Production

A new Farm Bureau advocacy website is giving farmers and ranchers a simple way to “Get a Move On” for GMOs. Launched recently, GetaMoveOn.fb.org allows producers to support a national, science-based labeling standard similar to the approach taken in the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act (H.R. 1599). “This website has a very specific function: To motivate farmers and ranchers to take action in support of important innovation in agriculture,” says Andrew Walmsley, American Farm Bureau Federation biotechnology specialist. “Whether you grow corn and soybeans in the Midwest, cotton in the South, dairy and potatoes in the Northeast or apples in the West, access to crop traits that resist pests, diseases

Cotton Incorporated and the Cooperative Extension cotton specialists across the Belt have partnered to combine field variety trial data in a single webbased resource called SeedMatrix. This online program provides access to new variety performance data. It is just one...

By Tommy Horton Editor The Jordan brothers – John, Steve and Mike – are proactive in their approach to cotton production and embracing new technology. In the midst of challenging weather conditions across much of the Cotton Belt this year, preliminary reports...

By Fred Bourland Keiser, Ark. EDITOR’S NOTE – Fred Bourland is a cotton breeder and manager of the Northeast Ag Research Station in Keiser, Ark. In the following report, he discusses the important decisions facing a cotton producer when he chooses...

It is a consistent theme each year when cotton seed companies announce their lineups for the new crop season. Some varieties have a longer shelf life than others and remain on the market. Meanwhile, new ones always appear –...

For anyone unfamiliar with cotton production in Mississippi, two primary regions exist – one in the Delta and another in the Hills. They are distinctly different and require special approaches for growing the crop. The Delta is adjacent to the...

The deflating effects of aflatoxin on cottonseed prices in the West continue to affect producers along the Colorado River and Central Arizona. Hundred-dollar spreads between clean and unclean seed are not uncommon in a region where seed prices consistently rise above those in the rest of the Cotton Belt. These days, even though cottonseed plays a larger role in the economic mix of the cotton crop, aflatoxin seemingly draws less attention with producers than it does with those who market the cottonseed for them.

Just what is "typical" anyway? That seems to be a debatable question here on the High Plains, where the last three years have been anything but. Even the last good year, 2010, also was not "typical," with the area's highest production and lowest abandonment in recorded history. As executive vice president of Plains Cotton Growers, Inc., a cotton producer organization representing thousands of hard-working farmers in 41 counties on the High Plains, I've noticed...

Arkansas Producer Sam Stuckey's Crop Has Weathered The Storm Cotton has always had a reputation for being able to withstand a lot of adversity during a long production season. If you want proof of that statement, pay a visit to the...

The Texas Cotton Ginners' Association summer meeting at the Lost Pines Resort near Austin and Bastrop was dominated by one theme – the potential for a bigger crop in 2014. Timely rains earlier this summer created an excellent opportunity for...

When I learned that I’d be traveling to Montana earlier this summer with a group of cotton farmers, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. But I had a pretty good idea that it would be a fabulous time for everybody. Believe it or not, I had a positive experience two years ago when I traveled with a similar group to North Dakota – and I knew this trip might be even better.

Nematodes – those microscopic pests that attack a plant's roots and adversely affect cotton yields – can cause enough headaches for a farmer to last a lifetime. Whether it's reniform or root-knot, this pest can often go undetected...

Agricenter International is a self-sustaining, not-for- profit organization that provides economic development and improved quality of life by facilitating agricultural research, educational programs, environmental conservation, natural area preservation and recreational opportunities. It is truly a unique place.

The International Textile Manufacturers Federation’s “Cotton Contamination Survey 2013″ shows the level of cottons moderately or seriously contaminated worldwide increased from 23 percent to 26 percent compared to the last survey in 2011. Though U.S. cotton still is considered one of the least contaminated growths, the survey found that plastics, stickiness and seed-coat fragments, along with other foreign materials

"We do not learn from experience," philosopher John Dewey said. "We learn from reflecting on experience." As Texas cotton growers are in the midst of or nearing cotton harvest, this is an ideal time to gauge the success of the season and determine how to improve in the future. I always emphasize the importance of reflecting on what worked well over the past growing season to be ready for the next year.