The industry’s first Bollgard II XtendFlex cotton variety with root-knot nematode (RKN) resistance and a high-performing early to mid-maturity cotton variety were named to the Deltapine Class of 17 during the ninth annual New Products Evaluators (NPE) Summit.
DP 1747NR...
When I was approached about writing this month’s “My Turn” column, I was very honored, then quickly very humbled once I saw some of the amazing authors who had gone before me. I am a fairly ordinary guy who...
Let’s go straight to the Presidential election… Hillary Clinton versus Donald Trump. If you predicted Donald Trump to be the next President of the United States, you outsmarted most of the prognosticators this election. Going into Election Night, most...
Farmers and ranchers need to adopt technology and stand up for their rights. Most of all, they need to share their stories, American Farm Bureau Federation outgoing president Bob Stallman told members at the recent American Farm Bureau Federation’s...
It’s Showtime!
By Carroll Smith
Editor
In a few short weeks, it’s time to head to Memphis, Tenn., to attend the 64th Annual Mid-South Farm & Gin Show. Hundreds of exhibitors will be on hand to provide the latest information suited to...
Year in review
By Tiffany Dowell Lashmet
Editor’s note: Tiffany Dowell Lashmet, a Texas A&M Agri-Life Extension Service specialist in Amarillo and author of the Texas Agriculture Law Blog, is among the top 100 legal bloggers in the nation, according to...
‘Enormous Potential’ Sets The Stage
BY TONY WILLIAMS
TCGA EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Optimism is running high in Texas as cotton farmers and ginners prepare for the 2016 season. To help kick off the year on a positive note, The Texas Cotton Ginners Association...
Wes Briggs of Bainbridge, Ga., winner of the 2015 Cotton Consultant of the Year Award, was honored by his peers at a reception last month at the Beltwide Cotton Conferences in New Orleans. The event was held in the RiverView room overlooking the Mighty Mississippi at the Marriott Hotel. The award, established in 1981, is co-sponsored by Cotton Farming and Syngenta. Briggs and his wife, Beth, along with numerous friends and cotton industry representatives, were in attendance. Publisher Lia Guthrie and Syngenta’s Josh Kelley presented the traditional green jacket and plaque to Briggs.
“There are many consultants across the Cotton Belt deserving of this award, and I am very honored to have been chosen as the new member of this brotherhood,” Briggs said upon accepting the award. “It marks a special moment in my career.”
The Georgia consultant established Briggs Crop Services Inc. in 2001 after gaining experience in several other consulting positions in Mississippi and Georgia. He is a member and past president of the Georgia Association of Professional Agricultural Consultants and has five full-time men in his company that he counts on every day.
National policy to help Texas cotton farmers and the election of a new president “excited about working for the Lone Star State” highlighted the recent American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting.
Cottonseed Eligibility
AFBF voting delegates approved policy submitted by the...
By Carroll Smith
Editor
The red brick building that stands at 221 North Main St. in Como, Miss., has housed the Taylor family’s business since 1900. What was once a bustling general store with an office tucked in the back is...
Editor’s note: In addition to maturity zones 6-7 Credenz soybean varieties for 2016 that appeared in Soybean South, the following Credenz varieties also are suited for the Southern geography. View the 2016 Southern Soybean Variety Roster at www.soybeansouth.com.
Credenz
CZ 5147...
JORDAN LEA
Eastern Trading Company, Greenville, S.C.
The kickoff of the college football season means one thing to some but something else to those of us in the cotton industry. The new crop is on the way! The entire global...
Even though it’s more than three months away, it’s not too early to start talking about the Beltwide Cotton Conferences (BWCC), scheduled for Jan. 5-7 in New Orleans. If you’ll check out the October issue of Cotton Farming, you’ll find a preview that gives a quick look at some of the key issues that will be addressed.
Even though the conference only lasts three days, it will deliver a lot of information for any farmer, consultant, Extension agent/specialist, university official or industry sales representative.
Granted, the Beltwide differs from what we remember it to be in the 1980s, 1990s and on through 2013. But, the conference is still a valuable link to information for any person involved in the cotton industry. In fact, the Consultants Conference, which lasts for a day and a half, is one of the best overviews you’ll find.
If the Consultants Conference were the only event you attended during these three days, you would have gained access to a comprehensive look at the most important issues confronting cotton production. The Consultants Conference, in fact, will kick off the Beltwide with a half day session on Jan. 5, beginning at noon. Then, it will conclude with an all-day session on Jan. 6. You name the topic, and you’ll find it when you join the consultants for this meeting.
Normally, you wouldn’t find a special report on a college football game in this space, but occasionally there’s an exception to every rule. This is one of those times. For several years, Texas Tech University has participated in an early season “Celebrate Cotton” promotion for one of its home football games at Jones AT&T Stadium.
Call it the perfect marriage between the cotton industry, the High Plains of Texas and college football. Before, during and after the game, you’ll find messages about cotton no matter where you are seated in the stadium. Cotton equipment and booths will be located everywhere and even in special areas where fans enjoy tailgating parties. Cotton officials will be introduced during pre-game ceremonies. Promotional messages about cotton will flash on the scoreboard. In other words, it will be hard to avoid seeing or hearing an important message about cotton for about three hours.
Several years ago, when this idea was first discussed, it seemed like a perfect way to promote cotton’s importance in the High Plains. And it still is. Even though the cotton crop in this part of Texas won’t be harvested until late October or early November, this is one Saturday afternoon in September when farmers will gladly make the trek to Lubbock for a football game. What could be better than non-stop cotton promotion in front of more than 50,000 fans.
If there is one obvious personality trait that all cotton industry folks have, it’s generosity. When time is precious for everyone, it’s nice to know that farmers, merchants, marketing cooperatives, warehousemen, manufacturers, ginners and cottonseed representatives always are willing to share information. Or, at least, it seems that way to me.
Maybe I’m being naïve. But I rarely run across someone from the industry today who isn’t willing to lend a helping hand. Nobody will share company secrets, but there is a common thread of generosity that runs through this industry.
And a perfect example of this kindness was the late Dan Krieg, a Texas cotton farmer who wore many hats – including 35 years as a Texas Tech University professor. Dan, a long-time friend of Cotton Farming magazine, passed away earlier this summer at the age of 72.
