Cotton Farming November 2020 by One Grower Publishing

Cotton Farming ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC

PROFITABLE PRODUCTION STRATEGIES

NOVEMBER 2020

www.cottonfarming.com

■

60-Inch Rows — Hail Mary Pass At Growing Cotton

■

Consumers Drive Move In California Cotton Sustainability

2021

SEED VARIETY GUIDE

S:7.125"

PHY 400 W3FE

YIELD STRONGER & THRIVE In recent trials,* PhytoGen® brand PHY 400 W3FE simply dominated its strongest competitor, outyielding DP 1646 B2XF by an average of 51 pounds per acre — with higher-quality cotton to boot. And it’s backed by built-in yield stability from PhytoGen Breeding Traits™ and WideStrike® 3 Insect Protection, plus tank-mix flexibility through the use of the Enlist™ weed control system. Now that’s what you call truly elite cottonseed.

Text THRIVE to 35655 for local yield data or visit PhytoGenYields.com. Message and data rates may apply.

Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to opt out or HELP for help. Receive up to 3 msg/mo. of yield data, product information, industry updates and events from PhytoGen alerts. Visit engage.corteva.com/phytogensms for privacy and terms. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. By texting a keyword to the short code 35655, you agree to Corteva Agriscience using your personal information for communications you have opted into receiving. *SeedMatrix data generated 7/28/20 includes 95 proprietary and third-party trials with yield and fiber data from Kansas, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia from 2017-19. ™ ® Trademarks of Corteva Agriscience and its affiliated companies. The Enlist™ weed control system is owned and developed by Dow AgroSciences LLC. © 2020 Corteva. CP38-076-027 (09/20) BR CAAG0PHYG066

Vol. 64 No. 11

Cotton Farming PROFITABLE PRODUCTION STRATEGIES

NOVEMBER 2020

www.cottonfarming.com

FE ATURES

60-INCH COTTON Louisiana farmer Darrell VandeVen describes the Hail Mary pass to keep his favorite crop in the mix.

NORTH CAROLINA UPDATE Guy Collins, North Carolina State University, tells how fall weather affected the widely variable crop.

MORE SUSTAINABLE COTTON Consumers drive the move for California farmers to produce fiber using ecologically sound practices.

2021

SEED VARIETY

WILD HOG CONTROL The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce launches a feral hog trapping initiative.

GUIDE

8 Cream Of The Crop The menu of cotton varieties from which to choose in 2021 includes a host of high-yielding, good quality selections. Check out the roster in Cotton Farming’s Seed Variety Guide. Before placing your order, do your homework and discuss priorities with your consultant and seed representative to match your operation’s needs with outstanding cotton characteristics and traits.

DEPARTMENTS & COLUMNS

4 5 14

Editor’s Note Cotton’s Agenda Industry News

24 28 34

Mid-South Report Specialists Speaking My Turn

ON THE COVER: This impressive drone photo was captured during planting season in Noxubee County, Mississippi. Cover photo by Will Rutland, Mississippi State University.

KEEPING AN EYE ON 2021 South Carolina farmer Lyle Carraway shares his strategy for growing a successful cotton crop.

GINNERS MARKETPLACE

the official publication of the ginning industry Learn why seed cotton moisture is one of the primary keys to help preserve quality.

WEB EXCLUSIVE Learn how a company’s long-term sponsorship renews its commitment to the cotton industry and West Texas agriculture. The region’s agricultural heritage is showcased both indoors and outdoors on a prime site near Lubbock. Go to www.cottonfarming.com for this Web Exclusive report.

Corn Hybrid Preview

CornSouth ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC

Southern Production & Marketing Strategies

A Supplement to Cotton Farming and The Peanut Grower Magazines

November 2020

SUPPLEMENT Look for Corn South following page 26 in the Mid-South and Southeast editions of Cotton Farming. To have industry news and content delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for the monthly e-newsletter at www.cornsouth.com.

