My Turn

One of my most prized photos shows my father squatting in the middle of a cotton field with 5-inch-high plants on both sides of him. Some rows have grass under the cotton; several rows do not. It was his first demonstration with spraying herbicide under the plants, and he could not have been more pleased. He and I shared a ... Read More »

My personal cotton story began on the manmade beaches of Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Four years ago, I knew little about cotton history or its production. That’s when I dove in with zeal to learn all that my mind and my camera could capture. They say, “All roads lead home.” In this case, my cotton journey, titled “Cast Nets & Cotton,” ... Read More »

In 2022, it will have been 100 years since my great grandpaw, Gotleib Voigt, moved up here from Central Texas and bought some land on the South Plains. I am the fourth generation to farm the home place. Our family has always grown cotton, and it’s about the only viable crop option here in this region. In years past, I ... Read More »

It wasn’t like I hadn’t seen cotton all my life growing up in the Desert Southwest. I just didn’t expect it to become my life. I signed up for Ag Econ 313, Economics of Futures Markets, while planning my senior year with my college adviser. It turned out to be my favorite class. And, as an aside, all the popular ... Read More »

Each fall, usually about mid-September (depending on the weather during the growing season), the cotton bolls would burst open and cotton picking would begin. White fluff began to gather on both sides of the road on our farm, particularly around the cotton gin. Mother always said every year, “My stars, it looks like snow.” And it did. It was ginning ... Read More »

The beginning of 2020 brought an end to a century of farm ownership when we sold the family farm in Eric, Oklahoma. All of the grandchildren — including me — are mostly removed from the area, and the time was right. A neighbor whose farm adjoined ours bought the property after having leased it through the years. Their farm had ... Read More »

I am a sixth-generation farmer in Bulloch County, Georgia. I operate Cromley Farms in partnership with my brother, Charley, where we grow cotton and peanuts. When pickers roll this fall, it will be the 40th crop I have taken to harvest. As Thanksgiving approaches, there are many things for which I am thankful. One of those is the friendships I ... Read More »