Production

By Carroll Smith, Senior Writer The Mid-South is a humid region, which typically has abundant rainfall during the cotton-growing season. Even so, producers have continued to increase their irrigated cotton acres and are curious about how to manage irrigation to...

We're fortunate to live in what some people call the Sunbelt, but we call it the Cotton Belt. The winters are normally (last year excepted) mild, and spring and fall are usually beautiful. The summers… well they're SUMMER. Hot...

Before it was signed into law in mid-June by President Obama, the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) was overwhelmingly approved by the House (412-4) and Senate (91-7). The WRRDA authorizes the construction of major navigation and flood risk management projects. Of additional significance to agriculture is that the new measure also contains language designed to give farmers and ranchers some relief from EPA’s Spill Prevention Control

In a cascade of notices, the California Water Resources Control Board told junior water rights holders in the state's major watersheds recently to immediately stop diverting water. The board says extreme drought leaves the watersheds without enough water to...

I heard somebody recently say that it was a bit discouraging to see all of this cool, wet weather in May. And, I had to agree with that assessment. When a farmer is trying to plant cotton on time...

The NCC is working to ensure that U.S. cotton warehouses understand why compliance with the minimum shipping standard in the USDA Commodity Credit Corporation's Cotton Storage Agreement is vital to the cotton industry's health. The NCC's Board of Directors earlier this year approved a NCC Cotton Flow Committee recommendation that will give USDA the ability to see shipping order scheduling exchanges between merchants and warehouses.

Getting a good stand and getting off to a good start are critical to making high-yield cotton. The newest cotton varieties available to producers across the Belt have outstanding yield potential. In fact, the latest trend is to talk...

Daniel Fowler Fowler Crop Consulting, Inc. Roanoke Rapids, N.C. During the summers in high school and college, I scouted for two great consultants and went to work for one of them after graduating from North Carolina State University. Two years...

Mike Milam MISSOURI milammr@missouri.edu PLANTING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER Although last year had a slow start and we had problems with too much rainfall at mid-season, we did finish strong with an excellent boll opening and harvest season. This winter has been...

There was a time a few years ago when I could drive south on US 61 from Memphis, and all I could see were cotton fields on either side of the highway. When you thought of the Mississippi Delta, this is the picture that always came to mind. The crop and region were intertwined in history, and it didn’t seem possible for the landscape to ever change.

In recent remarks at the National Farmers Union National Con-vention, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced new and expanded efforts to connect small- and mid-sized farmers and ranchers with USDA resources that can help them build stronger businesses, ex-pand to...

As the marketplace continues to demand organic options in purchasing choices, thoughtful discussion regarding organic cotton production continues to circulate in the Western Cotton Belt. Making the option work for an operation takes dedication to prepare for the transition to organic.

Encouraged By Mississippi’s Cotton Acreage Outlook In 2014 By Tommy Horton Editor If you’re a cotton producer in Mississippi or other parts of the Mid-South, you’re feeling cautiously optimistic about the 2014 season. In fact, you might say that there is a...

If you read the cover story for April Cotton Farming or my Editor’s Note, you know that I spent some time recently in the Mississippi Delta visiting with long-time producer Bowen Flowers. Not only was it a chance to...

When we look at our USDA estimated yield of 956 pounds per acre, most producers are disappointed. When comparing our yield with some of our other Delta states, we note that their yields were much higher. In my estimation, we had the potential, but it is hard to overcome the effects of three weeks of heavy rainfall in July and August.