Like any other crop, cotton has good years and bad years.

It also depends on the area that you are farming in. Annual rainfall is huge factor in my area.

In Texas, in the Big Country Area, in and around Abilene, TX, the main crops have been hay, wheat, grain, livestock, peanuts and cotton.

Grain production is grain sorghum. Corn for grain production is very minor.  Wild Hog problems have caused severe problems for some in hay and grain production here and in peanut acres also.

Two Major Factors in this area have helped in keeping Cotton a big crop.

1. Boll Weevil Eradication

2. Drip Irrigation.

Drip Irrigation is worthless with out Boll Weevil Eradication.

I am told and have read that drip fields will make 1500 lbs per acre in dry to normal year. Good rainy years, up to and over 2500 lbs per acre.

One of the really good cotton farmers in the Big Country is Jeff Posey.

I have noticed that he and some other other good cotton growers in other areas have ben featured recently in some of the farm magazines. Might to check to see what they have to say about cotton.

I do remember him mentioning that they use a no-till or nearly no till system to cut down the trips over cotton. And some opinions on cotton varities and stacked genes and etc.

Hope that this helps you some.