I heard somebody recently say that it was a bit discouraging to see all of this cool, wet weather in May. And, I had to agree with that assessment. When a farmer is trying to plant cotton on time...
The NCC is working to ensure that U.S. cotton warehouses understand why compliance with the minimum shipping standard in the USDA Commodity Credit Corporation's Cotton Storage Agreement is vital to the cotton industry's health. The NCC's Board of Directors earlier this year approved a NCC Cotton Flow Committee recommendation that will give USDA the ability to see shipping order scheduling exchanges between merchants and warehouses.
When I looked at the weather map recently and saw that a large area of the Texas High Plains was receiving significant rainfall, I thought I was dreaming. The months have turned into years as this region has awaited...
Dr. Brooks Blanche, Cotton Development Specialist, Dow AgroSciences St. Joseph, La.
This winter and spring in the Mid-South will be remembered for recordbreaking cold temperatures and ample rainfall. While this has some advantages for reducing insect populations and recharging soil...
By Xi Jin, Manager of International Cooperation, China National Cotton Information Center Beijing, China
Value In Brands
The premium of cotton partly exists in quality, but mostly in brand. Tagging the cotton brand onto the end products will boost the value...
How will cotton transition payments be paid? This was a popular question raised at the education meetings. Due to the late passage of new farm legislation and necessary implementation timelines, new insurance products will not be available until the 2015 crop. To bridge the gap, upland cotton will have a transition payment for the 2014 crop. The payment equates to 5.4 cents/pound paid on all 2013 base acres and direct payment yield. The payment extends to
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) will begin accepting requests for marketing assistance loans (MALs) and loan deficiency payments (LDPs) for eligible 2014 commodities. Notice of the authorization was recently published in the Federal Register.
MALs...
Getting a good stand and getting off to a good start are critical to making high-yield cotton. The newest cotton varieties available to producers across the Belt have outstanding yield potential. In fact, the latest trend is to talk...
Cotton Incorporated-funded research created EasiFlo cottonseed, which was introduced to dairy feed formulators in 1998. The patented coating process allowed once hard-to-handle cottonseed to flow like shelled corn.
"It really helped ramp up demand for cottonseed by dairy producers and...
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the availability of more than $19 million in grants to help train, educate and enhance the sustainability of the next generation of agricultural producers through initiatives such as the Beginning Farmer and Rancher...
It would be hard to find a more optimistic group than the Texas Cotton Ginners' Association. Even with a drought again plaguing parts of the state, members remain cautiously hopeful about the chance for a good crop in 2014.
Such...
FLORIDA David Wright
With crop prices for most commodities down from the past few years, producers are trying to decide what to plant and how to cut costs. Our systems research with cover crops, cattle and perennial grasses shows the...
Producers in southwest Georgia have always been peanut farmers who grew cotton and corn, but the mainstay was and still is peanuts. When the 1985 Farm Bill became law, that enabled producers to build cotton base. In 1988, Georgia...
National Cotton Ginners Association (NCGA) President Dwayne Alford says building and maintaining a well-trained ginning sector workforce is vitally important for the U.S. cotton industry to continue being globally competitive. That's the key message Alford conveyed in his remarks...
Through the years I've seen plenty of cotton crops that were remarkable and memorable. And the farmers who produced those crops were equally deserving of praise for what they accomplished. When you read our cover story on pages 8...
