Charles C. Owen Distinguished Service Award Announced
The National Cotton Ginners Association recognized Tim Price as recipient of the NCGA’s 2024-25 Charles C. Owen Distinguished Service Award. This award honors those who have provided a career of distinguished service to the U.S. ginning industry.
Price, born in 1952 in Calvin, Louisiana, has a distinguished career in agriculture.
Active in FFA during high school, he became the state president and later earned degrees from Louisiana State University and Texas A&M. He worked at the Federal Land Bank in New Orleans before joining the American Farm Bureau Federation, where he handled commodity and marketing issues and national farm program legislation.
In 2003, he became the executive vice president of the Southern Cotton Ginners Association and manager of the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show. His contributions earned him the 2023 National Agriculture Marketing Association Ag Association Leader of the Year Award.
He remains a strong supporter of the National Cotton Ginners Association. Price has made substantial contributions to the NCGA through his active role in the National Cotton Ginner Committee and his advisory capacities within the National Cotton Council.
Abamectin In-furrow Solution For Nematodes In Cotton
Cotton farmers have a convenient new tool to battle nematodes in-furrow with Averland FC nematicide/insecticide/miticide from Vive Crop Protection.
As one of the most economical in-furrow nematicides/insecticides on the cotton market, Hadley Howard, senior product manager with Vive Crop Protection says, “Averland FC is a cost-effective, fertilizer-compatible solution to fight nematodes in-furrow in cotton. With proven nematode protection from Averland FC, cotton growers will maximize early plant stands and get the crop off to a strong start.”
Averland FC combines abamectin and Vive’s patented Allosperse nano-polymer delivery system, making it the only abamectin in-furrow solution registered for nematodes in cotton that also mixes perfectly with liquid fertilizers and other crop inputs.
George Huckabay, Southern technical sales agronomist with Vive Crop Protection says, “Other products used in-furrow for nematodes are not as compatible with liquid fertilizer, and some don’t even behave well in the spray tank when mixed with water.
“With Averland FC, growers will appreciate how easy it is to use because it doesn’t settle out as quickly, even with high-salt fertilizers like 10-34-0 or 11-37-0,” continues Huckabay.
In field trials across the cotton-growing region, Averland FC provides comparable activity on nematodes and equivalent yield maximization as Velum Total, but in a more convenient, low-use-rate product.
If growers are looking for additional disease control in-furrow, Averland FC is also compatible with most fungicides, including Xyler FC (metalaxyl with Allosperse.
The 2025 Louisiana Ag Hall Of Distinction Honors Various Branches Of The Industry
The newest inductees into the Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction are three people who helped to enhance the state’s agriculture industry through storytelling, reforestation efforts and improving crop genetics. The induction took place at the L’Auberge Hotel in Baton Rouge.
The inductees are the late Joe D. Burns, a forester formerly of Jonesboro; the late Mike Danna, longtime Louisiana Farm Bureau public relations director and host of the organization’s long-running television program “This Week in Louisiana Agriculture,” formerly of Baton Rouge; and Steve Harrison, an LSU AgCenter small grains plant breeder from Baton Rouge.
A joint effort of the LSU AgCenter, Louisiana Radio Network, Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation and Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, the Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction honors individuals who have made significant contributions to agriculture or agriculture-related industries. Previous inductees have represented farming, ranching, forestry, aquaculture, education and agribusiness.
Burns was born and raised in Webster Parish in the community of Shongaloo. He interrupted his college education to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II. He saw action in Germany and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for Valor and the Combat Infantry’s Badge for heroism.
Upon his return from the European theater, Burns completed both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in forestry at LSU. After 12 years working for various companies in the forestry business, Burns launched Burns Forest Products in 1962, a company that helped private landowners manage and sell their timber to mills across north Louisiana.
Burns had the foresight to encourage landowners to replant their forests after harvest to make the practice sustainable and increase their land values for them and future generations.
Danna received a journalism degree from LSU in 1983 and began his career with the News Star World in Monroe. In 1985, he began his tenure with the Louisiana Farm Bureau as editor of “The Louisiana Farm Bureau News.”
