Aaron Martinka
Editor’s note: Cotton Farming editor Carroll Smith went into the field this fall to capture the story of farmers’ experiences with the new Deltapine Bollgard II XtendFlex varieties. Following is her special report.
Texas cotton producer Aaron Martinka, who...
By Carroll Smith, Editor
Cody Ewing farms with his grandfather, Jerry Marsh, in Blount County, Ala., between Huntsville and Birmingham.
Marsh began farming cotton many years ago, ventured into soybeans in the 1980s, and later tried his hand at fruits and...
As a Louisiana woman who cherishes so many memories of cotton, it was startling to me to see the once-white landscape give way to other crops in 2007. It wasn’t that I had never seen soybeans before. My Dad...
Jay Beckhusen
‘Silver Lining’ Emerges On The Heels Of Adverse Weather
Editor’s note: Cotton Farming editor Carroll Smith went into the field this fall to capture the story of farmers’ experiences with the new Deltapine Bollgard II XtendFlex varieties. Following is...
In a recent exclusive interview with Cotton Farming magazine, Kent Fountain, president of Southeastern Cotton Ginners Association Inc., encouraged ginners to attend the Cotton Production and Ginning Seminar breakout sessions. These meetings will be held during the 2017 Southern...
ARKANSAS
Many producers have booked seed for 2017. There are several new varieties with new technologies worthy of a look, so do your homework to best place them on your farm.
Variety selection is perhaps the most important decision a producer...
The industry’s first Bollgard II XtendFlex cotton variety with root-knot nematode (RKN) resistance and a high-performing early to mid-maturity cotton variety were named to the Deltapine Class of 17 during the ninth annual New Products Evaluators (NPE) Summit.
DP 1747NR...
Daniel Baxley
Late Weather Challenges Strong Start
Editor’s note: Cotton Farming editor Carroll Smith went into the field this fall to capture the story of farmers’ experiences with the new Deltapine Bollgard II XtendFlex varieties. Following is her special report.
In 1948, Roy...
By Bob Hutmacher
Extension Specialist/Agronomist
University of California
Despite the continuing impacts of a long-term drought in California, quite a few cotton growers in the San Joaquin Valley saw some good to excellent yields in 2016. The exceptions were certain...
On Dec. 3, 2016, Team Cotton participated in the St. Jude Marathon Weekend race events in Memphis, Tenn. Team Cotton had 25 runners representing The Cotton Board, Cotton Incorporated, USDA and the National Cotton Council. Team Cotton members traveled...
Among challenges to the U.S. cotton industry’s competitiveness are securing an improved safety net for producers, making inroads against the competition from man-made fibers, maintaining U.S. cotton’s supply chain reputation and averting burdensome regulations.
Is cottonseed policy attainable?
Obtaining cottonseed eligibility...
The origin of the crystal ball is most often attributed to the Celtic Druids, an ancient group of educated people purported to be from Gaul, a region in Western Europe. It’s hard to distinguish truth from myth when it...
Monitoring soil moisture and scheduling irrigation doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective, as one Texas High Plains grower finds.
By Vicky Boyd
Managing Editor
When it comes to soil moisture monitoring, David Carter of Levelland, Texas, likes to keep...
When I was approached about writing this month’s “My Turn” column, I was very honored, then quickly very humbled once I saw some of the amazing authors who had gone before me. I am a fairly ordinary guy who...
The National Agricultural Statistics Service October Crop Production report estimated Arkansas cotton production to be at 1,088 pounds lint per acre, unchanged from last month but down 4 pounds from 2015. This exceeds our 5-year average of 1,073 pounds lint per acre by 15 pounds.
Our crop continues to be ahead of schedule. As about half of our crop has been harvested this season, the 5-year average for the same date was just shy of 30 percent harvested.
Reports of fiber quality have been good. Lack of rainfall during much of the harvest season has resulted in excellent color grades. Just over 45 percent has received a color grade of 31 or better. About 80 percent of the bales classed have a leaf grade of 4 or less. Micronaire values this season have averaged 4.6 with less than 17 percent in the discount range of 5 or greater.
In Arkansas, we generally expect to see our early crop outyield our later crop. This is not what most farmers are experiencing this season. The extended wet and cloudy August weather came just as our early crop was starting to open. Reports of 1.25 to 1.5 bales per acre were heard from our early cotton as the occurrence of boll rot and hard lock was great. Fortunately, yields improved as harvest progressed. Our good fields are yielding in excess of 3 bales per acre. The 4-bale yield potential we had in many fields the first part of August slipped away.