COTTON FARMING (ISSN 0746-8385) is published monthly January through December by One Grower Publishing LLC, 875 W. Poplar Ave., Suite 23, Box 305, Collierville, TN 38017. Periodicals postage paid at Memphis, Tennessee, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Omeda Communications, Customer Service Department, P.O. Box 1388, Northbrook, IL 60065-1388 (Phone: 847-559-7578) (Fax: 847-564-9453). Annual subscriptions are $40. International rates are $55 in Canada/Mexico, $90 in all other countries for air-speeded delivery. Surface delivery not available due to problems in reliability.

TWITTER: @COTTONFARMING

NOVEMBER 2020 | COTTON FARMING

Editor’s Note

Cotton Farming

Carroll Smith

EDITORIAL/PRODUCTION Editor Carroll Smith csmith@onegrower.com Managing Editor Vicky Boyd vlboyd@onegrower.com

The Bright Side Of 2020?

n a year that has been described as the “devil’s scourge” by so many if not literally than figuratively, I believe it’s therapeutic to push aside the negative aspects and concentrate on the positives. As I wrapped up this issue of Cotton Farming, it occurred to me that every article in the magazine shines the proverbial “light at the end of the tunnel.” It was not compiled that way by design but rather by the indomitable spirit that permeates our agricultural industry. In the article “60-Inch Rows: Our Hail Mary Pass At Growing Cotton,” Tensas Parish, Louisiana, farmer Darrell VendeVen describes his frustration when he and his brother, Donnie, just couldn’t make the crop turn out profitably for them anymore. In analyzing their operation, Darrell says, “We believed we were checking all the boxes to grow a good crop. For the most part, our soil is well drained, and we irrigate a lot. We have a couple of very good consultants — Steve Crawford and Anthony Pavloff — who help us with every facet of crop production. We have the labor and machinery to get things done in a timely manner. Our yields are consistently on par with other successful growers in our area.” Despite their best efforts, the brothers faced what they perceived as some insurmountable factors that prevented the economics of growing cotton from working out for them — high cost of production and damage from wet weather in the fall. At one point, they became so discouraged they put their picker on the market. It was a dark time when Darrell and Donnie believed they would have to drop cotton from the mix and just grow soybeans, corn and rice. It seemed inevitable. But the VandeVens are bright, innovative farmers who refused to give up on their favorite crop. They have what I describe as “engineering minds” capable of figuring out how to rig up equipment like nobody I’ve ever seen before. Sure enough, early in the year, the brothers came up with a new game plan — a radically different approach to improve the economics of growing cotton in their part of the world. Read about their journey and what they learned in the article on page 8. As Thanksgiving draws near, we are reminded to be thankful for what we have and know that with perseverance, it is possible to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The bright side of 2020 is that it’s almost over, and a new year provides the potential for our industry to shine.

Carroll

Southeast Editor Amanda Huber ahuber@onegrower.com Art Director Ashley Kumpe ADMINISTRATION Publisher/Vice President Lia Guthrie (901) 497-3689 lguthrie@onegrower.com Associate Publisher Carroll Smith (901) 326-4443 Sales Manager Scott Emerson (386) 462-1532 semerson@onegrower.com Production Manager Kathy Killingsworth (901) 767-4020 kkillingsworth@onegrower.com Audience Services Kate Thomas (847) 559-7514 For circulation changes or change of address, call (847) 559-7578 or email cottonfarming@omeda.com EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD David Burns – North Carolina David Lynch – South Carolina Bob McLendon – Georgia Larkin Martin – Alabama Mike Sturdivant Jr. – Mississippi Charles Parker – Missouri Jimmy Hargett – Tennessee Allen Helms – Arkansas Jay Hardwick – Louisiana Ronnie Hopper – Texas Ron Rayner – Arizona John Pucheu – California

ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC Mike Lamensdorf President/Treasurer Lia Guthrie Publisher/Vice President ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COOPERATION: Cooperating with COTTON FARMING are various cotton producer organizations across the Cotton Belt. Many representatives of producer organizations serve on COTTON FARMING’s editorial advisory board. Opinions expressed and conclusions reached by contributors are not necessarily those of the cooperating organizations or the editors. All statements, including product claims, are those of the person or organization making the statement or claim. The publisher does not adopt any such statement or claims as its own and any such statement or claim does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher. Copyright 2020 © ASSOCIATED PUBLICATIONS – One Grower Publishing, LLC also publishes RICE FARMING, THE PEANUT GROWER, SOYBEAN SOUTH and CORN SOUTH.

