New MOA To Stop Pigweed
Cotton farmers now have a new pre-emergence herbicide and class of chemistry in the fight against resistant weeds. SePRO Corp. has announced that on Feb. 11, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency registered Brake herbicide for cotton. The company says that Brake offers exceptional cotton tolerance with extended residual weed control, providing a great start and maximizing yield potential.
Brake is a strong residual herbicide that provides the foundation for comprehensive weed control, regardless of traits. It controls herbicide-resistant Palmer amaranth and other broadleaf weeds and grasses. This herbicide excels under wet conditions, providing assurance when farmers are unable to make timely post-emergence herbicide applications.
“Having the opportunity to develop Brake alongside the grower community has been invaluable for this new class of chemistry for cotton,” says Bill Culpepper, CEO SePRO Corp. To learn more, go to brakeherbicide.com.
Still Time To Join The 2015 One Ton Club
Cotton farmers who plant FiberMax cotton seed are eligible to join the One Ton Club if they harvested 2,000 lb./A on at least 20 acres in 2015. The qualification deadline is April 6, 2016.
Growers who qualify for membership receive FiberMax One Ton Club apparel and gifts, an invitation to the annual banquet on April 7 and the chance to win a two-year lease on a Ford F-350 Super Duty King Ranch truck in the FiberMax One Ton Club Sweepstakes.
The program is open to growers in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
Complete rules and the qualification form are available from your local Bayer sales representative or at www.FiberMax.com/OneTonClub.
Billy Carter Scholarships Awarded
North Carolina cotton producer and industry leader Billy Carter left behind a legacy that continues to improve tomorrow’s agricultural leaders through the Billy Carter Cotton Leadership Scholarship Endowment. North Carolina State University students Brittany Clay, George Hildebrand, N.C.; Keith Kornegay, Cove City, N.C., and Brady Hedgecock, Walnut Cove, N.C., all received scholarships from the Billy Carter Endowment and were recognized during the recent North Carolina Cotton Producers Association’s Annual Meeting.
The Billy Carter Cotton Leadership Scholarship Endowment was established in 2012 by Billy’s wife, Beverly, and their daughter, Beth Burchell, as a permanent endowment with the North Carolina Agricultural Foundation Inc. Additional funding was provided by the North Carolina Cotton Producers Association and other friends of Billy Carter.
Modulating Boll Buggy Unveiled
The new Modulating Boll Buggy by CrustBuster/Speed King Inc. offers a simple, less expensive alternative to a round-bale system. The lightweight, bellow design allows for large capacity, 1875 cubic feet of full loads taken from a stripper/picker, such as a JD 7460 with wide-head configurations. Cotton is compacted by four industrial-style tie bolt cylinders to the same density as that of a typical module builder. This boll buggy conveys cotton into the compaction chamber and continuously packs cotton while moving through the field. It allows tamping the full length of the module, which compacts twice as much cotton with each stroke compared to a typical builder. The Modulating Boll Buggy has an easy unload feature. Finished modules are 16 feet long. Half tarps can be pulled over the module.
Farmers can use existing planter tractors for full operation and powering the dedicated hydraulic system that provides tamping and traversing of the bridge. Basket operations are controlled by electric solenoid valves. The need for a module builder and a module-building power unit and ground crew is eliminated. The cost of non-recoverable round bale wraps is eliminated as well as the need for a round-bale staging tractor.
For more information, contact CrustBuster/Speed King Inc. at 620-227-7106. Watch the video at: www.crustbuster.com/MBB.
Cottonseed Not An Oilseed
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said that U.S. Department of Agriculture lawyers have determined the department does not have the authority to declare cottonseed an oilseed as the cotton industry had asked. He said Congress would have to find $1 billion over 10 years for the subsidies related to declaring cottonseed an oilseed.
Rep. Collin Peterson, House ranking member, said he recognizes that cotton farmers are in financial trouble, but that the cotton industry did get what it asked for in the Farm Bill — the STAX crop insurance program. The National Cotton Council said it would continue to work on the issue.