As harvest begins across the Belt, each region faces its own specific challenge as farmers begin the meticulous task of delivering this year’s crop to the gin. Cotton Farming Editor Tommy Horton interviewed four different ag experts in the...
How does a seed company celebrate 90 years of service to the cotton industry? That’s easy. You turn the celebration into a year-long family reunion and let everyone continue to reminisce about an amazing journey that began when patriarch...
By Jay Mahaffey
Scott, Miss.
As I get older and more sentimental, lessons learned in my experience become a bit clearer. I have spent time in cotton fields since I was a very young boy in northeast Louisiana. Many of these...
At this time, our cotton is about two weeks behind our normal development. Much of the cotton growing area has had about six inches of rain or more within the last month, with most of it coming in two weeks. We normally refer to the July and August rains as “million dollar” rains because it helps revive the non-irrigated cotton, and it lowers irrigation costs.
In many areas of the Belt, the cotton crop is somewhat behind schedule this year, requiring producers to make adjustments to their “normal” production practices.
Thirty percent of the Web Poll respondents say they have had to deal with adjusting...
If there was one factor that I could change in our approach to cotton harvest in the Southeast, it would be to get it done…IN A HURRY. Timeliness preserves yield and quality. But 2013 presents the challenge of picking much of the crop in a timely fashion and, yet, on some late, late cotton, waiting until the last possible moment to pull the trigger.
By Mark Lange
NCC President/CEO
The National Cotton Council remains fully engaged in ever evolving regulations that can challenge producers’ ability to compete in the world marketplace.
What about environmental issues?
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is the pit bull of environmental laws....
By Tommy Horton
Editor
Sometimes we can learn more about farmers and ginners by spending an entire day with these folks and tracing their steps during a typical work day. In other words, unless we can understand the numerous decisions made...
By Tommy Horton
Editor
Cotton SchoolIt might have seemed unlikely that a Texas warehouseman could benefit from attending the Inter-national Cotton Institute this summer at the University of Memphis, but that is exactly what happened for Atticus Miller.
The young president of...
The Southern Cotton Ginners’ Association (SCGA) attracted a crowd of more than 200 to its summer meeting at the Beau Rivage Hotel in Biloxi, Miss., and a wide range of issues was discussed at the event.
Several key speakers made...
It is simply amazing how many products count on some part of the cotton plant to make them complete. For example, cotton linters are used to help give ice cream body and are also used to make hot dog...
By Gus Floris
Editor
Apparel Insiders
Monitoring Cotton Trends
As editor of a major apparel news service, I have opportunities to speak with dozens of clothing companies and retailers about their products, the demands of their customers and how they plan on meeting...
EDITOR’S NOTE: Robert Royal is a farmer-ginner in Midnight, Miss., and is currently serving as president of the Southern Cotton Ginners Association. In this in-depth interview with Cotton Farming magazine, he discusses a wide range of issues confronting the...
In case anyone missed the announcement, something very significant occurred in Lubbock, Texas, the other day, and it will have a serious impact on the promotion of agriculture for years to come. Bayer CropScience is now the primary sponsor...
It’s refreshing when you can find a farmer here in the Mid-South who remains loyal to cotton, despite the temptation to follow the market and chase those high grain prices. Such a farming operation exists in West Tennessee, and...