If you have comments, please send them to: Cotton Farming Magazine, 7201 Eastern Ave., Germantown, TN 38138.

COTTON FARMING | NOVEMBER 2020

One Grower Publishing, LLC

875 W. Poplar Ave., Suite 23, Box 305, Collierville, TN 38017 Phone: 901-767-4020

COTTONFARMING.COM

Cotton’s Agenda Gary Adams

A Virtual Reality The National Cotton Council-coordinated 2021 Beltwide Cotton Conferences will employ a virtual platform to share cutting-edge research results and other timely information for making key production/ marketing-related decisions.

Why the online format?

■■ The BWCC annually brings together univer-

sity/USDA researchers, regulatory agency and Extension personnel/agents, consultants and industry sales/support staff to exchange information about research results, new products and production/processing systems that can be tailored to improve and maximize individual farming operations. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCC will conduct the 2021 forum with live-streamed individual reports/panel discussions/poster presentations from the half-day Cotton Consultants Conference and the 11 cotton technical sessions. Those planning to participate in the Jan. 5-7 virtual event must register at the BWCC’s website, www. cotton.org/beltwide. Conference access details will be emailed to registrants closer to January. Registration fees for the 2021 BWCC have been reduced: $180 for NCC/Cotton Foundation members, university and USDA re s e a rc h e r s , Extension personnel, associations and c onsu lt ant s ; $500 for nonU.S. research, Extension, associations, and consultants; $350 for non-NCC/Foundation members; and $75 for students. Registration will remain open after the conference for on-demand access of all recorded content.

What about the agenda?

■■ The 2021 BWCC final program will be posted

Dec. 3 at www.cotton.org/beltwide. The forum

will begin at 8 a.m. Central Time, Jan. 5, with the half-day Cotton Consultants Conference, which is open to all registered participants. Among topics planned for that session are a National Weather Service discussion of prediction models/long-range forecasting as well as university cotton physiologists describing weather models’ influence on cotton physiology decisions including growth regulator use and leaf shed practices. Environmental Protection Agency officials will review the availability status of dicamba and other plant protection chemistries, and a panel will discuss Bt resistance management and EPA’s new proposed requirements. Participants also will get an update on cotton leafroll dwarf virus and product updates from various agribusiness companies. The 11 BWCC cotton technical conferences, which now include a new Cotton Sustainability Conference, will meet concurrently beginning the afternoon of Jan. 5 and conclude by 5 p.m., Jan. 7. Those sessions will provide updates on research and current/emerging technologies. For example, the USDA Agriculture Research Service recently launched its Partnerships for Data Innovation that uses innovative technologies to: 1) increase data collection efficiency, 2) provide scientists new tools to visualize their data sets and 3) help researchers and producers get the most from their resources. The partnerships cotton program will be introduced in several of the technical sessions to solicit feedback and participation from all cotton production and research sectors. Among the other timely technical reports will be the Cotton Disease Council’s general disease summary; the Sustainability Conference’s updates on the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, microplastics and soil health; and the Ginning Conference’s updates from machinery manufacturers and reports on fiber quality preservation and development of systems to detect and eliminate plastic contamination.

Gary Adams is president/CEO of the National Cotton Council of America. He and other NCC leaders contribute columns on this Cotton Farming magazine page. TWITTER: @COTTONFARMING

NOVEMBER 2020 | COTTON FARMING

YOU’RE DRIVEN TO GROW GREAT COTTON.

