Specialists Speaking

Harvest activities have come to an end in the Texas High Plains, and fieldwork has picked up. As we continue planning for the upcoming season, one of the most important decisions our growers have to make relates to variety choice. Fertility, insecticide and herbicide programs have some flexibility and can be adjusted during the growing season to address specific challenges ... Read More »

Planting season will soon be upon us for the 2019 cotton season, and decisions are being made about the proper time to plant. The temperature experienced by the seed during the first critical hours and days after planting will to a large extent determine emergence and eventual stand establishment. Optimum soil temperatures for seed germination are between 60 and 65 ... Read More »

Planting decisions for the 2019 season are taking shape. Cash margins for all commodities are tight and provide little room for mistakes. We must be smart to get the most out of our inputs. We need to watch our costs yet provide the necessary inputs to protect yield potential. Variety selection for yield and quality is an important first step ... Read More »

Many of our cotton producers were glad to leave 2018 behind them as crop management was difficult through most of the year due to wet conditions after a dry early May. Even though the crop was one of the best ones produced in years, harvest time saw one of the most harsh periods in many decades with Hurricane Michael. The ... Read More »

While some farmers got a later start than usual, the above-average temperatures in May propelled the crop to one of our fastest starts. As we rolled into harvest, the frequent and often heavy rainfall caused delays and had negative effects on grades and yield. The National Agricultural Statistics Service October Crop Production report estimated production at 1.15 million bales, unchanged ... Read More »

Harvest season is especially busy and stressful for farmers as they often have two or more crops to gather in an eight- to 10-week period. There is also the potential for tropical storms and hurricanes that delay and reduce harvest and shorter days in November, which result in less harvest time. Cotton yields have generally been good with many fields ... Read More »

As I write this on Sept. 5, the cotton crop in North Carolina is variable but generally good in many parts of the state. Yield potential among fields varies significantly and within a close proximity, depending on planting date, severity of drought stress during late June and early July, and rainfall that occurred during the latter half of the bloom ... Read More »