Cotton Farming

Earlier this fall, it was hard to find any smiling faces or optimism among south Georgia cotton producers. A dry summer and record-breaking heat in August had put a damper on the outlook for the ‘07 crop.

Then, a remarkable event occurred. Some excellent management, coupled with near perfect conditions in the fall, salvaged a difficult year. What appeared to be a full-blown crop disaster turned into one of the more pleasant surprises of the season.

Nowhere was that more evident than at McCleskey Cotton Co., near Bronwood, Ga. This is where you’ll find producer Ronnie Lee and his family operation, which includes sons Ron, Neil and Chandler, and nephew Justin Jones.

The Lees, who farm 3,400 acres of cotton, 900 acres of corn and 350 acres of peanuts, also operate their own gin. To say that the family has a long history in cotton is an understatement.

Ron markets the cotton crop, runs the gin and admits that the prospects didn’t look promising earlier in the fall as the cotton withered in record-breaking temperatures. But, the cotton – 85 percent of which was planted in DP 555 BG/RR – responded well to efficient center pivot irrigation.

“Many of our customers, as well as our own operation are making 1,200 to 1,400 pound yields,” says Ron. “That’s close to our yields from last year and much better than we anticipated during the summer.”

Better Staple

He also reports that staple is averaging between 34.5 and 35 on the later-planted cotton – again much better than projected. So far, the gin has processed 30,000 bales, and Ron is hopeful of handling between 50,000 and 55,000 bales.

Even though that’s well below the 80,000 bales ginned in 2006, it’s still a higher number than was originally anticipated after the heat and drought of last summer.

It took a herculean effort on the irrigated acreage to gain those three-bale yields. Unfortunately, the dryland acreage yields were less than a bale, but that is about what was expected.

“I think this was another example of a variety (555) that simply had the horsepower to keep on making cotton under some pretty difficult conditions,” says Ron. “Obviously, it took some good management and weather conditions at the end of the season, but the variety itself definitely made the difference.”

The fact that more than 80 percent of Georgia’s cotton is planted to DP 555 BG/RR apparently is a testament to the variety’s performance and adaptability to the state’s soil profile and weather conditions.

Ron probably sums it up best when talking about how the variety performs – even under the worst kind of weather conditions.

“Let’s put it this way,” he says with a laugh. “We don’t want to even think about not having access to 555 in the future. This variety has kept us in business. Our success is also a testament to all of us in this region having the knowledge to manage the 555 variety. With the increased cost of inputs, we need to make these kinds of yields.”

Commitment To Cotton

Ronnie, the patriarch of the family, doesn’t mince words on his commitment to cotton – even in the face of expanded corn acreage across the Belt. For example, the Lee farm increased its corn acreage dramatically from 20 acres in 2006 to 900 acres this year. But it’s cotton that is the heart of the operation.

“We’re cotton farmers, and that’s what we have to focus on,” says Ronnie. “We have to be smart in every phase of our operation – from the seed that we plant to how we market and gin cotton for our customers. It certainly isn’t getting any easier – especially with the uncertainty surrounding the Farm Bill.”

The elder Lee admits it is becoming more of a challenge to grow cotton, but he also knows that his family has invested a lot of years and money into the crop. And, as he kiddingly says, it’s impossible to run corn through a gin or harvest corn with a cotton picker.

So, even with the attractiveness of other commodity prices, the Lees will continue to produce cotton – although it’s unclear how many acres they’ll plant in ‘08.

Cotton Acres Reduced

That’s a significant commitment considering that there was a 30 percent reduction in cotton acres in Terrell County where McCleskey Cotton Co. is located.

Ronnie knows that a farm can’t expect to break records every year, and that’s nearly what his farm did for three straight seasons. The law of averages figured that Mother Nature would even the score this year.

“When you consider how fortunate we were for those three previous seasons, we really can’t complain too much,” he says.

“Sometimes I feel overwhelmed, but we aren’t giving up the ship. They say it’s always darkest before the dawn. That’s how I’m feeling as we head into next year. We’ll keep on doing the best we can.”

Contact Tommy Horton at thorton@onegrower.com or (901) 767-4020.

Battling The Elements Becomes More Difficult

Even though Georgia has enjoyed rapid increases in cotton production in the last few years, serious challenges lie ahead.

Two of the most frustrating problems are continuing drought problems and the outbreak of resistant palmer pigweed throughout the state. The Lee farm has devoted a lot of resources and management practices in an effort to control the troublesome weed. Some of those practices succeeded and some didn’t.

Farm manager Neil Lee (left) and his partner Justin Jones (right) say they learned plenty during the ‘07 crop season.

“Everybody knows about the drought we’re having in Georgia,” says Lee. “We definitely know more about water management. It seems like we watered the cotton non-stop. But, by the time the irrigation pivot was turned off, the cotton was dry again. We just really had to watch the crop to minimize the fruit shed.”

Jones, meanwhile, is hoping that new production practices can slow down the growth of pigweed throughout the farm acreage.

“I’m not sure I know what the answer is, but we’re trying several approaches,” he says. “We’ve even tried some conventional tillage rather than strip tilling. It’s definitely a scary problem, but we aren’t giving up. We’ll keep fighting it.”

