Specialists Speaking
Tyson Raper
TENNESSEE
As I write this on the tenth of March, our plan for this season is still quite fluid. The conversation may have flipped again by the time you read this, but there is currently a hint of excitement around cotton. Part of this excitement is driven from recently enacted policy changes which appear, for some, to be providing a slight edge to cotton. I also believe some of this excitement stems from observed benefits in 2025 of reducing certain inputs without significant yield penalties AND the 2026 introduction of plinazolin, which, by all indications, will completely change the current Mid-South approach to managing plant bugs.
For those that have decided cotton will be in their mix, intentionality will be critical for every input decision. I’ve doubled down on this throughout the winter meeting season and don’t intend to step back up on the soap box here. To summarize, many of us have an opportunity to optimize productivity and maximize profitability by capitalizing on earliness and reducing total input costs. The decisions required to pursue this approach start now, prior to planting.
A few last-minute reminders: First, if you decide to target a sub-30k final plant stand, make sure you are considering an inexpensive cutworm material at planting, especially if in no-till and the burndown was late. When planting, be sure you are moving residue away from the row and you have properly closed the furrow; this will help reduce stand loss from slugs. Next, either keep a close eye on thrips or plant ThryvOn. Finally, be particularly skeptical of the miracle “plant health” or “nutrient efficiency” products this year that are sold on shoddy science and sparse data. ∆
Tyson Raper
TENNESSEE
