Current Issue

California farm enlists drones as part of high-tech toolbox. • By Vicky Boyd, Managing Editor •  Since 2015, Bowles Farming, a diversified family farming operation near Los Banos, California, has enlisted drones to help boost efficiency, optimize crop inputs and yields, and...

• By Julie Murphree • Editor’s note: As Arizona Farm Bureau nears the 100-year mark, Farm Bureau staff has reached out to long-time farm and ranch families to tell their stories about farming and ranching in this desert state. They now...

Delivery of contamination-free bales to our textile mill customers is a must for U.S. cotton to compete against other growths and man-made fibers. How does contamination relate to U.S. cotton’s value? ■ Our industry recently emphasized U.S. cotton’s premium value to...

A reoccurring topic in regional meetings across the Cotton Belt in 2018 has been contamination — in the field, in gins, in bales, and ultimately in textile manufacturing. Unfortunately, this issue doesn’t seem to be fading for the 2018-2019 growing...

Arkansas cotton farmer Michael Mangrum is always looking for ways to do things faster and better. • By Carroll Smith, Editor • Stories passed down by his maternal grandmother tell how his great-great grandfather and his brothers came from Oklahoma and settled...

• By Stacey Gorman, The Cotton Board, Director of Communications • The Seal of Cotton has been vital in the success Cotton Incorporated has seen promoting brand awareness for cotton. Dukes Wooters, Cotton Incorporated’s first president, introduced the seal in 1973. The...

The NCC continues to work with U.S. cotton’s supporters in the House and Senate to achieve the industry’s policy priorities in farm legislation. The National Cotton Council (NCC) believes that House-passed farm legislation more fully addresses the U.S. cotton and...

• By Guy Collins, North Carolina State University • Due to prolonged rainy weather during the second half of May, the 2018 North Carolina cotton crop can be categorized into distinctive groups, at least for now. A relatively high proportion of our acres...

• By Carroll Smith, Editor • Twitter is known for the limited number of characters allowed for messages. However, the social media platform’s required brevity was no hurdle for West Texas cotton farmer Shawn Holladay this spring. As he posted tweets...

Well, it’s time for another Farm Bill to make its way through Congress. It sure would be nice to get it out early so we can see what we’ve got to work with. Georgia producers didn’t want to change what...

With the U.S. cotton industry ramping up sustainability efforts and consumers voicing their trust in our fiber, the National Cotton Council is encouraged that more light is being shed on a man-made fiber situation some believe is not sustainable. How...

They’re Here. Get Your Game On. • By Carroll Smith, Editor • Cotton insects come in all shapes and sizes. But one thing they have in common is a voracious appetite for the cotton plant. As we move into the season,...

Twelve West Texas gins were inspected by the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor during the 2016/2017 ginning season. The Wage and Hour folks came right back this year, inspecting eight more gins. I don’t know...

The National Cotton Council identified multiple priorities it must address to continue effectively representing the U.S. cotton industry on legislative and regulatory issues. What are some key priorities? • A major concern is ensuring an effective safety net for cotton producers...

Cotton Incorporated Launches New Consumer Advertising Campaign. • By Stacey Gorman,  Cotton Board  Director of Communications • Part of Cotton Incorporated’s mission is to promote all things cotton. It is the organization’s desire to get consumers, everyday people, to care about what’s...