Transform WG Insecticide And Section 18s Update
In 2015, the Environmental Protec-tion agency cancelled the label for Transform WG insecticide, manufactured by Dow AgroSciences. In October 2016, EPA established a limited registration, but that registration did not include cotton or grain sorghum. According to Dow AgroSciences, Transform controls plant bugs in cotton and sugarcane aphids in grain sorghum.
Throughout 2016, states submitted requests for Section 18 emergency exemptions to allow the use of Transform in both of these crops. The EPA granted these requests, and now states have submitted Section 18 requests for use in cotton and sorghum in 2017. Many states have already been granted Section 18 emergency exemptions for the 2017 season.
To check on the status of 2017 Section 18s and to obtain general product use information, go online to TransformMyCotton.com and TransformMySorghum.com.
“Dow AgroSciences recognizes the importance of Transform to U.S. agriculture and knows what data are required and is working diligently to provide EPA the information it needs to authorize previously labeled uses in these important crops,” says Phil Jost, insecticides marketing leader, Dow AgroSciences. “We fully anticipate that at some point in the future we will again have a federal label for Transform for use in cotton.
“Farmers, consultants and Exten-sion entomologists understand how to use Transform and the value it brings to the marketplace by controlling the targeted pests in cotton and sorghum.”
Hank Jones, an independent crop consultant in Pioneer, La., says his farmers depend on him to assess how well Transform performs in their cotton fields.
“Transform is an efficacious insecticide that also provides residual activity,” he says. “The product targets pests we go after, and it’s a lot softer on beneficial insects. Transform also doesn’t flare unwanted pests, such as spider mites. I apply back-to-back shots of Transform around first cotton bloom when the plant is setting the bulk of the crop. Subsequent applications are about 7-10 days apart depending on threshold numbers.
“That Dow AgroSciences is willing to invest more time and money into making sure we have a label for Transform means a lot to us consultants and farmers. And these Section 18s are vital to our insect control strategy.”
NCC: Maintaining NAFTA Benefits Is Crucial
The National Cotton Council says the United States must remain a participant in a vibrant North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) because it has been and can continue to be a very positive trading platform for U.S. agriculture, including cotton and textiles.
NCC Chairman Ronnie Lee says the NAFTA trading partners of Canada and Mexico are significant markets for U.S. food and fiber exports. With purchases exceeding 1 million bales, Mexico has emerged as one of U.S. raw cotton’s top five export destinations. And NAFTA plays a critical role in North America’s highly integrated textile and apparel supply chain.
“With 95 percent of U.S. cotton exported in some form, we need positive and stable trading relationships with our international customers to maintain a healthy U.S. cotton sector,” says Lee, a Bronwood, Ga., cotton producer.
He says as the process of updating and renegotiating NAFTA proceeds, the U.S. cotton industry “urges the administration to stay involved in this important trade agreement and not weaken current provisions. A strengthening of the textile rules of origin and a modernization of NAFTA can lead to an expansion of jobs and exports for our nation. This is a very sound way to grow our economy.”
Cotton Multimedia Campaign Grabs Top NAMA Award
Archer Malmo, a Memphis, Tenn.-based advertising, digital and public relations agency, was recognized recently by the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) at its annual “Best of NAMA” national awards ceremony, winning the Grand Champion title for its work for The Cotton Board. Grand Champion is the highest honor given by NAMA. The agency also received two first place awards, a “Best in Show” award and three merit awards.
The Best of NAMA awards program honors outstanding work in agricultural communications. Archer Malmo, which has deep experience in the agricultural industry, received these awards on behalf of clients including The Cotton Board, headquartered in Memphis, and Stoller, headquartered in Houston, Texas.
The agency’s seven NAMA awards are:
Grand Champion: “Renew Your Faith in Cotton” multimedia campaign – The Cotton Board
Best of Show – advertising: “Renew Your Faith in Cotton” multimedia campaign – The Cotton Board
First place, multimedia campaigns: “Renew Your Faith in Cotton” – The Cotton Board
First place, single page advertising: “Renew Your Faith in Cotton” – The Cotton Board
Merit award, less than a page ad: “Renew Your Faith in Cotton” – The Cotton Board
Merit award, single-page ads, single: “Tim Fisher: I sell quality” – Stoller
Merit award, single-page ads, series: “Farm Different Superstar Growers” ad series – Stoller
“We’re honored that our ‘Renew Your Faith in Cotton’ campaign was named Grand Champion by NAMA this year,” says Mike Butler, SVP and group account director for Archer Malmo. “As our agency’s ag practice continues to grow, we’re grateful for the opportunity to work with inspiring, industry-leading clients.”
Stacey Gorman, director of communications for The Cotton Board, says, “This is very exciting for all of us at The Cotton Board. Our now award-winning ‘Renew your faith in cotton’ campaign speaks to the enduring and renewable nature of cotton, and how it is truly the fiber and food of the future. We thank our Memphis-based partner Archer Malmo for leveraging the unique culture of our crop and generating so much pride for our organization and our growers.”
Longtime California Extension Entomologist Died
University of California Cooperative Extension entomologist Larry Godfrey, a 26-year member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology faculty and widely known for his research on applied insect ecology and integrated pest management strategies, died April 18, succumbing to cancer. He was 60.
Dr. Godfrey was internationally acclaimed for his research on cotton and rice. He was involved in developing IPM to maintain California agriculture’s sustainability, seeking “to reduce the ‘footprint’ of agriculture on the environment and society, and to advance the science of entomology and applied insect ecology.”
At UC Davis, Godfrey taught arth-ropod pest management and agricultural entomology. He developed IPM strategies for not only rice and cotton but for such field and vegetable crops as alfalfa, dry beans, timothy grass, melons, mint and onions.
“Larry was an outstanding contributor to the department, not only as a researcher and teacher, but also in the effective ways that he connected with clientele through outreach,” says Steve Nadler, professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. “He was a member of our department’s executive committee, and I could always count on Larry for sound advice.”
National Cotton Council Website Gets A Fresh Look
The NCC website’s updated design aims to make it more usable and navigable as well as to allow for new ways to bring information to NCC members and other interested groups.
The redesign, which retains the major information categories of About, Economics, Education, Issues, Technical and News & Events, features feeds from the NCC social media channels, a Member Spotlight, enhanced audio and visual capabilities, as well as interactive maps.
The organization’s website, www.cotton.org, is supported by a Cotton Foundation general project, “Enhancing Cotton Industry Education and Information Through the National Cotton Council website.”
Perdue To Keynote Delta Council Annual Meeting June 9
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture George Ervin “Sonny” Perdue will be the featured guest and keynote speaker for the 82nd Delta Council Annual Meeting, June 9, at 10:30 a.m. It will be held in Delta State University’s Bologna Performing Arts Center in Cleveland, Miss.
“We are so pleased that agriculture’s friend from Georgia, Sonny Perdue, will be the featured speaker for this year’s Delta Council Annual Meeting,” says Delta Council President Harry Simmons, an aquaculture and row-crop farmer and catfish processor in Yazoo City, Miss. “Secretary Perdue has an impressive background as an agribusiness man and two-term successful governor of Georgia. We look forward to the opportunity to meet with him and hear his thoughts on the future of America’s agricultural industry.”
The tradition of a fried catfish luncheon will conclude the program for the 82nd annual event on the grounds of the Quadrangle at DSU.