Specialists Speaking

FLORIDA David Wright Even though we can set fruit through early September, most cotton fields have the crop set that will be harvested, and many will be defoliating in late September or early October. Cotton generally had a late start but has caught up and has good yield potential in most fields. Most of our cotton is past the point ... Read More »

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. Read More »

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 with corn being grown in the rotation. Most of the stink bugs will come out of corn as it starts drying ... Read More »

This is my 34th year as an agricultural consultant on the Texas High Plains. As I look back over those years, I am amazed at the advancements that have taken place. The way producers farmed 34 years ago is certainly different from today. However, one thing that hasn't changed over all these years is that water is a yield-limiting factor, and there is no substitute for water. Read More »

FLORIDA David Wright Farming is like life in that you never know what kind of turn it will take and what the issues will be. We had a slow start to planting cotton and peanuts in Florida, and corn was slow growing off due to cold, wet conditions early with leaching rains. Producers are still planting many fields, and most ... Read More »

FLORIDA David Wright With crop prices for most commodities down from the past few years, producers are trying to decide what to plant and how to cut costs. Our systems research with cover crops, cattle and perennial grasses shows the following: indicator enzymes for carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur cycling are increased from lowest to highest with single cropping and ... Read More »

Mike Milam MISSOURI milammr@missouri.edu PLANTING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER Although last year had a slow start and we had problems with too much rainfall at mid-season, we did finish strong with an excellent boll opening and harvest season. This winter has been difficult, and our last ice piles are melting in shaded areas. Our cotton production conference was cancelled ... Read More »