Cotton has made up a lot of ground during the last couple of weeks in northern Alabama. Several fields had blooms the first week of July, and younger cotton fields are growing rapidly. I am seeing more sulfur deficiency symptoms on cotton this year than in years past. This may be due to the heavy rainfall in some areas and poor cotton rooting early in the season. We definitely need to pay more attention to sulfur fertilization on cotton in Alabama. Late emerging glyphosate-resistant horseweed is also a problem in several cotton fields I visited last week. These fields had pre-plant and pre-emergence herbicides applied, but new horseweed plants are continuing to emerge. Many of these farms will be using hooded sprayers to control these troublesome weeds.
Agricenter International is a self-sustaining, not-for- profit organization that provides economic development and improved quality of life by facilitating agricultural research, educational programs, environmental conservation, natural area preservation and recreational opportunities. It is truly a unique place.
Nearly every gin in the country has some type of air quality or environmental permit. Some are simple, and some are complex. It is important to know what your permit says because, just like every other government document, you're...
This crop season appears to be moving along way too quickly. It seems like it was just yesterday that we were talking about how this year's cotton might be delayed by rain events in the Mid- South. And simultaneously...
The International Textile Manufacturers Federation’s “Cotton Contamination Survey 2013″ shows the level of cottons moderately or seriously contaminated worldwide increased from 23 percent to 26 percent compared to the last survey in 2011. Though U.S. cotton still is considered one of the least contaminated growths, the survey found that plastics, stickiness and seed-coat fragments, along with other foreign materials
Cotton producers are increasingly taking advantage of smartphone technology to improve the effectiveness of their operations. In the Western Cotton Belt, a number of smartphone applications or apps, specific to that region, are taking office work into the field.
Given...
"We do not learn from experience," philosopher John Dewey said. "We learn from reflecting on experience." As Texas cotton growers are in the midst of or nearing cotton harvest, this is an ideal time to gauge the success of the season and determine how to improve in the future. I always emphasize the importance of reflecting on what worked well over the past growing season to be ready for the next year.
Quality sets cotton apart from most agricultural commodities. That is, a bale of cotton possesses a unique set of characteristics that renders it suitable for certain uses, and less so for others. Producers are familiar with these characteristics as they show up in premium and discount tables and recap prices. Consumers see quality reflected in premium prices for high-end textiles and garments made from Pima, Sea Isle or others.
By Carroll Smith, Senior Writer
The Mid-South is a humid region, which typically has abundant rainfall during the cotton-growing season. Even so, producers have continued to increase their irrigated cotton acres and are curious about how to manage irrigation to...
Every summer Cotton Farming takes a closer look at a topic that never seems to go out of date. It's as relevant today as it was 10, 20 or 30 years ago. The circumstances have changed, but the message...
We're fortunate to live in what some people call the Sunbelt, but we call it the Cotton Belt. The winters are normally (last year excepted) mild, and spring and fall are usually beautiful. The summers… well they're SUMMER. Hot...
Water is a precious and valuable commodi ty on the High Plains of Texas. As a farmer on the High Plains, I often wonder how many times over my career I will reflect upon the words, "If we had...
FLORIDA: David Wright
It is very important to protect bolls that are being set in July as 90 percent of the yield is often set during this month. Plant bugs and stink bugs have become more of a problem...
