Specialists Speaking

MISSISSIPPI The latest National Cotton Council survey projects Mid-South cotton acres will decrease by nearly 26 percent in 2015 compared to 2014. Mississippi is projected to have the least decline in acreage with an estimated 14 percent reduction. The NCC...

ALABAMA Charles Burmester On Feb. 1, I will have worked 35 years for Auburn University in northern Alabama. As I have been packing my office and preparing to retire, I once again realize how quickly cotton farmers must change to...

ALABAMA The northern half of Alabama had another good cotton-growing season with yields above two bales per acre on many farms. Overall, yields the last three to four years have been the best and most consistent I have seen during...

  ARKANSAS The latest USDA yield report estimates Arkansas’ crop at 1,137 pounds of lint per acre. This set a record, surpassing our previous record of 1,133 pounds of lint per acre set last year. As this report is being prepared,...

ALABAMA The northern Alabama cotton crop in late September and early October was one of the best looking cotton crops that I have seen in some time. Cotton pickers were hardly leaving any cotton in the fields. Two weeks of...

ALABAMA Cooler fall weather means cotton defoliation is on the mind of many farmers in northern Alabama. Most cotton fields are maturing rapidly, due in large part to limited late season rains. After fighting more weeds and insects than we...

FLORIDA David Wright Even though we can set fruit through early September, most cotton fields have the crop set that will be harvested, and many will be defoliating in late September or early October. Cotton generally had a late start...

Cotton has made up a lot of ground during the last couple of weeks in northern Alabama. Several fields had blooms the first week of July, and younger cotton fields are growing rapidly. I am seeing more sulfur deficiency symptoms on cotton this year than in years past. This may be due to the heavy rainfall in some areas and poor cotton rooting early in the season. We definitely need to pay more attention to sulfur fertilization on cotton in Alabama. Late emerging glyphosate-resistant horseweed is also a problem in several cotton fields I visited last week. These fields had pre-plant and pre-emergence herbicides applied, but new horseweed plants are continuing to emerge. Many of these farms will be using hooded sprayers to control these troublesome weeds.

FLORIDA: David Wright It is very important to protect bolls that are being set in July as 90 percent of the yield is often set during this month. Plant bugs and stink bugs have become more of a problem...

This is my 34th year as an agricultural consultant on the Texas High Plains. As I look back over those years, I am amazed at the advancements that have taken place. The way producers farmed 34 years ago is certainly different from today. However, one thing that hasn't changed over all these years is that water is a yield-limiting factor, and there is no substitute for water.

FLORIDA David Wright Farming is like life in that you never know what kind of turn it will take and what the issues will be. We had a slow start to planting cotton and peanuts in Florida, and corn was...

FLORIDA David Wright With crop prices for most commodities down from the past few years, producers are trying to decide what to plant and how to cut costs. Our systems research with cover crops, cattle and perennial grasses shows the...

Mike Milam MISSOURI milammr@missouri.edu PLANTING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER Although last year had a slow start and we had problems with too much rainfall at mid-season, we did finish strong with an excellent boll opening and harvest season. This winter has been...

The NCC Planting Intentions Survey shows less than a one percent increase in acreage for Missouri. Based on past reports, this may or may not happen with a lot depending on the weather. In the past, I have noticed that the Missouri intentions are usually overestimated.

When we look at our USDA estimated yield of 956 pounds per acre, most producers are disappointed. When comparing our yield with some of our other Delta states, we note that their yields were much higher. In my estimation, we had the potential, but it is hard to overcome the effects of three weeks of heavy rainfall in July and August.