It’s important work. And daunting work. For you, growing. For us, protecting. A shared passion for delivering the ‘world’s best’ cotton. For you, there are countless hours spent in the ﬁeld. And late nights running the business. For us, there are countless hours in the greenhouses to ﬁnd the best chemistry. And endless miles on the road to bring expert agronomists and support to you. All so you can focus on doing what you love. Work that must be protected. With best-in-class crop defense from seed to gin. Every acre. Every row. Every seed. Not everyone is cut out for this. But we are. Just like you. Made for this.

WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE DRIVEN TO PROTECT IT.

2021

SEED VARIETY GUIDE

Yield, Quality And Traits

he menu of cotton varieties from which to choose in 2021 includes a host of high-yielding, good quality selections. To help you get started, seed companies from across the Cotton Belt provided information about their headliners on pages 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 in the annual Seed Variety Guide

Variety

Maturity

Micronaire Leaf Type

Staple Length

published by Cotton Farming. Discuss priorities with your consultant and seed representative to match your operationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs with these outstanding characteristics and traits. And then place your order for the upcoming 2021 season with confidence.

G/Tex

Comments

Variety data is based on Beltwide testing except for Pima varieties, which are based on testing in California and Arizona. Ratings are based on 2016 to 2019 Deltapine brand research.

DELTAPINE XtendFlex Cotton DP 1909 XF

early

3.6

smooth

38.2

31.3

Good emergence, excellent fiber package, open-boll-type plant with resistance to bacterial blight for the Texas Panhandle.

DP 1822 XF

early-mid

4.3

semi-smooth

38.0

30.4

Good tough-acre performance potential with excellent fiber properties and resistance to bacterial blight. Works well in Texas.

Bollgard 3 XtendFlex Cotton DP 2012 B3XF

early

4.3

smooth

38.3

30.6

Yield potential and fiber quality like DP 1646 B2XF in an early maturity with bacterial blight resistance.

DP 2020 B3XF

early-mid

4.3

semi-smooth

38.8

30.9

Broadly adapted, offering high yield potential and excellent fiber qualities with bacterial blight resistance.

DP 2022 B3XF

early-mid

4.3

semi-smooth

37.7

30.3

Bred for the Northern High Plains, with good seedling vigor and bacterial blight resistance.

DP 2038 B3XF

mid

4.5

semi-smooth

38.8

32.5

Outstanding yield potential, good fiber quality with bacterial blight resistance and broadly adapted.

DP 2044 B3XF

mid

3.6

semi-smooth

38.8

32.5

Bred for the dryland fields in West Texas, offering excellent seedling vigor and bacterial blight resistance.

DP 2055 B3XF

full

4.5

smooth

39.5

30.7

Adapted for full-season markets across the Belt with high yield potential and outstanding fiber quality potential.

DP 1908 B3XF

early

3.4

smooth

38.4

31.6

Excellent fiber length and good fiber length, above-average emergence with resistance to bacterial blight for the Texas Panhandle.

DP 1916 B3XF

early-mid

4.5

smooth

37.5

30.9

Open-boll-type plant adapted for the Upper Mid-South and Southeast regions, with good vigor and fiber qualities.

DP 1948 B3XF

mid-full

4.2

semi-smooth

39.0

31.2

Yield potential on par with DP 1646 B2XF with an excellent fiber package adapted to the South Texas and South Rolling Plains regions.

DP 1820 B3XF

early-mid

4.0-4.5

semi-smooth

39.0

30.6-32.7

Excellent fiber length, micronaire and strength, plus resistance to bacterial blight. Works well in West Texas, the Upper Mid-South and Southeast.

DP 1840 B3XF

mid-full

4.0

smooth

39.0-39.2

30.7

Comparable to DP 1538 B2XF, with potential fiber quality advantage over DP 1725 B2XF and bacterial blight resistance. Works well in the Southeast and Carolinas.

DP 1845 B3XF

mid-full

3.8-4.2

semi-smooth

39.5-40.4

30.1-32.4

Yield potential similar (in Texas) to DP 1646 B2XF and fiber length equal to DP 1646 B2XF. Works well in Texas and the Lower Mid-South.

