• By Ryan McGeeney • As world markets slowly unfurl from the global knot of the COVID-19 pandemic, futures markets for both soybean and corn responded in a powerfully positive manner March 31 to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual Prospective Plantings Report. The report, conducted by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, reflects producers’ intended acreage for crops across ... Read More »
While watching TV the other night, I wasn’t surprised that the ongoing pandemic was still at the top of the newsreel. What caught my attention was the announcer’s topic for the segment: “before time.” He, along with his virtual guests, shared memories of what life was like before COVID-19 disrupted what we perceive as the natural ebb and flow of ... Read More »
Southern Cotton Ginners Honors AR Cotton Breeder Dr. Fred Bourland, cotton breeder and researcher at the Northeast Research and Extension Center at Keiser, Arkansas, recently received the A.L. Vandergriff Cotton Pioneer Award from the Southern Cotton Ginners Association. He is a professor of cotton breeding and genetics for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of ... Read More »
When Fred Bourland left the family cotton farm in Mississippi County for the University of Arkansas, clear across the state in Fayetteville, he had anything but farming on his mind. “I grew up around cotton,” Bourland said. “When I went to college, I was planning to get as far away from cotton as I could.” But sometimes you just can’t ... Read More »
Improving soil health is in the best interest of Arkansas cotton farmers, but producers use different strategies for doing so. Bill Robertson, Extension cotton agronomist, and Matt Fryer, Extension soil instructor, both with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, will moderate an online roundtable discussion with three Arkansas cotton producers about their experiences and methods for managing soil ... Read More »
New editions of the most widely used publications from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture are now available and offer the latest research-based recommendations for managing insects, weeds and diseases in row crop agriculture, as well as in fruit, vegetable and garden production. The 2021 publications include: • MP44 — Recommended Chemicals for Weed and Brush Control. • ... Read More »
Kansas doesn’t typically come to mind when most people in the industry talk about cotton, but that has been changing over the past few years. In 1995, there was a mere 3,200 acres of cotton in the state. By 2019, the acreage had increased to 175,000 acres. “I originally decided to grow cotton because of the potential for a greater ... Read More »
Cotton Farming One Grower Publications