade battle. The current bill on the Senate floor leaves those programs virtually intact, despite the threat of further legal complaints and concerns that...

Acreage dropped by about 22 percent in Texas, the national leader, and by nearly 20 percent in California, which ranks seventh in domestic production. Cotton also has lost ground for another reason that became apparent this week as the Senate debated the 2007 farm bill: The United States' cotton subsidy program is enmeshed in a global trade battle. Last month, the World Trade Organization ruled subsidies handed out to American cotton farmers broke international trade laws, opening the door...

For years, the federal government has guaranteed American cotton producers about 72 cents a pound, even though the real market price of cotton has averaged about 57 cents. Since 2002, market prices havent even covered the cost of producing cotton, but the amount of acres planted in cotton has increased because the government guarantees a higher price. It appears that you are using either an older, classic Web browser or a hand-held device that allows you to view our content but may not...

Ever since it first slipped into the United States, the boll weevil has been a six-legged natural disaster, causing more damage and upheaval than any single earthquake, flood or storm in the nation's history, with the possible exception of Hurricane Katrina. America's most notorious pest -- a hook-snouted bug that ruins cotton crops by boring into the plant's buds and depositing eggs -- has become almost an endangered species this side of the Mexican border. Ever since it first slipped...

And the bills actually make some programs more generous: - Subsidy levels would be raised for several crops, including wheat, barley, soybeans, sunflowers and canola. He wanted more money put into "green payments," a reference to subsidies that are based on the type of farming practices growers follow. There seems to be no shortage of fruits/vegetables in the store with the current production of these crops. Charles Conner, the acting agriculture secretary, says the increases in subsidy...