By Brent Murphree: Raised beds have been the standard row configuration in the West since modern cotton farming began more than 100 years ago, but that doesn't mean all Arizona producers have to be tied to the method.Wuertz should know about water conservation. His family has raised cotton on drip irrigation, a major water saver, in Coolidge for many years. However, on ground that is leased or where the cost of drip irrigation installation outweighs the advantage, planting on level ground seems to give the producer a savings advantage.
Pat Cockrill, another producer in the Coolidge area, says he saves a great deal on his water bill as well.
"It depends on the year," he says. "We can save at least half an acre-foot and sometimes close to a full acre-foot of water."
In Coolidge, Ariz., several producers have been planting their crops on level ground with borders for irrigation. It is a traditional method for crops such as grain and alfalfa...
Deputy Ag Secretary Krysta Harden has announced the availability of more than $18 million in funding to help educate, mentor and enhance the sustainability of the next generation of farmers. This support is available through the Beginning Farmer and...
Everything you need for a profitable 2015 season. Be there when the doors open!
If you’re a farmer or ginner, this is the time of year for finding new information that can make a difference during the 2015 cotton production...
The Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association extends to you an invitation to join us at our 108th Annual Meeting and Trade Show in Lubbock, Texas, on April 9-10.
Our theme for this year’s event is “Full Speed Ahead” as we move...
The U.S. cotton harvest was moving along rapidly at the time of this writing (early November). Although picking efforts in Texas lagged the normal pace, harvest across most of the Cotton Belt advanced well, producing a good quality crop.
The Memphis Territory (Ark., Ala., La., Miss. and Tenn.) is expecting about 3.3 million bales, and the USDA has classed 2.2 million to date. About 900,000 bales of the 2.8 million expected from Georgia and Florida have been classed to date, as have 1.9 million of TexaJan 2015 Cotton Farming_Page_08_Image_0001s and Oklahoma’s expected 6.6 million bales.
In the first third of classings to be completed this season country- wide, 73.2 percent are of tenderable qualities. We are in agreement with the USDA and believe the United States will produce 15.9 million bales in the 2014/15 season.
More noteworthy is the percentage of much sought after high grades with long staple. The Memphis territory has produced around 73 percent middling (31) and better color, and 44 percent
The outlook for Australia’s cotton production in 2015 is turning increasingly downbeat. An unusually hot and dry October crimped early germination and depleted local irrigation supplies. Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology reported the country as a whole saw the seventh driest and hottest October on record.
The main cotton-producing states of Queensland (ninth driest) and New South Wales (twelfth driest) saw an unusually dry October, with rainfall only 23 percent and 34 percent of their mean October amounts, respectively. It was the same for heat across the two key cotton-producing states.
In fact, after commencing with temperatures generally near average, October developed into an unusually warm month with well-above-average temperatures across the entire country. This intensification of heat later coincided with the typical acceleration in cotton plantings, suggesting temperatures may have been too hot, too soon, for young seedlings.
BY BRUNO ZANUTTO
MANAGER/COTTON GROUP
FCSTONE DO BRAZIL LTDA.
INTL FCStone Inc.
It's hard to remember but at one time Brazil, now the world’s fifth largest cotton producer,er, was once a net cotton importer. Production was limited by the climate diversity of the...
BY JIM LAMBERT
DIRECTOR OF SALES
FCSTONE MERCHANT SERVICES
INTL FCStone Inc.
15 cotton season started off with a thump as most of the country’s key cotton-producing provinces experienced adverse weather conditions, which delayed planting. Despite the early setback, farmers were able to...
BY CHRIS KRAMEDJIAN
RISK MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT, COTTON
FCSTONE LLC
INTL FCStone Inc.
As a long-time runnerup to China’s cotton story, India is now taking center stage, at least as the world’s largest producer. India’s agriculture is critically dependent on the monsoon, and this...
BY GARY RAINES
COMMODITY NETWORK
CHIEF ECONOMIST, FIBERS AND TEXTILES
INTL FCStone Inc.
With cotton production increasingly concentrated in one province, Xin-jiang, and a generous subsidy now in place for pro- ducers of the fiber located there, the Chinese government finally has announced...
Monsanto has kicked off the new year by announcing the commercial release of two new Deltapine varieties as part of the Class of ‘15 – a root-knot nematode-resistant variety and a full-season variety that was named after one of...
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that $29 million is being invested to provide affordable housing for the country’s farm laborers and their family members. Housing is often the first step on the road to more economic prosperity for farmworker families,” Vilsack says. “These loans and grants will significantly improve the lives of farmworkers, who are vital to America’s agriculture sector. This program is one of many tools that USDA has to strengthen the rural economy, which will help bring a brighter future for children from farmworker families.” USDA is providing assistance through the Farm Labor Housing Loan and Grant program. Financing is available to qualified organizations to develop housing for domestic farm laborers. USDA also provides rental assistance to help very low income families afford the monthly rent.
There are several Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspections in progress at cotton gins right now. We have spent some time discussing OSHA inspections at our local meetings and at the gin schools. There will be additional discussions in January at the Beltwide Cotton Conferences in San Antonio, so be sure and attend the Ginning Conferences this year. In some ways, the inspections are very similar. We are seeing inspectors that have never been to a cotton gin before, and they make suggestions that are simply not possible to achieve. We are also seeing the normal emphasis in employee training, hazard communication programs and guarding. One significant difference we are seeing during inspections recently is a tendency to have a safety inspection, followed by a separate health inspection. We don’t know if this is the result of an emphasis in one particular region or something that is being emphasized across the United States.
By Tommy Horton
Editor
The Jordan brothers – John, Steve and Mike – are proactive in their approach to cotton production and embracing new technology.
In the midst of challenging weather conditions across much of the Cotton Belt this year, preliminary reports...
The format may have changed somewhat from previous years, but one fact remains consistent about the Beltwide Cotton Conferences (BWCC) in San Antonio, Texas, on Jan. 5-7. Timely information will be offered to attendees, and one of the most...
