As a youngster, I grew up hand picking cotton on a small, family cotton farm in Lawrence County, Ala., during the late 1940s and 1950s. Cotton was our primary crop. It paid the bills and purchased a new...
Entomologists from South Carolina, Mississippi and Texas offer an early outlook for potentially damaging cotton insect pests
By Carroll Smith
Editor
Rows of young cotton not only are a beautiful sight to behold but also an attractive buffet for insect pests in...
The 2017 cotton-growing season got off to a good start in most of the Mid-South region. Cotton farmers are optimistic about this year’s crop, based largely on December futures contracts average of 70 cents per pound, which is higher...
Monitoring cotton pest thresholds has proven to be one of the more successful tools for keeping insect pressures in check. In the West, established research-based thresholds aid in determining treatment of cotton pests. Adherence to those standards can be...
From planting depth to thrips control, North Carolina cotton experts designed these reminders to help you achieve optimal stands and good early season growth.
By Guy Collins
North Carolina State University
The wet and cold 2016 planting season we encountered in North...
By Dominic Reisig
North Carolina State University
Editor’s note: Dr. George Kennedy, North Carolina State University, has developed a tool for predicting thrips risk to cotton.
Most everyone knows some type of preplant control measure is needed for thrips, whether it’s an...
In the Texas Permian Basin where vast open land meets the horizon, Bo and Russ Eggemeyer are dedicated to growing white gold. These sixth-generation farmers are taking advantage of new subsurface drip irrigation technology to maximize water-use efficiency across their cotton acres. The brothers also grow varieties bred to deliver a high-yielding, high-quality crop. This is their story.
I grew up in the Mississippi Delta surrounded by agriculture. While in high school, I worked on various farms and even in a cotton gin. During college, I started working with Jimmy Walker, who was an independent consultant from...
West Tennesseans Committed To Family And Farming Cotton
By Carroll Smith
Editor
‘Farming must be sustainable, and raising cotton is how I can make that happen,” says Clinton Evans, who farms with his son, David III “Buddy,” in West Tennessee as Clinton...
ARIZONA
Deciding on the appropriate time to begin planting cotton in the spring can be a difficult decision. Warm, early spring days will sometimes provide an “itch” to get into the field and start planting. However, warm spring days can...
Although cotton producers in the West have seen a decrease in Cotton Research and Promotion Program (CRPP) State Support Program (SSP) funding over the past few years due to the decline of cotton production in the region, the SSP...
Alabama Farmer Anticipates 69th Crop
By Carroll Smith
Editor
When referencing events that happened almost a century ago, most people preface their anecdotes with, “I have a photograph.” Otis Shiver begins his stories with, “I remember….”
This 93-year-old cotton farmer was born...
The National Agricultural Statistics Service October Crop Production report estimated Arkansas cotton production to be at 1,088 pounds lint per acre, unchanged from last month but down 4 pounds from 2015. This exceeds our 5-year average of 1,073 pounds lint per acre by 15 pounds.
Our crop continues to be ahead of schedule. As about half of our crop has been harvested this season, the 5-year average for the same date was just shy of 30 percent harvested.
Reports of fiber quality have been good. Lack of rainfall during much of the harvest season has resulted in excellent color grades. Just over 45 percent has received a color grade of 31 or better. About 80 percent of the bales classed have a leaf grade of 4 or less. Micronaire values this season have averaged 4.6 with less than 17 percent in the discount range of 5 or greater.
In Arkansas, we generally expect to see our early crop outyield our later crop. This is not what most farmers are experiencing this season. The extended wet and cloudy August weather came just as our early crop was starting to open. Reports of 1.25 to 1.5 bales per acre were heard from our early cotton as the occurrence of boll rot and hard lock was great. Fortunately, yields improved as harvest progressed. Our good fields are yielding in excess of 3 bales per acre. The 4-bale yield potential we had in many fields the first part of August slipped away.
Aaron Martinka
Editor’s note: Cotton Farming editor Carroll Smith went into the field this fall to capture the story of farmers’ experiences with the new Deltapine Bollgard II XtendFlex varieties. Following is her special report.
Texas cotton producer Aaron Martinka, who...
ARKANSAS
Many producers have booked seed for 2017. There are several new varieties with new technologies worthy of a look, so do your homework to best place them on your farm.
Variety selection is perhaps the most important decision a producer...
