‘Thriving In Cotton’ Series Kicks Off In October
To help cotton farmers make next season their best, PhytoGen is sponsoring a “Thriving in Cotton” series in Cotton Farming.
Throughout the series, farmers from across the Cotton Belt will share their experiences with PhytoGen W3FE varieties. Each column will feature how PhytoGen Breeding Traits, WideStrike 3 Insect Protection and the Enlist cotton trait (W3FE) help growers meet their production goals.
You’ll learn how PhytoGen can help you maximize yields and fiber quality to thrive in cotton against weeds, insects and other pests.
Check out the “Thriving in Cotton” series every month in Cotton Farming magazine, or follow @CottonFarming and @PhytoGenCotton on Twitter and Cotton Farming and PhytoGen on Facebook.
‘Celebrate Cotton’ Football Game Scheduled For Sept.15
Come see the Texas Tech Red Raiders take on the Houston Cougars in the Celebrate Cotton game on Saturday, Sept. 15. Game time currently is 3 p.m.
Individual tickets begin at just $35 each. Visit http://bit.ly/TTUCottonGameTickets and enter COTTON18, or call (806) 742-TECH and mention the Cotton Game promo.
Plains Cotton Growers has proudly partnered with Texas Tech Athletics to establish this fun event that puts the High Plains cotton industry on a national stage.
Cotton will be everywhere before and throughout the game, from displays around the stadium to promotion, special graphics and fun cotton facts during the game.
Special gameday T-shirts will be distributed (first-come, first-serve), and cotton bales will line each entrance to the stadium, with signage about what the cotton in that bale can make or how it affects our economy.
A runway show — “Cotton: The Natural Choice” — will feature cotton products. It is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 13, at South Plains Mall Grand Court. Students in the Texas Tech Retail Management Program are assisting with coordinating the event. Models are still needed. To participate, please email maryjane@plainscotton.org.
Presenting sponsors for Celebrate Cotton include AgTexas Farm Credit Services, BASF, Cavender’s, City Bank, FiberMax, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Netafim, NexGen, Winfield United, Hurst Farm Supply, and Wylie Implement and Spray Centers.
For more information, call PCG at 806-792-4904.
New Mexico Attorney Appointed In Florida/Georgia Water Case
In an Aug. 9 order, the U.S. Supreme Court discharged Maine attorney Ralph Lancaster as special master in the water suit filed by Florida against Georgia in 2013.
The court appointed Paul Kelly Jr., a judge with the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Mexico, as the new special master in the case.
In its June 27 ruling, the Supreme Court sent the case back to the special master noting that Lancaster applied too strict a standard in concluding that Florida failed to demonstrate that the Supreme Court could reach a fair ruling.
Lancaster recommended in 2017 that the court dismiss the case, reasoning that Florida failed to show that imposing a cap on Georgia’s water use from the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers would provide the relief Florida was seeking.
Florida claimed overuse of water by Georgia resulted in diminished fresh water downstream in the Apalachicola River and ultimately the Apalachicola Bay, causing harm to the oyster industry there. Georgia countered with arguments that overfishing resulted in the oyster losses.
Lancaster also noted he could not provide sufficient relief to Florida because the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which controls flows on the Flint and Chattahoochee, was not a party to the lawsuit.
Post-harvest Cotton Destruction Tool Approved For Texas Farmers
Duplosan herbicide from Nufarm Americas Inc. has received 24(c) registration in Texas. Through this Special Local Needs (SLN) 24(c) label from the state, growers now have a viable alternative for cotton stalk destruction after harvest, contributing to the continuing efforts to eradicate boll weevils.
“Nufarm is excited to bring Duplosan to Texas cotton growers,” says Bob Bruss, director of technical services for crop protection, Nufarm. “Effective herbicide solutions are an important part of industry efforts to prevent boll weevil re-infestation of cotton in Texas eradication zones.”
Nufarm has partnered with PhytoGen to recommend Duplosan as the preferred herbicide for chemical stalk destruct of PhytoGen Enlist cotton varieties. Enlist cotton varieties are tolerant to 2,4-D choline, glyphosate and glufosinate herbicides.
The active ingredient in Duplosan, dichlorprop-p, controls all cotton types, including 2,4-D and dicamba-tolerant varieties.
Over the past three years, Nufarm’s research and development team has worked with researchers at Texas A&M University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to validate the performance and correct usage of Duplosan. “We appreciate the many industry allies working together to make this solution available to Texas cotton growers,” Bruss says.
“The researchers at Texas A&M provided unmatched agronomic knowledge, research facilitation and input through this process.”
Duplosan herbicide will also be featured in the 2018 Enlist Cotton Stalk Destruct Program, offering growers a $2-per-acre reimbursement on each 32-ounce application of Duplosan on PhytoGen Enlist cotton varieties.
“We are pleased to be able to partner with PhytoGen to make this innovative solution more readily available and affordable for
Texas cotton growers,” says Joe Steinlage, customer and brand marketing, Nufarm. “It is great when two companies in the industry work together to bring unique solutions to growers.”
To learn more about the stalk destruction program, talk to your local agricultural chemical supplier or applicator, or visit with a PhytoGen representative.
For more information on Duplosan, visit www.nufarm.com/USAg/Duplosan.
Cotton And Peach Crops Expected To Shine This Year
The August Crop Production Report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Agricultural Statistics Service had good news for two of Georgia’s most popular crops.
Cotton farmers across the state increased acreage from 1.28 million in 2017 to 1.45 million in 2018. Combined with an expected yield increase, Georgia cotton production is forecast at 2.9 million bales in 2018, representing an increase of 675,000 bales (30 percent) over 2017 production.
The state’s peach production is forecast to rebound from 2017. Last year, a late freeze decimated peach production, which was limited to 10,000 tons. With more favorable weather in 2018, Georgia’s commercial peach growers are forecast to produce 25,000 tons, an increase of 150 percent.
Hybrid Machine Configuration Doubles X-Tec Motor’s Speed
Valley Irrigation recently announced a new hybrid machine configuration for its exclusive X-Tec center drive motor.
This motor changes the way growers think about center-pivot irrigation, with patented FastPass technology enabling X-Tec to operate at up to twice the speed of ordinary center drive motors.
This new option uses the high-speed Valley center drive motors on the inner drive units and X-Tec drives on the outer drive units.
“We are now able to combine X-Tec drives with high-speed AC drives,” says Andy Carritt, vice president, product development. “By doing so, we can reduce the grower’s investment for adding X-Tec with FastPass technology to pivots by about 40 percent.”
The new drive also offers full torque capabilities at any speed; consistent, precision alignment; electronic braking; and lasting durability. It has soft starts, which result in smooth acceleration, and the ability for frequent, light application of water to cool the crop canopy, maintain surface moisture during germination and prevent wind erosion.
To learn more, visit www.valleyirrigation.com.