Cotton Farming

It’s one thing to plant a variety and have it meet the farmer’s expectation, resulting in high yields and excellent fiber quality. It’s another thing when the weather cooperates, resulting in the right mix of heat units, crop maturity and harvest conditions.

When all of those factors come together, the perfect season delivers what farmers hope for all year – a beautiful crop. That is the scenario on the Texas High Plains as producers try to finish harvesting what is being called one of the best cotton crops in recent memory.

Six months ago it didn’t seem possible. There was plenty of soil moisture for planting, but the rains started in early spring and continued into June. Widespread flooding occurred across much of Texas. When it finally stopped raining, the question that farmers asked themselves was: “Can this crop catch up?”

As it turns out, the crop did more than “catch up.” It took advantage of warm but not oppressively warm temperatures in August and September.

“It’s probably the roughest start we’ve ever had for a cotton crop out here,” says Randy Boman, state Extension cotton specialist. “But things got better in August, and then we captured even more heat units in September and October.”

Boman hasn’t seen all the statistics on this year’s crop grades, but in one of his trial plots at Muleshoe, Texas, the numbers were bringing 58 and 59 cent loan values.

An outside observer might ask if this crop is the result of lucky weather or above-average variety performance? Boman says it’s a combination of both factors.

“We’ve been trying for awhile to make everything click for good quality,” he adds. “I think we’ll see quality even better than in 2005, which was a pretty good year.”

Optimistic Outlook

As for how producers feel about this year’s crop, it’s apparent that there is more optimism about the future. Texas physiologist Craig Bednarz says all seed companies have good varieties this year, and that is a win-win situation for farmers.

“The numbers look good from all of the companies,” he says. “That is an ideal situation for farmers. You couldn’t ask for a better situation.”

Nobody would agree more with Bednarz and Boman than Lee Rivenbark, director of U.S. cotton operations for Bayer CropScience seed and technology business.

“It’s been an amazing thing to watch,” he says. “Naturally, we’re pleased with how our FiberMax varieties are performing. I just wish we could have this kind of weather every year in the fall.”

A lot of farmers would agree with him on that statement.

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

- PRODUCTION - Perfect Conditions Reward High Plains
By Tommy Horton Editor
It’s one thing to plant a variety and have it meet the farmer’s expectation, resulting in high yields and excellent fiber quality. It’s another thing when the weather cooperates, resulting in the right mix of heat units, crop maturity and harvest conditions. When all of those factors come together, the perfect season delivers what farmers hope for all year – a beautiful crop. That is the scenario on the Texas High Plains as producers try to finish harvesting what is being called one of the best cotton crops in recent memory. Six months ago it didn’t seem possible. There was plenty of soil moisture for planting, but the rains started in early spring and continued into June. Widespread flooding occurred across much of Texas. When it finally stopped raining, the question that farmers asked themselves was: “Can this crop catch up?” As it turns out, the crop did more than “catch up.” It took advantage of warm but not oppressively warm temperatures in August and September. “It’s probably the roughest start we’ve ever had for a cotton crop out here,” says Randy Boman, state Extension cotton specialist. “But things got better in August, and then we captured even more heat units in September and October.” Boman hasn’t seen all the statistics on this year’s crop grades, but in one of his trial plots at Muleshoe, Texas, the numbers were bringing 58 and 59 cent loan values. An outside observer might ask if this crop is the result of lucky weather or above-average variety performance? Boman says it’s a combination of both factors. “We’ve been trying for awhile to make everything click for good quality,” he adds. “I think we’ll see quality even better than in 2005, which was a pretty good year.” Optimistic Outlook As for how producers feel about this year’s crop, it’s apparent that there is more optimism about the future. Texas physiologist Craig Bednarz says all seed companies have good varieties this year, and that is a win-win situation for farmers. “The numbers look good from all of the companies,” he says. “That is an ideal situation for farmers. You couldn’t ask for a better situation.” Nobody would agree more with Bednarz and Boman than Lee Rivenbark, director of U.S. cotton operations for Bayer CropScience seed and technology business. “It’s been an amazing thing to watch,” he says. “Naturally, we’re pleased with how our FiberMax varieties are performing. I just wish we could have this kind of weather every year in the fall.” A lot of farmers would agree with him on that statement. Contact Tommy Horton at (901) 767-4020 or thorton@onegrower.com.

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