Harvest

• By Clint Thompson • Georgia’s cotton crop was decimated by Hurricane Michael in 2018. Now, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension cotton agronomist Jared Whitaker is hoping his research will help alleviate some of the risks associated with harvesting cotton when tropical systems arrive in the fall. “With cotton production, we can’t do anything to prevent damage to the crop ... Read More »

Arkansas cotton growers may remember 2019 as one of their better years, despite a downward revision of expected yields, said Bill Robertson, extension cotton agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. In October, the National Agricultural Statistics Service forecast Arkansas’ average yield at 1157 pounds per acre, but in November revised that downward to 1,102 pounds per ... Read More »

As I write this mid-November, harvest has not been progressing as expected in West Texas and the Rolling Plains, primarily due to unfavorable weather conditions. In the Rolling Plains of Texas, Dr. Emi Kimura reports from Vernon that their first freeze this year happened two weeks earlier than what would normally be expected. She does believe this has reduced the ... Read More »

In the world of agriculture, a lot can happen in a year. During the early months, your equipment may be sitting idle in the shed most of the time, but your mind is already shifting gears in preparation for the upcoming season. There are many decisions to make that can influence the endgame. One of the most important ones is ... Read More »

• By Seshadri Ramkuma • Yields in the High Plains of Texas are expected to be below what was originally forecast. “Yields are 25% to 30% off the normal,” said Mark Brown, director of field services for Lubbock, Texas-based Plains Cotton Growers Inc. During the Nov. 15 meeting of all the stakeholders from the cotton sector, discussion centered on this ... Read More »

After a mild weekend of sunny skies and temperatures in the high 50s, much of Arkansas found itself dealing with widespread rains and falling mercury throughout Monday. Tuesday, Nov. 12, the state awoke to a morning that declared itself as “winter” in no uncertain terms. The National Weather Service described Little Rock’s post-sunrise temperature as “22, feels like 9” degrees ... Read More »

• By Tyson Raper • With the arctic blast in the forecast and the substantial number of cotton acres left in the field, several have recently asked about how to keep water in their cotton pickers moisture system from freezing. Some operators occasionally mix a small percentage of methanol with water to lower the freezing point of water, but extreme ... Read More »