My love of cotton began first as a subject of study for its fascinating mysteries. In the 40+ years I have studied this botanical immigrant, I have met many students of the plant from different backgrounds and disciplines who are equally fascinated with the unique quirks that make the plant endlessly challenging and, ultimately, rewarding.
My journey began not on a farm but in the suburban backyard watching my father argue with uncooperative plants that followed their own internal compass rather than my dad’s planned vectors. Among the many gifts he gave me was a curiosity about the natural world.
My own path led me to study botany and ecology at university when I wasn’t pursuing other subjects commonly sought by youthful explorers. Upon graduation, I learned the difference between joyful, albeit unpaid, immersion in the inner workings of plants and economic botany that paid money.
Enter course correction, California State University, Chico. Without any background in agriculture, it made sense that some practical instruction in crops was appropriate. The professors at Chico laid a groundwork that I appreciate to this day.
Equally valuable was my employment at the university farm as a student worker and later as an equipment operator. That was enjoyable work that might have become my professional destiny had not the farm manager recognized my calling lay elsewhere.
Enter cotton and Dr. Tom Cothren at the University of Arkansas. My interest was in stress physiology and the adaptations that plants make to cope with it. He offered me his first Ph.D. assistantship in his cotton physiology program at the Altheimer Lab. I owe the late Dr. Cothren a great debt for his patient mentorship. Even after he accepted a position at Texas A&M, he along with the late Dr. Stutte, pushed me intellectually to raise my game.
Upon concluding my Ph.D., I accepted a position at North Carolina State University. Today, North Carolina cotton production has regained its rightful position as the producer of quality fiber under a primarily rainfed production system. It wasn’t like that back in 1983 when I arrived in the state as the Extension cotton specialist.
The total cotton acreage in the state had fallen to about 50,000 acres due primarily to the destruction caused by the cotton boll weevil and growers’ response to the pest. But the remaining growers witnessed the success of the Boll Weevil Eradication Program in the state and knew they could produce cotton profitably with the support of the university and Extension service.
I remember my first meeting with some of the leading growers, including Marshall Grant, David Burns and Billy Carter, at a state support meeting where funds are distributed to various cotton projects conducted by university researchers.
Their advice and cooperative spirit provided a sort of ground truthing mentorship to complement my academic preparation. They welcomed me with financial support for agronomic programs that addressed their production needs to help drive the revival of the crop after the long period of decline and stagnation.
I came to realize over time that most cotton growers in the state operated their farms from the tractor seat rather than the office chair. They didn’t just produce cotton, which averaged less than 500 acres per farm, but also corn, soy and the money crops peanuts and/or tobacco. They had to multitask and, admittedly, cotton was frequently not their mainstay.
They were also challenged to produce their crops without widely available irrigation due in large part to small field sizes. One vivid reminder of cotton’s place in the production pecking order was revealed in my answer to a researcher’s question at the Beltwide Conferences on how we determined when to irrigate the cotton: “When they finished irrigating the tobacco,” I replied.
The indeterminant flowering habit of cotton and its relative tolerance to drought became a point of leverage to encourage farmers to supplement or replace corn acreage. With time, acreage in North Carolina increased to almost 500,000 acres by the time I left the state in 1992. I cannot adequately express my appreciation to the cotton farmers of North Carolina for their encouragement and support during my tenure as their cotton specialist.
It brings a smile to my face to recall an interaction I had with the late Billy Carter. In looking at my failed research cotton stand, he remarked, “It’s a good thing you’re in research because you would make a p— poor farmer.” Billy was right!
— David Guthrie, Ph.D.
Redwood Valley, California
dsguthrie@pacific.net
Cotton Farming’s back page is devoted to telling unusual “farm tales” or timely stories
from across the Cotton Belt. Now it’s your turn. If you’ve got an interesting story to tell, send a short summary to csmith@onegrower.com. We look forward to hearing from you.