Specialists Speaking – KEITH EDMISTEN NORTH CAROLINA
The warm weather predicted this week (April 13) sure makes one feel like planting some cotton. However, looking at the forecast for the following week tempers my enthusiasm, especially the low nighttime temperature predicted for April 20. This certainly reminds me that we often have to pick and choose good windows to plant cotton. Many growers with larger equipment can plant their cotton over a shorter period than they used to.
We should consider risk management for planting dates. One way to spread risk is to spread out your planting dates. We never know what planting dates will perform best; it could be early, mid, or late planting. Planting all your cotton in a short period of time could be risky if a drought or another weather event occurs that significantly affects that particular planting date. Other ways to spread risk include using multiple varieties and assessing variety stability. A variety with high stability can perform well under poor or good environmental conditions. ∆
Specialists Speaking – KEITH EDMISTEN NORTH CAROLINA