Industry News or August 2017

Be A Hometown Hero: Enter The Transform My Community Contest To Win $20,000
Attention hometown heroes! Tell us how Transform WG insecticide has transformed your cotton fields and how $20,000 could improve your community. The third annual Transform My Community Contest opens Aug. 1 to consultants and farmers in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas.

The contest is sponsored by Dow AgroSciences and Cotton Farming magazine.

On the entry form, tell how Transform has helped protect your cotton yield from plant bugs and how your favorite organization or charity (local FFA chapter, food bank, library, etc.) is working to help transform your community. Your idea could win $20,000 for your community and a $1,000 cash prize for you.

In 2015, grand prizewinner A.J. Hood, who farms near Monticello, Ark., helped fund construction of a baseball field and playground designed especially for kids with disabilities. Last year, Dow AgroSciences donated $20,000 to the Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse on behalf of Tennessee cotton consultant Larry Kimery. This money allowed the center to hire a full-time family advocate who works directly with children, who have been victims of child abuse, and their families.

The deadline for submitting your short essay is Sept 30. Visit www.TransformMyCommunity.com to access the TMC entry form.

Dow AgroSciences presents $20,000 on behalf of cotton consultant Larry Kimery (center), 2016 Transform My Community Contest grand prizewinner, to the Gibson County, Tenn., Carl Perkins Center. Joining Larry are Jay Golz (from left), Dow AgroSciences district sales manager; Leah Blackburn, Gibson County Carl Perkins Center director; Judy Kimery, cotton consultant; and Joel Alvey, Dow AgroSciences local sales representative.

Global Brand Hugo Boss Joins Cotton LEADS Ranks
Global luxury fashion house Hugo Boss is the latest of more than 460 partners from across the global supply chain to join the Cotton LEADS program in a show of support for the sustainability credentials of Australian and U.S. cotton.

The Cotton LEADS program influences cotton supply chain strategies by raising awareness of characteristics common to the Australian and U.S. cotton industries. These include responsible production practices, strict regulations that protect the environment and people, the ability to affect positive change nationally, nationwide cotton research and development programs, and sustainability benchmarking.

The German-headquartered Hugo Boss group includes the Boss and Hugo brands. In welcoming Hugo Boss to the Cotton LEADS program, Cotton Australia CEO Adam Kay says that increasingly, “Brands and retailers are demonstrating a genuine desire to deliver products made from responsibly-produced raw materials.”

Cotton Incorporated Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain Marketing Mark Messura says, “Just as Hugo Boss is a leading global fashion brand, the Cotton LEADS program leads the way in both responsible cotton production and the sharing of best practices and other educational resources with the global cotton community.”

Hugo Boss Head of Sustainability and Logistics Heinz Zeller says, “Cotton is one of the most important raw materials for the high quality products of Hugo Boss. The Cotton LEADS program enables Hugo Boss to source sustainable cotton matching high quality standards with a guaranteed availability.”

The Cotton LEADS program is a joint effort of the Australian and U.S. cotton industries. The program is designed to raise awareness of responsible growing practices and commitment to continuous improvement among cotton producers in the member countries. For more information, visit www.cottonleads.org.

EPA, U.S. Army Move To Repeal 2015 ‘Waters Of The U.S.’
The Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Army and the Army Corps of Engineers are proposing a rule to rescind the Clean Water Rule and re-codify the regulatory text that existed prior to 2015 defining “waters of the United States” or WOTUS.

This action would, when finalized, provide certainty in the interim, pending a second rulemaking in which the agencies will engage in a substantive re-evaluation of the definition of WOTUS.

The proposed rule would be implemented in accordance with Supreme Court decisions, agency guidance and longstanding practice.

“We are taking significant action to return power to the states and provide regulatory certainty to our nation’s farmers and businesses,” says administrator Scott Pruitt. “This is the first step in the two-step process to redefine waters of the U.S.”

This proposed rule follows the Feb. 28 presidential executive order on “Restoring the Rule of Law, Federalism, and Economic Growth by Reviewing the Waters of the United States Rule.”

The February order states it is in the national interest to ensure the nation’s navigable waters are kept free from pollution, while promoting economic growth, minimizing regulatory uncertainty, and showing due regard for the roles of Congress and the states under the Constitution. To meet these objectives, the agencies intend to follow an expeditious, two-step process that will provide certainty across the country.

The proposed rule would recodify the identical regulatory text that was in place prior to the 2015 Clean Water Rule (another name for WOTUS) and that is currently in place as a result of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit’s stay of the 2015 rule. Therefore, this action, when final, will not change current practice with respect to how the definition applies.

The agencies have also begun deliberations and outreach on the second step rulemaking involving a re-evaluation and revision of the definition of WOTUS in accordance with the Executive Order.

“The Army, together with the Corps of Engineers, is committed to working closely with and supporting the EPA on these rulemakings. As we go through the rulemaking process, we will continue to make the implementation of the Clean Water Act Section 404 regulatory program as transparent as possible for the regulated public,” says Douglas Lamont, senior official performing the duties of the assistant secretary of the Army for civil works.

For the pre-publication Federal Register notice and additional information, go to http://www.epa.gov/wotusrule

2017 Crop Hail-Out And Replant Guide Released In Texas
The latest Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service crop hail-damage assessment and replant guide is now available. Take time to study this crop management tool before next season begins in case inclement weather results in a decision-making scenario.

Dr. Calvin Trostle, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agronomist at Lubbock, says Texas farmers in the Lubbock and South Plains region regularly face the risk of hailed-out crops during June. When it occurs, especially on cotton, he says growers may need to wait up to a week before determining the fate of their hail-hammered crop.

Should they stay with the crop, fallow the rest of the season or replant? To help them navigate through the options, Trostle recently published his 15th annual “2017 Alternative Crop Options after Failed Cotton and Late-Season Crop Planting for the Texas South Plains.”

“That lengthy title pretty well sums up what this crop management tool is all about,” Trostle says.

The document posted at http://lubbock.tamu.edu is updated annually in June. It encompasses everything from assessing damaged cotton stands, to herbicide precautions, and basic agronomics including the last recommended planting dates for various crops.

Dr. Seth Byrd, AgriLife Extension cotton agronomist at Lubbock, says Trostle’s work is invaluable, because assessing a damaged cotton stand can be tough.

“Farmers need to be patient, because it sometimes takes a week before you know what the survival rate of cotton plants on a hailed-out field will be,” Byrd says. “This is important this late in the season as a damaged stand with as little as 1.5 plants per foot of row may still be a keeper, especially if the plants are uniformly spaced.”

Danny Nusser, AgriLife Extension regional program leader at Amarillo, says the publication offers good timely information for AgriLife Extension agents and producers alike.

“Producers may be surprised they even have options, and viable crop replanting and late planting options are available as late as mid-July,” he says. “This is especially true moving south from Lubbock.”

Trostle says, “The guide reflects a lot of what I have learned about farming in the Southern High Plains region. And truthfully, preparing it every year may help me as much as anyone to deliver sound science-based advice to growers.”

For more information, contact Trostle at 806-746-6101 or ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu.

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