• By Carroll Smith, Senior Writer • Transform My Community Contest Winners Announced Grand Prize Winner: A.J. Hood, Cotton Producer, Tillar, Ark. First Place Winner: Steve Robert, Cotton Consultant, Wynne, Ark. Second Place Winner: Frank Phelps, Cotton Consultant, Mer Rouge, La. Third Place Winner: Stephanie Miller,...

Has this been an unusual year for cotton producers in many parts of the Belt? Most would agree with that assessment. First, there is the frustrating cotton price that has stayed in the 60-cent range for months. Then came the floods in Texas and the Mid- South and dry conditions in the Southeast and West. One theme, however, remained consistent – the need for an effective strategy that could deal with weed resistance, namely pigweed. While most producers understand the concept of “starting clean and staying clean,” technology is assisting in the quest to reduce production costs even more. You’d be hard pressed to find a more forward-thinking farmer than Jason Luckey of Humboldt, Tenn., in the western part of the state. He, father Rege, brother Ken and nephew Zac have consistently adhered to a diversified crop mix involving cotton, corn, soybeans and wheat. They rarely increase acreage for any one crop and have succeeded in their dryland operation by staying with this philosophy.

Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association (TCGA) members know how to adapt. No matter how unusual the production environment or number of issues, this organization usually finds a way to adjust quickly. Not surprisingly, members had plenty to talk about at TCGA’s Summer Meeting recently at the Barton Creek Resort in Austin, Texas. “We certainly discussed a wide range of issues at our meeting,” says TCGA executive vice president Tony Williams. “Our organization is optimistic and hopeful about the size of the crop our farmers can deliver this year – even though we know that some areas couldn’t even plant.” In one of his reports to the TCGA Board of Directors, Williams presented data that supports the idea that a large cotton crop is possible this year – despite lower planted acreage statewide. The latest USDA crop report pegs cotton acreage in Texas at 5.2 million acres. That is a reduction of one million acres compared to 2014.

ARKANSAS Tracking nodes above white flower (NAWF) from first flower to cutout (NAWF=5) can offer great insight on the condition and potential of the crop. As we approach this time of the season, we are interested in using this tool...

John Richburg, Ph.D. Field Scientist R&D Coastal Crops – East, Dow AgroSciences Headland, Ala. Uncharacteristic to the Southeast, cotton growers in Alabama, Georgia and the Florida Panhandle have experienced isolated hot spots of tarnished plant bugs, prompting growers to be diligent in scouting...

The National Cotton Council (NCC) continues to urge the use of scientific research and local solutions, such as state pollinator plans, as ways to improve pollinator health. Why is this action necessary? As directed by President Obama’s 2014 memo, a Pollinator...

One of the real pleasures in visiting farmers across the Cotton Belt through the years is when I make a return trip to one of them a few years after our initial meeting. First, it is always fun to...

As a farmer, what’s most important to you? Sure, you want to make money and, sure, you want to provide for your family. You understand that. But what are you doing to understand your customers? You may say it doesn’t matter. I can always ship into the loan, and my co-op will handle it. My local pool worries about customers. Do you care about the market? What makes up your market? Your merchant or co-op help to make up your market, certainly. But what about their customers, the textile mills? What affects their market and how does that market matter to you? You may say, I’m a farmer, not a textile mill. But a textile mill will say, he is your customer: You will pay attention or he’ll buy from someone else. There’s a lot of cotton out there. Why? Because the mills have to pay attention to their customers.

In August of 1978, I was two weeks old when we moved into our new house. It was just outside of Princeton, N.C., and across the road from the home of my maternal grandparents. The agriculture industry is full of...

Tidewater Research Station To Host Cotton Field Day The Tidewater Agricultural Research & Extension Center in Suffolk, Va., will host its 2015 Cotton Field Day on Aug. 11, beginning at 8 a.m. A broad range of cotton discipline research findings...

During harvest, like the rest of the Cotton Belt, Western cotton producers want the most efficient way to drop leaves without affecting the yield or quality of their cotton. Several conditions have led farmers to move from traditional desiccant...

BY GLEN HARRIS TIFTON, GA. The fertilizer spreader truck rolls across the field spitting out a custom blend of N-P-K, secondary and micronutrients based on grid soil sampling, followed later by the sidedress rig equipped with sensors to measure plant...

If there is one obvious personality trait that all cotton industry folks have, it’s generosity. When time is precious for everyone, it’s nice to know that farmers, merchants, marketing cooperatives, warehousemen, manufacturers, ginners and cottonseed representatives always are willing to share information. Or, at least, it seems that way to me. Maybe I’m being naïve. But I rarely run across someone from the industry today who isn’t willing to lend a helping hand. Nobody will share company secrets, but there is a common thread of generosity that runs through this industry. And a perfect example of this kindness was the late Dan Krieg, a Texas cotton farmer who wore many hats – including 35 years as a Texas Tech University professor. Dan, a long-time friend of Cotton Farming magazine, passed away earlier this summer at the age of 72.

Featured New Product Evaluator: Layne Chapman, from Vernon, Texas Research is instrumental to the future of cotton farming. Deltapine NPE Layne Chapman of Vernon, Texas, says that the Lubbock Research Megasite tests and develops new high-yielding varieties for Deltapine growers...

Featured New Product Evaluator: Layne Chapman, from Vernon, Texas https://youtu.be/Hejxzj3dKz4 Deltapine continually researches, breeds and tests new cotton varieties that will help boost a farmer’s yield, no matter where they’re located. Deltapine NPE Layne Chapman of Vernon, Texas, says that he’s...