Shortly after his start with Farm Bureau, he began reporting for TWILA. In 1997, he took over the role of host, a position he would hold for nearly 20 years.
Danna helped oversee TWILA team reports from 27 different U.S. states and from 15 countries on four continents. The show received six Telly Awards for excellence in television news reporting. He was particularly proud of the coverage of hurricanes Katrina and Rita and how each of the storms devastated the Louisiana farming and ranching community. He thought it was important to show and tell the struggles the agriculture communities faced in rebuilding from the two storms.
Danna died in 2015 from esophageal cancer. He was 54 years old.
Harrison began his career with the AgCenter in 1984 after receiving his doctorate from the University of Illinois. The bulk of his work centers around wheat and oat breeding, which involves developing varieties that can be grown in Louisiana and the southeastern U.S.
Under his leadership, a collaborative breeding program was started involving educational institutions across the Southeast. Called SunGrains, the program has made variety development of small grains more efficient and encouraged the sharing of genetic material.
Harrison also coordinates the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s International Oat Nursery. This institution serves as an exchange of oat genetic material from more than 20 countries.
For more information regarding the Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction event, contact Robyn Dow with the Louisiana Radio Network at office@louisianaradionetwork.com or 225-291-2727.
Cottonseed Company Names Six New Varieties For 2025
BASF is further expanding FiberMax and Stoneville cottonseed portfolio with the addition of six new varieties for the 2025 growing season.
With these new additions, the FiberMax and Stoneville cotton seed portfolio features a total of 13 varieties. All new varieties for 2025 include Axant Flex herbicide tolerance technology, cotton’s first quad-stacked herbicide trait, and three-gene insect control with TwinLink Plus trait.
“At BASF, we know cotton farmers doing the biggest job on earth need top-end genetics and leading traits to combat the many challenges that threaten yield potential,” said Andrew Adams, cotton marketing manager for BASF Agricultural Solutions. “Every year, new BASF varieties are introduced after thorough testing and on-farm agronomic performance trials, and we are thrilled to introduce six new varieties to the FiberMax and Stoneville cotton seed portfolio this year.”
The new varieties include:
■ FM 757AXTP: A new early maturing variety for the southwestern United States, featuring very good fiber quality, good resistance to bacterial blight, easy to manage growth and strong performance on a variety of soil types.
■ FM 814AXTP: An early to mid-
maturing variety for the Northern High Plains, Southern High Plains, Rolling Plains regions and Oklahoma. This new variety provides excellent Verticillium wilt tolerance, has resistance to bacterial blight and delivers good tolerance to root-knot nematode and Fusarium wilt, plus easy growth management.
■ ST 4215AXTP: An early maturing variety recommended for the North Delta, South Delta, Mid-Atlantic and Far West regions of the United States. ST 4215AXTP features easy-to-manage plant height, is well-suited for irrigated production and has good resistantance to bacterial blight.
■ ST 4833AXTP: A new early
to mid-maturing variety built for the North Delta, South Delta, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Far West regions of the United States. ST 4833AXTP has tall plant height, large seed size with excellent emergence, the ability to perform well on dryland and sandy soils and a great disease package with tolerance to root-knot nematodes, Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt and strong resistance to bacterial blight.
■ ST 5855AXTP: A new mid-to-full-maturing variety for the South Delta, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Rolling Plains and Far West regions of the United States, as well as east Texas, south Texas, and Oklahoma. This variety produces a good stalk on sandier soils, has tolerance to root-knot nematodes with resistance to bacterial blight and features great micronaire and strength.
■ ST 5931AXTP: A mid-to-full-maturing variety to be used in the South Delta, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southern High Plains, Far West and Rolling Plains regions of the United States, as well as east Texas, south Texas and Oklahoma. This new variety features good performance on many soil types, resistance against reniform and root-knot nematodes, outstanding disease tolerance against Fusarium wilt, Verticillium wilt, resistance to bacterial blight and a large seed size with excellent emergence.
For more information on seed varieties, please visit FiberMax.com or Stoneville.com.
