The 2013 Beltwide Cotton Conferences in San Antonio will once again feature updates on research and technology at the annual Ginning Conference. Some technologies are becoming more and more economical and can easily be integrated into the gin operation.
One...
By Brent Murphreee
Maricopa, Ariz.
The Third International Lygus Symposium was held in Scottsdale, Ariz., in October and brought together the most important players in lygus research, with an impressive showing by Western cotton pest researchers.
The objectives of the previous symposiums...
By Christine Souza
Calif. Farm Bureau Federation
While Congress reconvenes for a post-election, "lame-duck" session, farmers and ranchers are urging their representatives to work together to address pressing issues facing agriculture.
Rayne Pegg, manager of the California Farm Bureau Federation Federal Policy...
By Tommy Horton
Editor
When an overseas retail representative sees U.S. cotton in the field for the first time, an important message is reinforced. In essence, it becomes a mutually beneficial situation for all parties.
That is precisely what happened last month...
Unless Congress acts before the end of the year, come Jan. 1, the U.S. economy will fall off a “fiscal cliff.” That’s when a number of tax breaks and government program spending will be cut in order to try...
By Andrew Macdonald
Cotton/Textile Consultant
ITMF Board Member
Meeting Customer Demands
What do customers want?
The fast evolution of the textile industry is moving toward a more demanding customer. It places product performance initially on the basic raw material, but performance also is being...
The largest organization representing California family farmers and ranchers thanked voters for rejecting a ballot initiative that would have required foods containing genetically engineered ingredients to carry a special, California-only label. The California Farm Bureau Federation opposed Proposition 37,...
As part of federal efforts to provide necessary support to those affected by Hurricane Sandy, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has provided $5.3 million in Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program funds...
By Amanda Huber
Southeast Editor
Consider the old adage, “No news is good news,” as a theme for cotton acreage in the Southeast in 2012. With adequate rainfall and no major problems, producers likely welcomed a low-key year, especially when the...
Economists Anderson, Shurley Offer Some Perspective
EDITOR’S NOTE – Texas A&M agricultural economist Carl Anderson and Georgia Extension economist Don Shurley have observed the cotton market for many years and have seen plenty of volatility during that time. In this...
By Emory Jones
Cleveland, Ga.
My old friend Frank was a pig. I don't mean that he was sloppy, although he was pretty informal. No, Frank was a real pig, curly tail and all.
Here's how we met; it was up in...
MISSOURI
Mike Milam
[email protected]
For all practical purposes, the Missouri cotton crop is harvested. The Missouri Crop Progress and Condition Report for the week ending Nov. 11 shows only 89 percent harvested. But I have not seen any cotton in the field...
By Mark Lange
NCC President/CEO
Because U.S. cotton has become such a highly export-dependent industry, the Sourcing USA Summit’s importance has grown significantly since its initiation more than a decade ago.
What is the Summit’s purpose?
Since 1999, Cotton Council International, the National...
The November elections have come and gone; a president has been chosen; and the roster on Capitol Hill is in place. Cotton producers now have to assess the political environment in Washington, D.C., to try to determine what effect...
Chris Tarno
Tarno Crop Management
Piggott, Ark.
(Consults in Clay County, Ark.; Dunklin and
New Madrid Counties in Missouri)
It is the middle of November; the entire cotton crop has currently been picked, and a majority of it has been ginned. For the weather...
