Texas’ cotton industry is facing its worst harvest in years — costing the state more than $2 billion

Cotton plants grow in a field while a dust storm blows ahead of a late summer thunderstorm on Aug. 29, 2022, in Terry County. Cotton production is expected to be at its worst level in years. (Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune)

LUBBOCK — Cotton production has been decimated by drought and extreme heat this year, costing Texas High Plains farmers and other agricultural industries at least $2 billion, according to one estimate.

“There’s just not much crop out there,” said Brad Heffington, a cotton farmer in Littlefield. “A lot of cotton burned up and a lot of it never even made it up to begin with.”