Arizona cotton growers are being hit hard as exports have plummeted by nearly 90%

One of Arizona’s five C’s, cotton, has been hit hard by the trade wars and is welcoming help from the federal government to offset the loss of business from tariffs.

According to the agriculture research group Farm Flavor, the cotton industry has lost more than $1 billion nationwide this year as exports have plummeted by nearly 90%.

Jadee Rohner is executive director of the Arizona Cotton Growers Association, based in Tempe. She said Arizona growers have been affected.

"It’s a market that accounted for about 3 to 5 million bales of cotton and that’s fallen just this year to just a few thousand bales, so it’s definitely detrimental to the cotton industry," Rohner said.

While cotton farmers welcome the Trump administration’s $12 billion program to bridge the gap, Rohner said they’re not looking for a handout.

"Growers aren’t looking and asking for government assistance. They don’t wake up in the morning saying ‘Gosh, I wish I had a check from the federal government to really get across here.' We want a fair market, not programs," Rohner said.

Rohner said just about all of Arizona’s cotton is sent overseas and the excess crop is being held in storage facilities with additional cost to farmers.