DP 1851 B3XF

full

4.6

smooth

38.4

31.8

Excellent combination of yield and fiber quality potential. Best fit in the Lower MidSouth, Carolinas and Southeast.

New varieties for 2021 in blue

COTTON FARMING | NOVEMBER 2020

COTTONFARMING.COM

Variety

Maturity

Micronaire Leaf Type

Staple Length

G/Tex

Comments

DELTAPINE (continued) Bollgard II XtendFlex Cotton DP 1823NR B2XF

early-mid

4.1

semi-smooth

37.8

30.1

Root-knot nematode-resistant variety with excellent fiber quality, staple and strength as well as low micronaire. Works well in the Upper Mid-South.

DP 1725 B2XF

early-mid

4.1-4.5

semi-smooth

35.5-39.9

29.1-30.9

Early to mid-maturity variety. Broad fit in Mid-South, Southeast and South Texas. Easy to manage with PGRs. Lower micronaire to avoid high-micronaire discounts.

DP 1612 B2XF

early

4.3-4.6

light-hairy

36.3-37.5

30.3-33.1

Early maturity variety with excellent fiber quality potential and seedling vigor.

DP 1646 B2XF

mid-full

4.1-4.5

smooth

37.7-39.4

29.2-31.1

Mid- to full-maturity variety with a broad fit across full-season environments. Excellent yield potential and fiber properties.

DP 1518 B2XF

early

4.0-4.3

light-hairy

36.6-37.1

28.6-30.6

Early maturity variety that is adapted to high-yield, short-season environments. Responds to irrigation, high-end management and PGR applications.

DP 1522 B2XF

early-mid

4.3-4.9

semi-smooth

35.5-37.2

29.8-32.2

Early to mid-maturity variety with good yield and fiber quality potential. Aggressive growth will require timely PGR management.

DP 1549 B2XF

full

3.9-4.4

semi-smooth

35.1-36.7

29.5-31.4

Full-season variety with performance potential on par with DP 1044 B2RF, especially on dryland fields and fields with limited water for irrigation.

mid-full

4.2

hairy

48.0

42.8

Roundup Ready Flex Pima variety with a great combination of yield potential and Pima quality. Has shown excellent tolerance to Fusarium Race 4.

Pima Cotton DP 348 RF Pima

NEXGEN Bollgard 3 XtendFlex Cotton NG 2982 B3XF

early

4.0-4.2

semi-smooth

36-37

31-33

Early, short, compact variety that packs a tremendous yield punch. Extremely stormproof and easy to manage. Very well adapted for the Plains of Texas to Kansas.

NG 3930 B3XF

early-med

4.1-4.5

semi-smooth

37-38

29-30

Widely adapted early-med maturing variety with a great disease package and excels on most soil types in dryland or limited water scenarios.

NG 3956 B3XF

early-med

4.3-4.7

semi-smooth

36-37

30-31

Early-med stripper cotton ideal for Plains of Texas to Kansas. Unsurpassed storm tolerance and best-in-class seedling vigor!

NG 3994 B3XF

early-med

4.3-4.9

semi-smooth

37-38

30-31

Excellent yield potential, well suited across the Belt! Responds well to irrigation and PGRs. Easily managed with extremely high turnout!

NG 4098 B3XF

medium

4.3-4.5

semi-smooth

38-39

33-35

New for 2020! Outstanding staple and overall fiber quality! Widely adapted and very easily managed. Excellent heat tolerance and very good disease package to protect yield potential.

NG 4936 B3XF

medium

4.1-4.5

smooth

37-39

29-31

Top-end yield potential with an excellent fiber package. Performs very well anywhere a medium-maturity variety is preferred across the Cotton Belt.

NG 5711 B3XF

med-full

4.1-4.5

smooth

37-39

30-32

High yield and outstanding fiber quality variety with best-in-class disease package. Wide adaptability and easy to manage for a growthy plant.