Current And Past CCOY Recipients Gather In Memphis
For more than 40 years, Syngenta and Cotton Farming magazine have honored the Cotton Consultant of the Year with a special awards reception. The CCOY is nominated for his/her dedication, innovation and hard work as a consultant. The nominees are voted on by the past CCOY winners, so it is truly a peer-selected award. In attendance at this year’s reception are from left to right, Joe Townsend (2009), Virgil King (2011), Mark Nemec (2010), Dwain Reed (1994), Bill Webster (2024), Grady Coburn (1986), Tucker Miller (2004), Jack Royal (2006), Tim Roberts (2016), Eric Bell (2023) and Eddy Cates (2019).
Liquid, In-furrow Nematicide For Use In Cotton And Peanuts
OutReach SC Nematicide, a soil-applied biological nematicide, is EPA-registered and now available from Valent U.S.A. OutReach is a unique mycorrhizal-based formulation that contains Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, which provides cotton and peanut growers protection against plant-parasitic nematodes while contributing to plant health benefits.
“We’re excited to bring a new biological solution to growers facing yield and quality loss from nematode pressure,” said Vince Restucci, market segment manager for Valent U.S.A.
“Valent’s commitment to innovation and sustainability remain at the forefront, and bringing OutReach to the marketplace gives growers a new, easy-to-use liquid, in-furrow option to protect their peanut and cotton crops during the critical early stages of root development and growth.”
Comprised of naturally occurring microbes, OutReach colonizes plant roots, providing a protective barrier against nematode feeding damage and improving plant vigor.
OutReach consistently outperformed competing products across more than 120 large-scale, grower-applied field trials, including those experiencing adverse weather conditions. In 2024 field trials, peanut crops where Outreach was applied in-furrow recorded per-acre yield increases of up to 300 pounds. Lint yield increases were also documented in recent OutReach cotton field trials.
OutReach joins Valent U.S.A.’s robust portfolio of biological and sustainable solutions, ranging from proven seed treatments and insecticides to powerful fungicides like Excalia. Valent’s portfolio also includes trusted herbicides like Valor and Fierce.
USDA Expediting $10 Billion In Direct Economic Assistance
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, on National Agriculture Day, announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is issuing up to $10 billion directly to agricultural producers through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) for the 2024 crop year. Administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency, ECAP will help agricultural producers mitigate the impacts of increased input costs and falling commodity prices.
“Producers are facing higher costs and market uncertainty, and the Trump Administration is ensuring they get the support they need without delay,” said Secretary Rollins. “With clear direction from Congress, USDA has prioritized streamlining the process and accelerating these payments ahead of schedule, ensuring farmers have the resources necessary to manage rising expenses and secure financing for next season.”
Authorized by the American Relief Act 2025, these economic relief payments are based on planted and prevented planted crop acres for eligible commodities for the 2024 crop year.
To streamline and simplify the delivery of ECAP, FSA has begun sending pre-filled applications to producers who submitted acreage reports to FSA for 2024 eligible ECAP commodities.
Producers do not have to wait for their pre-filled ECAP application to apply. They can visit fsa.usda.gov/ecap to apply using a login.gov account or contact their local FSA office to request an application.
Groundwater Issues Slated For Mid-South Conference
Edward Swaim, executive director of Bayou Meto Water Management District in Lonoke, Arkansas, emphasizes the importance of conserving and using groundwater effectively. Bayou Meto works to provide reliable and sustainable water resources for agriculture, conserve groundwater and support long-term water use for farmers.
“Groundwater is foundational for Arkansas, the Mid-South region and beyond,” Swaim said. “It supplies the majority of our state’s water that is used for irrigation. So, it’s vital for groundwater levels to remain constant, or rise, to meet the state’s growing needs. The demand for water is certainly not decreasing.”
At the 12th Annual Mid-South Agricultural and Environmental Law Conference, Swaim will present, “Groundwater Law & Agriculture in the Mid-South: Taking Stock of the Road Ahead.” The conference is co-hosted by the National Agricultural Law Center, or NALC, and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Foundation, or NASDA Foundation.
“At the Mid-South conference, I will cover how Arkansas uses, measures and addresses challenges to groundwater availability,” Swaim said. “I will also cover what other Mid-South states are doing in this regard. There is a lot we can learn from each other.”
The conference will be held June 5-6 in Memphis, Tennessee.