- PRODUCTION - Despite Long Summer, Georgia Farm Survived
By Tommy Horton Editor
Earlier this fall, it was hard to find any smiling faces or optimism among south Georgia cotton producers. A dry summer and record-breaking heat in August had put a damper on the outlook for the ‘07 crop. Then, a remarkable event occurred. Some excellent management, coupled with near perfect conditions in the fall, salvaged a difficult year. What appeared to be a full-blown crop disaster turned into one of the more pleasant surprises of the season. Nowhere was that more evident than at McCleskey Cotton Co., near Bronwood, Ga. This is where you’ll find producer Ronnie Lee and his family operation, which includes sons Ron, Neil and Chandler, and nephew Justin Jones. The Lees, who farm 3,400 acres of cotton, 900 acres of corn and 350 acres of peanuts, also operate their own gin. To say that the family has a long history in cotton is an understatement. Ron markets the cotton crop, runs the gin and admits that the prospects didn’t look promising earlier in the fall as the cotton withered in record-breaking temperatures. But, the cotton – 85 percent of which was planted in DP 555 BG/RR – responded well to efficient center pivot irrigation. “Many of our customers, as well as our own operation are making 1,200 to 1,400 pound yields,” says Ron. “That’s close to our yields from last year and much better than we anticipated during the summer.” Better Staple He also reports that staple is averaging between 34.5 and 35 on the later-planted cotton – again much better than projected. So far, the gin has processed 30,000 bales, and Ron is hopeful of handling between 50,000 and 55,000 bales. Even though that’s well below the 80,000 bales ginned in 2006, it’s still a higher number than was originally anticipated after the heat and drought of last summer. It took a herculean effort on the irrigated acreage to gain those three-bale yields. Unfortunately, the dryland acreage yields were less than a bale, but that is about what was expected. “I think this was another example of a variety (555) that simply had the horsepower to keep on making cotton under some pretty difficult conditions,” says Ron. “Obviously, it took some good management and weather conditions at the end of the season, but the variety itself definitely made the difference.” The fact that more than 80 percent of Georgia’s cotton is planted to DP 555 BG/RR apparently is a testament to the variety’s performance and adaptability to the state’s soil profile and weather conditions. Ron probably sums it up best when talking about how the variety performs – even under the worst kind of weather conditions. “Let’s put it this way,” he says with a laugh. “We don’t want to even think about not having access to 555 in the future. This variety has kept us in business. Our success is also a testament to all of us in this region having the knowledge to manage the 555 variety. With the increased cost of inputs, we need to make these kinds of yields.” Commitment To Cotton Ronnie, the patriarch of the family, doesn’t mince words on his commitment to cotton – even in the face of expanded corn acreage across the Belt. For example, the Lee farm increased its corn acreage dramatically from 20 acres in 2006 to 900 acres this year. But it’s cotton that is the heart of the operation. “We’re cotton farmers, and that’s what we have to focus on,” says Ronnie. “We have to be smart in every phase of our operation – from the seed that we plant to how we market and gin cotton for our customers. It certainly isn’t getting any easier – especially with the uncertainty surrounding the Farm Bill.” The elder Lee admits it is becoming more of a challenge to grow cotton, but he also knows that his family has invested a lot of years and money into the crop. And, as he kiddingly says, it’s impossible to run corn through a gin or harvest corn with a cotton picker. So, even with the attractiveness of other commodity prices, the Lees will continue to produce cotton – although it’s unclear how many acres they’ll plant in ‘08. Cotton Acres Reduced That’s a significant commitment considering that there was a 30 percent reduction in cotton acres in Terrell County where McCleskey Cotton Co. is located. Ronnie knows that a farm can’t expect to break records every year, and that’s nearly what his farm did for three straight seasons. The law of averages figured that Mother Nature would even the score this year. “When you consider how fortunate we were for those three previous seasons, we really can’t complain too much,” he says. “Sometimes I feel overwhelmed, but we aren’t giving up the ship. They say it’s always darkest before the dawn. That’s how I’m feeling as we head into next year. We’ll keep on doing the best we can.” Contact Tommy Horton at thorton@onegrower.com or (901) 767-4020. Battling The Elements Becomes More Difficult Even though Georgia has enjoyed rapid increases in cotton production in the last few years, serious challenges lie ahead. Two of the most frustrating problems are continuing drought problems and the outbreak of resistant palmer pigweed throughout the state. The Lee farm has devoted a lot of resources and management practices in an effort to control the troublesome weed. Some of those practices succeeded and some didn’t. Farm manager Neil Lee (left) and his partner Justin Jones (right) say they learned plenty during the ‘07 crop season. “Everybody knows about the drought we’re having in Georgia,” says Lee. “We definitely know more about water management. It seems like we watered the cotton non-stop. But, by the time the irrigation pivot was turned off, the cotton was dry again. We just really had to watch the crop to minimize the fruit shed.” Jones, meanwhile, is hoping that new production practices can slow down the growth of pigweed throughout the farm acreage. “I’m not sure I know what the answer is, but we’re trying several approaches,” he says. “We’ve even tried some conventional tillage rather than strip tilling. It’s definitely a scary problem, but we aren’t giving up. We’ll keep fighting it.”

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