Technology improves water-use efficiency and profitability. By Carroll Smith Editor Part 1  Irrigation Strategies – Part 2 is available here. In that installment, irrigation experts will address efficient, profitable irrigation methods used in the Southwest and West regions of the Cotton Belt. Watering cotton to prevent drought stress...

The hardest part of writing this story is that even though I can remember it like yesterday, it happened 38 years ago. Well, at least the first part of it did. This recounting will attempt to set straight a...

By Rad Yager Whether you’re a cotton breeder, researcher or grower, it’s time to consider using soil moisture sensors if you irrigate. Basically, they will help you understand what’s going on deep below the soil surface. Here are some tips...

By Carroll Smith Editor If standing the test of time is an acceptable measure of success, then AgriEdge Excelsior, which has been in place for 15 years, satisfies this requirement. What started off as a cotton program from Syngenta has evolved...

This month’s Editor’s Note on page 4, “‘Lions And Tigers And Bears...Oh, My!’” talks about Food Babe blogger Vani Hari’s recent declaration, “Cotton is not a food” and the warning she issued to her followers to avoid consuming cottonseed oil. Cotton Incorporated posted a rebuttal on her blog, bringing facts and science to the table. To read Hari’s Food Babe blog ( https://foodbabe.com/2016/05/16/this-ingredient-isnt-food-but-most-americans-eat-it/ ) and Cotton Incorporated’s rebuttal...

Cotton Ginning Cost-Share Program Approved Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency will provide an estimated $300 million in cost-share assistance payments to cotton producers through the new Cotton Ginning Cost-Share program to...

For cotton growers looking to optimize lint yield and preserve limited water resources between rainfalls, differences in water-holding capacities across a field can significantly complicate irrigation strategies. A new Focus on Cotton webcast titled “Selection and Use of Sensors for Cotton Irrigation Management in Humid Regions” helps cotton consultants, county agents, growers, and other practitioners improve irrigation practices by installing sensors to monitor real-time soil moisture. This presentation is available at no charge, courtesy of Cotton Incorporated, through the ‘Focus on Cotton’ webcast resource located at the Plant Management Network, https://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/foco. ‘Focus on Cotton’ contains over 35 webcasts on various aspects of cotton crop management. These talks--freely accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week--cover agronomic practices, crop protection, and ag engineering. This resource also features a new and improved Cotton Extension Search tool, where users can conveniently search for extension resources across all U.S. land-grant universities serving cotton producers.

Protect yield and quality from cotton insect pests. By Carroll Smith Editor The boll weevil was a legendary cotton pest that tortured farmers for years. “Wanted” posters featuring the insect’s “mug shot” adorned the walls of many farm offices in South...

Keeping their growers informed is a priority for most cotton ginners. But how do ginners themselves stay informed on the most topical issues in the cotton industry? They can take advantage of their state or regional cotton ginners association...

Football season is still three months away, but the other night I ran across the movie Friday Night Lights and had to watch it…again. The high school football drama is set in Odessa, Texas, where “the game” is the...

At the end of the 2010 crop year, China’s ending stocks (cotton still on hand from that and previous crop years) had reached a very low level of only 10.6 million bales — 23 percent or roughly three months...

Southern States Cooperative, a Richmond, Va.-based farm supply and service cooperative, recently launched a new precision ag program for its farmers across the Southeast. The three-tier program features packages – Discover, Evaluation and Analysis – designed to provide farmers with beginner, intermediate and advanced-level precision ag opportunities. “Communication among the farmer, salesperson and precision ag personnel ensures that everyone is on the same page as to program expectations and timing of any particular service,” says Dave Swain, Southern States’ manager of precision ag. “If the farmer has a crop consultant who performs functions such as scouting, Southern States can provide the farmer with data or information, such as imagery, that the farmer can then provide to his consultant. The farmers own the data, and Southern States will not share their data with any entity without their written permission.” Three Programs Available The entry-level option features precision ag basics and allows growers to “dip a toe” into the waters of farm technology. It’s a season-long program designed for those who want to learn how agronomy technology helps provide information to make better crop management decisions.

ARKANSAS The first 40 days in the life of a cotton plant sets the foundation for yield and fiber quality potential for the season. This includes the period from planting to squaring. Cool temperatures or competition from pests can delay...

Seven-plus bales was the high. Cotton yield and quality records are made to be broken, and that’s just what FiberMax cotton growers did in 2015 to qualify for the elite FiberMax One Ton Club. During a celebration in Lubbock, Texas, Bayer recently honored 127 members who qualified for the One Ton Club during the 2015 crop year. The 2015 qualifiers included 40 new members and 87 returning qualifiers, making the total number of FiberMax One Ton Club members 848. The highest yield for those who qualified for the FiberMax One Ton Club in 2015 – 3,717 pounds, or 7.7 bales, per acre – was recorded on 32 acres by Vance and Mandie Smith, of Big Spring, Texas. The seven-year members of the One Ton Club topped their previous record by 400 pounds per acre. For the Smiths, that’s more than six times the Texas average in 2015, which was 614 pounds per acre. The highest acreage winners, Eric and Christy Seidenberger, of Garden City, Texas, averaged 2,054 pounds per acre on 564 acres. What makes the numbers posted by the 127 FiberMax One Ton Club members more remarkable is that 2015 was marked by rains that delayed or prevented cotton planting in some areas, notes Jeff Brehmer, U.S. product manager for FiberMax cotton.

Focus On Cotton Webcast Features Precision Ag Data Field observations and data have always been a critical part of agriculture. However, the widespread adoption of data collection – and real-time analytics by industry leaders and local growers alike – illustrates the...