Bollgard II XtendFlex Cotton NG 3406 B2XF

early-med

4.4-4.6

semi-smooth

36-37

29-31

Excellent yield and fiber quality. Extremely widely adapted.

NG 3517 B2XF

early-med

4.0-4.7

smooth

36-37

32-33

High yield potential and excellent fiber quality.

NG 3522 B2XF

early-med

4.4-4.6

smooth

35-36

27-28

Proven performer in Southeast and Delta Regions. Extremely tough for maturity class.

NG 3729 B2XF

early-med

4.4-4.6

semi-smooth

37-38

30-32

Top-end yield potential for the early-med maturity class broadly adapted across multiple soil types and environments.

NG 4545 B2XF

medium

4.0-4.7

smooth

36-37

32-33

Excellent variety for all scenarios across Texas South Plains and Oklahoma. Excellent vigor and disease tolerance to Verticillium wilt and bacterial blight.

NG 4777 B2XF

medium

4.0-4.7

smooth

37-38

32-34

Widely adapted, high yield and outstanding quality variety with excellent disease package.

NG 5007 B2XF

med-full

4.3-4.6

smooth

36-38

28-30

Excellent yield potential and fiber quality. Outstanding, consistent performer across the Belt!

NG 3500 XF

early-med

3.7-4.6

smooth

36-37

31-32

Widely adapted to the Plains of Texas and Southwest Oklahoma. Proven disease tolerance, yield and quality are reasons growers choose this variety year after year.

NG 4050 XF

medium

4.4-4.8

semi-smooth

36-38

30-31

New for 2020! Medium maturing XtendFlex-only variety with excellent fiber quality. Well-suited to the Plains of Texas. Excellent staple length while keeping good stormproofness.

NG 4792 XF

medium

3.7-4.6

smooth

36-37

32-33

Widely adapted to South and Rolling Plains of Texas in an indeterminate growing variety. Outstanding disease package.

4.5-4.9

smooth

37-39

36-38

University of Arkansas variety. Exceptional fiber quality with yield potential to match in a conventional variety.

XtendFlex Cotton

Americot Conventional Cotton AM UA48

early

New varieties for 2021 in blue

TWITTER: @COTTONFARMING

NOVEMBER 2020 | COTTON FARMING

Variety

Maturity

Micronaire Leaf Type

Staple Length

G/Tex

Comments

PHYTOGEN Upland PHY 312 WRF

early-mid

4.4

light-hairy

1.18/38

31.8

Superior yield potential and seedling vigor in an early to mid-maturing variety with excellent fiber quality. Long staple and lower micronaire.

PHY 330 W3FE

early-mid

4.4

light-hairy

1.18/38

31.9

High-yielding, broadly adapted variety featuring the Enlist cotton trait and WideStrike 3 Insect Protection. Early to mid-maturity with superb fiber quality, including lower micronaire.

PHY 340 W3FE

early-mid

4.5

light-hairy

1.17/37

31.5

Early to mid-maturing variety featuring the Enlist cotton trait and WideStrike 3 Insect Protection. Superior yields with excellent fiber quality, lower micronaire.

PHY 350 W3FE

early-mid

4.6

semi-smooth

1.18/38

31.9

High RKN resistance with broad adaptation across the Cotton Belt.

PHY 360 W3FE

early-mid

4.5

semi-smooth

1.17/37

29.5

High-yielding W3FE variety with PhytoGen Breeding Traits for root-knotnematode resistance and bacterial blight resistance.

PHY 390 W3FE

early-mid

4.2

semi-smooth

1.17/37

31.1

High-yielding, mid-maturing variety adapted to the South Delta featuring the Enlist cotton trait, WideStrike 3 Insect Protection with bacterial blight and twogene RKN resistance. Excellent seedling vigor.

PHY 400 W3FE

mid

4.3

semi-smooth

1.18/37

31.5

Mid-maturing, medium height, semi-smooth leaf variety with PhytoGen Breeding Traits for bacterial blight and RKN resistance. This top-yielder fits and performs well on both irrigated and nonirrigated land and responds very well to plant growth regulators. Very manageable and responds well to higher inputs and productive soils. Excellent seedling vigor.

