Specialists Speaking- Camp Hand

Camp Hand
GEORGIA

Defoliation and harvest are well under way in Georgia, but it was certainly a rocky start. For basically the first two weeks of October, it rained and was overcast. Not great for yield, fiber quality, or effective defoliation. I believe we will see some impacts of this at the gin between lower color grades and increased trash, and there is potential for an extraneous matter issue or two. I would encourage folks to “keep getting after it” as we enter November — usually around Thanksgiving is when the weather shifts for us to a more rainy pattern, making it much harder to get in the field and finish harvest.

As for things to be cognizant of — riding the picker is a great opportunity to see what is going on in your fields and gauge the success of some of the management decisions that were made along the way. Take note of problem areas: it might be worth pulling a separate soil sample or nematode sample to do a little more investigating. It could certainly help with net returns in 2027. We are entering cover crop planting time, so be sure to check with our county agents for up-to-date information on that.

I know we are just entering harvest, but we are gearing up for meetings this winter and are looking forward to meeting with everyone in 2027 and sharing information together. As always, if you ever need anything please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Camp Hand
GEORGIA