Weather

MISSOURI Mike Milam [email protected] HOPE FOR MISSOURI'S COTTON CROP Missouri's cotton harvest finally began in early October. We are still two to three weeks later than normal. Harvest got off to a good start before showers shut us down. One observation is that...

By Jeff Nunley Victoria, Texas You’re in the middle of a 20-year drought, deal with it! Those were the first words of the keynote speaker at our Victoria Farm & Ranch Show a few years ago. It was my good fortune to...

We’re almost to the end of this long 2013 season, and by the time many of you read this issue of Cotton Farming, we’re hopeful that the cotton crop will have been harvested in a timely fashion – even if it was a couple of weeks late. You might say this was another wild roller coaster ride of a season with unpredictable weather in nearly every region except the West.

At this time, our cotton is about two weeks behind our normal development. Much of the cotton growing area has had about six inches of rain or more within the last month, with most of it coming in two weeks. We normally refer to the July and August rains as “million dollar” rains because it helps revive the non-irrigated cotton, and it lowers irrigation costs.

In many areas of the Belt, the cotton crop is somewhat behind schedule this year, requiring producers to make adjustments to their “normal” production practices. Thirty percent of the Web Poll respondents say they have had to deal with adjusting...

In following the old adage, “The glass is half full,” 50 percent of the Web Poll respondents rated their 2013 cotton crop in the excellent-to-good range. However, most of the comments that were entered touch on the challenges that...

Luckey Family In West Tennessee Stays Committed To A Rotation Program That Always Works By Tommy Horton Editor The question is heard across the Cotton Belt today with increasing frequency. What motivates a farmer to keep growing cotton in the face of...

As the 2013 cotton production season drew near, the main topics of conversation across the Belt centered on challenging weather conditions, and, in certain areas, water availability. Missouri cotton specialist Mike Milam reports on page 10, “Cool, wet soils and...

MISSOURI Mike Milam [email protected] PLANTING HAS BEEN DIFFICULT It does not take too much of a reminder to realize that we are not in control. According to the Crop Progress and Condition Report for the week ending May 12, cotton planted was 12...

Nobody ever said it was easy being a crop consultant in eastern Arkansas – mainly because the weather has been downright volatile during the last two years. In 2011, cotton producers in the region were dealing with the Mississippi River and its tributaries flooding to record levels.

BY BRUCE KIRKSEY AGRICENTER INTERNATIONAL MEMPHIS, TENN. I have been involved in agricultural research for more than 25 years. Over these years, we in agriculture have experienced some outstanding new technologies, record yields, adverse weather conditions and many, many challenges. I have...

By Brent Murphreee Maricopa, Ariz. The Third International Lygus Symposium was held in Scottsdale, Ariz., in October and brought together the most important players in lygus research, with an impressive showing by Western cotton pest researchers. The objectives of the previous symposiums...

As part of federal efforts to provide necessary support to those affected by Hurricane Sandy, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has provided $5.3 million in Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program funds...

By Amanda Huber Southeast Editor Consider the old adage, “No news is good news,” as a theme for cotton acreage in the Southeast in 2012. With adequate rainfall and no major problems, producers likely welcomed a low-key year, especially when the...

By Mark Lange NCC President/CEO Because U.S. cotton has become such a highly export-dependent industry, the Sourcing USA Summit’s importance has grown significantly since its initiation more than a decade ago. What is the Summit’s purpose? Since 1999, Cotton Council International, the National...