PHY 430 W3FE

mid

4.5

light-hairy

1.14/36

32.6

High-yielding, mid-maturing variety featuring the Enlist cotton trait and WideStrike 3 Insect Protection. PhytoGen Breeding Traits for resistance to bacterial blight.Â

PHY 440 W3FE

mid-full

4.1

smooth

1.22/39

34.6

Mid-maturing variety with the Enlist cotton trait and WideStrike 3 Insect Protection. Industry leading fiber quality package with high-yield potential. PhytoGen Breeding Traits for resistance to bacterial blight and RKN.

PHY 444 WRF

mid-full

4.1

smooth

1.24/40

32.7

Exceptional fiber quality package, including Acala-like staple and lower micronaire. High-yield potential in a widely adapted mid- to full-maturing variety.

PHY 480 W3FE

mid

4.4

semi-smooth

1.16/37

32.3

Superior yield potential with excellent fiber quality. Mid-maturing variety featuring the Enlist cotton trait and WideStrike 3 Insect Protection. PhytoGen Breeding Traits include bacterial blight and two-gene RKN resistance. Broadly adapted across the Mid-South/Southeast.

PHY 490 W3FE

full

4.5

semi-smooth

1.16/37

31.7

Mid-maturing variety with high yield potential and seedling vigor. W3FE provides full tolerance to 2,4-D choline, glyphosate and glufosinate herbicides. Verticillium wilt tolerance.

PHY 500 W3FE

mid-full

4.5

smooth

1.16/37

31.7

One of the most consistent varieties available. Broad adaptation, fits across a wide range of soil types from the Mid-Atlantic to the Southeast and across West Texas. Top-yielder with excellent fiber characteristics, including micronaire, strength and staple. PhytoGen Breeding Traits include bacterial blight and RKN resistance.

PHY 530 W3FE

full

4.6

semi-smooth

1.14/36

Aggressive growing full-season variety adapted to the lower Southeast. Features the Enlist cotton trait and WideStrike 3 Insect Protection. PhytoGen Breeding Traits include bacterial blight and RKN resistance.

PHY 580 W3FE

full

4.5

semi-smooth

1.14/36

31.7

Superior yield potential with excellent fiber quality. Full-season variety featuring the Enlist cotton trait and WideStrike 3 Insect Protection. PhytoGen Breeding Traits include bacterial blight and RKN resistance. Adapted to full-season environments in the Mid-South and Southeast.

Southwest Plains Upland

PHY 210 W3FE

early

4.2

smooth

36.8

31.3

Early maturing variety with excellent storm tolerance and excellent Verticillium wilt tolerance.

PHY 250 W3FE

early

4.1

smooth

37.1

31.1

High-yield potential, early maturing W3FE variety selected for the Northern High Plains for its storm tolerance, earliness and consistency. Stable micronaire. Excellent Verticillium wilt tolerance and smooth leaves.

PHY 300 W3FE

early-mid

4.1

semi-smooth

36.2

30.1

Broadly adapted, early to mid-maturing W3FE variety with outstanding yield potential from dryland to good irrigation capacities. Has excellent storm tolerance and semi-smooth leaves.

PHY 320 W3FE

early

4.1

semi-smooth

36.2

30.9

Early mid-maturing, highly RKN resistant variety with high fiber strength and good Verticillium wilt tolerance.

PHY 350 W3FE

early-mid

4.2

semi-smooth

36.8

30.0

Early to mid-maturing, highly RKN-resistant variety with broad adaptation and excellent Verticillium wilt tolerance.

COTTON FARMING | NOVEMBER 2020

COTTONFARMING.COM

Variety

Maturity

Micronaire Leaf Type

Staple Length

G/Tex

Comments

PHYTOGEN (continued) PHY 394 W3FE

early-mid

3.8

semi-smooth

37.8

30.1

Excellent seedling vigor and excellent Verticillium wilt tolerance. Resistant to bacterial blight. Broadly adapted, and responds to moderate-to-good water.

