Georgia Farmer To Lead The National Cotton Council In 2017
Ronnie Lee, a cotton producer from Bronwood, Ga., was elected National Cotton Council chairman for 2017. Named during the NCC’s annual meeting Feb. 10-12, he succeeds Shane Stephens, a Greenwood,...
As a general rule with a subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system, a cotton farmer can average 4 bales of lint per acre with 4 gallons of water per-minute per-acre irrigation capacity, according to Craig Hoelscher, Eco-Drip vice president of...
By Dave Kranz
Arriving during a time of transition in Washington, D.C., California Farm Bureau Federation directors met with congressional leaders, a Trump transition official and others involved in driving and monitoring the changing political landscape.
During a two-day series of...
In the Central Valley of California the name Gallian is synonymous with cotton and the cotton industry. It all started with Quentin “Tennessee” Gallian building one of the first gins in 1950, known as Visalia Co-Op Cotton Gin.
Pa, as...
Dr. Mark Lange, who served as president and chief executive officer for the National Cotton Council from 2003 until his retirement in 2015, is the recipient of the 2016 Harry S. Baker Distinguished Service Award. He was honored during...
Tim Roberts grew up in Southeast Arkansas where farming was prevalent and many of the local teenagers worked as cotton scouts or “bug checkers” as they were called at the time. In 1977, Arkansas cotton consultant Ken Gilbert hired...
NCGA Elects Officers, Emphasizes Research And Safety
At the National Cotton Ginners’ Association 80th membership and board meeting in Dallas, the NCGA announced its 2017 officers: president – David Blakemore, Campbell, Mo.; first vice president – Stanley Creelman, Tulare, Calif.;...
The Cotton Board is governed by its membership, which consists of both cotton producers and cotton importers. Importers serving on The Cotton Board represent various major U.S. brands and retailers – significant downstream users of cotton. The producers serving...
TCGA Annual Meeting & Trade show
BY TONY WILLIAMS
TCGA EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
As cotton planters prepare to roll across Texas, a feeling of anticipation is in the air — and for good reason.
Most areas experienced an exceptional crop in 2016,...
Lifetime Achievement Award
Arizona Ginner Honored
The late Charles C. Owen, an Arizona ginner whose career was marked by his strong desire to advance the U.S. cotton industry through quality preservation, research, employee education and outreach to U.S. cotton’s customers,...
Southern Southeastern ANNUAL MEETING
By Carroll Smith
Editor
Southeast cotton producers and ginners gathered in Charlotte, N.C., prior to the beginning of the 2017 season to meet and share ideas about how to address important issues that affect the industry on...
Alabama Farmer Anticipates 69th Crop
By Carroll Smith
Editor
When referencing events that happened almost a century ago, most people preface their anecdotes with, “I have a photograph.” Otis Shiver begins his stories with, “I remember….”
This 93-year-old cotton farmer was born...
The NCC’s 2017 Economic Outlook was presented at the organization’s annual meeting in February.
The National Cotton Council’s priorities for 2017 range from exploring all opportunities to improve cotton’s safety net to aggressively working to ease the regulatory burdens facing...
As the 2017 season gets underway, I am delighted and impressed by the “wow factor” reverberating throughout the cotton industry. One of the most exciting prospects is the cotton acreage increase expected across the Belt. According to the National...
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.
