Remember the names of Vance and Mandie Smith. What they accomplished on their cotton farm in 2013 was nothing short of spectacular. No one in their part of Texas recalls a yield on an upland field that came close to equalling the 6.9 bales per acre they achieved.

By Tommy Horton Editor For the eleventh consecutive year, I had the privilege of attending the Texas Cotton Ginners’ Annual Meeting and Trade Show in Lubbock in early April. Once again, it was an opportunity to connect with so many producers...

A few months ago, a significant event occurred in the U.S. cotton industry, and some of us are a bit late in acknowledging just how important it was. Earl Williams, the long-time executive vice president of the California...

Daniel Fowler Fowler Crop Consulting, Inc. Roanoke Rapids, N.C. During the summers in high school and college, I scouted for two great consultants and went to work for one of them after graduating from North Carolina State University. Two years...

Our business is about making high fashion cotton garments. Yet, in my 25 years in the industry, I have never met a farmer or anyone from the cotton business. I wonder if the wine industry could survive if there was no connection to the grape. The disconnect between the apparel producer and fiber supplier is more than a little peculiar to me, so it is very satisfying to learn about the FiberMax impact and business in the United States

At Valent, we are very excited about the possibility of increased cotton acres in 2014. This certainly ties in nicely with our new Fierce herbicide that will help us in the ongoing battle with resistant pigweeds. We had good cotton last year even in situations where we didn’t think we could make it. I am just really excited to see those acres coming back. There is a real sense of anticipation and optimism for cotton producers here in the Mid-South.

Mike Milam MISSOURI [email protected] PLANTING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER Although last year had a slow start and we had problems with too much rainfall at mid-season, we did finish strong with an excellent boll opening and harvest season. This winter has been...

Five years ago, I was sitting on my tractor in the middle of a cotton field in Frog Jump, Tenn., when I received a phone call that changed my life. I remember it like it was yesterday. One of my trusted friends asked me to run for Congress, something that this seventh- generation farmer had never considered.

Because herbicide resistance is undermining efficient U.S. cotton production, the National Cotton Council continues to urge its producer members to be proactive and creative in dealing with this serious threat. How is the NCC helping? Foremost, the NCC is strongly encouraging its producer members to actively manage herbicide resistance, which is defined as the evolved capacity of a susceptible weed population to withstand a herbicide

There was a time a few years ago when I could drive south on US 61 from Memphis, and all I could see were cotton fields on either side of the highway. When you thought of the Mississippi Delta, this is the picture that always came to mind. The crop and region were intertwined in history, and it didn’t seem possible for the landscape to ever change.

Why the big focus on safety? It's no secret that your associations are the smallest of small businesses, but the role of your associations has become a big part of what you know about ginning cotton. Cotton ginners associations started like most other associations – a way to organize and learn from each other.

In recent remarks at the National Farmers Union National Con-vention, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced new and expanded efforts to connect small- and mid-sized farmers and ranchers with USDA resources that can help them build stronger businesses, ex-pand to...

The Cotton Board recently conducted its March Annual Meeting in Santa Fe., N.M., where board members, in their respective committees, reviewed Cotton Incorporated’s proposed plans for 2015 and developed strategic recommendations. The meeting was well attended by both producer...

As the marketplace continues to demand organic options in purchasing choices, thoughtful discussion regarding organic cotton production continues to circulate in the Western Cotton Belt. Making the option work for an operation takes dedication to prepare for the transition to organic.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will make $6 million in grants available this year, and up to $30 million total over the next five years as part of a...