REGIONAL COTTON ACREAGE RESPONSE

An econometric model of cotton acreage response was estimated for four distinct production regions in the United States. This work builds on previous work in the area of supply response under government farm programs and provides up-to-date regionalized estimates of own-price elasticity of cotton acreage supply. The own-price variable used in this study is a weighted combination of expected market price and government policy variables. Results indicate regional similarity in response to own price but differences with respect to the prices of alternative enterprises. Differences in regional response to paid diversion are also indicated.