Varieties & Seed Treatments

Varieties Evaluated For Root-Knot Nematode Resistance The Deltapine New Product Evaluator Program is kicking off its ninth season this spring with nearly 200 growers evaluating seven new Bollgard II XtendFlex cotton variety candidates for the Class of 17. Three of those...

ARIZONA Planting time is upon us and, as of this writing, spring is shaping up to be a very good planting season. With warm temperatures and dry conditions, emergence and stand establishment should be uniform and swift. However, as you...

By Jodi Raley California cotton producers, ginners, pest control advisers and cotton industry organizations gathered in the halls of the Visalia Convention Center for the California Cotton Growers Association’s 26th Annual Meeting. With 2015 California cotton acreage hitting a historical...

California’s drought and environmental water reallocations  take a chronic toll on cotton. By Vicky Boyd Managing Editor Ever since he was 3 years old, Chad Crivelli — a diversified row-crop producer near Dos Palos, Calif. — has wanted to be a farmer....

This month I had the pleasure of interviewing award winners, company managers and people in leadership positions in industry organizations. All are very successful in their careers. You would think with these personal accomplishments that it would be all...

ARIZONA The outlook on cotton prices for the 2016 season still remains less than exciting. The saving grace for cotton may be that other commodity prices are not significantly better. This economic scenario requires that each input be scrutinized for...

Cotton and quail reflect the Southern traditions of this southwest Georgia operation By Carroll Smith, Editor When he was 18 years old, Larron Copeland purchased 30 acres from his father and began shaping what is now known as Showtime Farms in...

By Jim Melvin, Clemson University Just days before the majority of South Carolina’s cotton was about to be harvested, the historic October 2015 storm drenched most of the state with trillions of gallons of rainwater, ravaging a crop that had...

Christmas presents from my friend, Cheryl – a Louisiana native, are always a combination of the eclectic and the unexpected. Last year, my loot included an antique tintype of a steamboat rolling down the Mississippi River, a rhinestone-studded LSU...

MISSOURI Missouri producers made it through the 2015 season with near record yields, so there is a lot to be thankful for. Although we didn’t have optimum climatic conditions, we were fortunate to have had had an overall favorable growing...

Farmers now have access to the breakthrough technology of Enlist cotton in 2016. As part of the Enlist weed control system, the Enlist cotton trait represents the most innovative advancements in weed control technology for the cotton industry. Enlist cotton provides exceptional crop tolerance to Enlist Duo herbicide — a combination of glyphosate and new 2,4-D choline — and full tolerance to glufosinate herbicides. “We have a level of glufosinate tolerance now that is comparable to the other products that you see in the marketplace,” says Chris Main, Ph.D., PhytoGen cotton development specialist for the Upper Mid-South. “In 2016, cotton farmers will have the option to apply glufosinate over the top of these varieties with confidence since the glufosinate tolerance has been increased.” Growers such as Virginia-based Mike Griffin participated in the 2015 Enlist cotton grower research plots. He understands the importance of new technology and is ready to use the Enlist system on more acres. “The Enlist system specifically has been brought forward to help control weed species that have been unmanageable,” he says. “We look forward to using this technology to help us with resistant and hard-to-control weeds.”

Wes Briggs of Bainbridge, Ga., winner of the 2015 Cotton Consultant of the Year Award, was honored by his peers at a reception last month at the Beltwide Cotton Conferences in New Orleans. The event was held in the RiverView room overlooking the Mighty Mississippi at the Marriott Hotel. The award, established in 1981, is co-sponsored by Cotton Farming and Syngenta. Briggs and his wife, Beth, along with numerous friends and cotton industry representatives, were in attendance. Publisher Lia Guthrie and Syngenta’s Josh Kelley presented the traditional green jacket and plaque to Briggs. “There are many consultants across the Cotton Belt deserving of this award, and I am very honored to have been chosen as the new member of this brotherhood,” Briggs said upon accepting the award. “It marks a special moment in my career.” The Georgia consultant established Briggs Crop Services Inc. in 2001 after gaining experience in several other consulting positions in Mississippi and Georgia. He is a member and past president of the Georgia Association of Professional Agricultural Consultants and has five full-time men in his company that he counts on every day.

Texan Taps Into Network Of Advisers By Carroll Smith Editor Dimmitt is a small town on the Old Ozark Trail in the Texas Panhandle and is known as the home of bluegrass musicians Smokey, Edd and Herbert Mayfield. Cotton producer Bill Myatt...

ARIZONA There are many decisions made by a grower over the course of a cotton-growing season, but few have as significant and lasting impact on the final outcome of the crop than variety selection. This is a decision that will...

By Carroll Smith Editor The red brick building that stands at 221 North Main St. in Como, Miss., has housed the Taylor family’s business since 1900. What was once a bustling general store with an office tucked in the back is...