Fluffy clouds and cotton

A field full of cotton blooms under fluffy, cloudy skies is seen Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, south of Pharris Ridge Drive in rural Sikeston, Missouri, toward Matthews, Missouri.(Rod Anderson/Standard Democrat)

A field full of cotton blooms under fluffy, cloudy skies is seen Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, south of Pharris Ridge Drive in rural Sikeston, Missouri, toward Matthews, Missouri. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Missouri Crop Progress and Condition report for the week ending Oct. 13, cotton bolls opening reached 98%, compared to the five-year average of 95%. Cotton harvested reached 38%, compared to the five-year average of 25%. Cotton condition was rated 3% very poor, 6% poor, 25% fair, and 66% good.

Cotton blooms are seen Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in a field south of Pharris Ridge Drive in rural Sikeston, Missouri, toward Matthews, Missouri.(Rod Anderson/Standard Democrat)