Editor
When I was about eight years old, my dad would take me to the farm on Sunday afternoons to see how the cotton crop looked. He usually switched up which horse he would ride, but I always rode my trusty Quarter Horse Mr. Lawman. The man we bought him from had already named him, so we didn’t see any reason to change it since that was the name he was used to.
Even as a child, I remember being amazed that Dad would get back in the saddle after his favorite horse was accidentally shot out from under him while hunting in Tensas Parish as a teenager. But, he did. There was work to do, and doing it by horseback just made sense at the time.
On our Sunday outings, I had fun riding down the turnrow, taking in all the sights and sounds of nature. Dad’s eyes, on the other hand, were constantly moving across the field looking for anything that might pose a threat to the cotton crop. One of the main culprits he searched for was what all the farmers in our area called the “devil weed” — better known to most as morningglory.
If he saw one along the edge of the field, he slid off his saddle, pulled it up by the roots and threw it out on the turnrow where it would be picked up the next day and destroyed to prevent it from reestablishing itself. If he spotted a morningglory in the field, he rode out there, pulled it up by the roots and dropped it on the turnrow as well.
At that time, the crop consulting profession was in its infancy, so Dad did the best he could by himself. He later hired Roger Carter, owner of Agricultural Management Services in Clayton, Louisiana, as his consultant, which was a gamechanger in terms of increasing efficiency and profitability on the farm.
As far as getting around to scout, many consultants swear by walking the rows — putting footprints in the field. Some still travel by horseback, while others have tried out dirt bikes, motorcycles and ATVs. A popular option today is the side-by-side — or four-wheeled utility terrain vehicle. And as technology advances even further, drones are becoming an effective crop scouting tool.
If you’re wondering why I am talking about consultants and scouting while the pickers are getting ready to roll, it’s because we just wrapped up the 2024 Cotton Consultant of the Year award program and are looking forward to announcing the winner in February. Plus, it’s a good excuse to revisit those Sunday afternoons scouting the cotton fields on horseback with my dad.
Here’s hoping you have a bountiful harvest!