PHY 400 W3FE

early-mid

3.9

semi-smooth

36.2

31.0

PHY 440 W3FE

mid

3.7

smooth

37.8

32.2

Mid-maturing W3FE variety with excellent fiber quality and high resistance to RKN.

PHY 480 W3FE

mid

3.9

semi-smooth

36.5

30.2

Industry leading RKN resistance in mid-maturing W3FE variety with very good fiber quality and yield stability.

PHY 490 W3FE

mid

4.1

semi-smooth

36.5

31.8

Mid-maturing variety selected for high yield potential and seedling vigor. Adapted to Oklahoma, Rolling Plains and dryland to light irrigation capacity fields on the Southern High Plains.

PHY 500 W3FE

mid-full

4.0

smooth

36.2

32.3

PHY 580 W3FE

full

4.3

semi-smooth

36.2

30.9

Superior yield potential with excellent fiber quality. Full-season variety featuring the Enlist cotton trait and WideStrike 3 Insect Protection. PhytoGen Breeding Traits include bacterial blight and two-gene RKN resistance. Adapted to full-season environments in the Mid-South and Southeast.

mid

4.2

semi-smooth

1.22/39

36.5

Broadly adapted Acala variety with exceptional yield potential and staple length. Featuring WideStrike 3 Insect Protection.

PHY 881 RF

early-mid

4.5

semi-hairy

1.49/48

46.2

Broadly adapted medium- to full-statured Pima variety. Provides high-yield potential with the ability to yield up to 9% higher than PHY 805 RF. Tolerant to Fusarium Race 4.

PHY 888 RF

full

4.8

semi-hairy

1.49/48

46.5

Full-season, full-statured, Pima variety that provides improved yield potential on marginal or tough soil types. Roundup Ready and tolerant to Fusarium Race 4.

Acala PHY 764 WRF

Pima

ARMOR SEED Bollgard II XtendFlex Cotton ARMOR 3475 B2XF

early

4.5-4.8

semi-smooth

37-39

29-30

Widely adapted to short-season environments on both dryland and irrigated acres. Intermediate plant type with excellent seedling emergence and early season vigor. May require PGRs in short-season environments. Not recommended for high Verticillium wilt acres. Average seed size: 4,700 seeds per pound.

ARMOR 3527 B2XF

early-mid

4.4-4.8

semi-smooth

36-38

29-31

Best adapted to Northern Cotton Belt. Late-season tolerance to Verticillium wilt. May require PGRs in short-season environments. Best positioned on highly managed, highly productive fields. Average seed size: 5,600 seeds per pound.

ARMOR 3885 B2XF

full

4.3-4.5

smooth

36-38

29-30

Full maturity with broad adaptation to full-season environments. Plant type is more indeterminate and vigorous in good growing conditions. Aggressive and early PGR management is suggested. Best adapted to lighter and mixed soils. Average seed size: 5,600 seeds per pound.

Bollgard 3 XtendFlex Cotton ARMOR 9598 B3XF

mid

4.3-4.7

smooth

37-39

31-34

Medium maturity; well-adapted to western Texas and Oklahoma. Excellent late-season plant health due to Verticillium wilt and bacterial blight tolerance. Compact growth but may require PGR management in ideal conditions. Welladapted across different yield environments from top end to stress acres. Average seed size: 5,100 seeds per pound.

ARMOR 9608 B3XF

mid

4.5-4.6

semi-smooth

36-38

29-32

Medium maturity with high yield potential; adapted to the Southeast, MidSouth and South Texas. Attractive intermediate plant type. Use moderate levels of PGR management. Fits many soil types and yield levels but best suited to loams and heavier soils. Average seed size: 5,400 seeds per pound.

ARMOR 9210 B3XF

early-mid

4.5-4.8

smooth

37-38

30-32

Adapted for both dryland and irrigated early-mid maturity market. Very good emergence and early season vigor for quick, consistent establishment. Very good disease package: bacterial blight resistance and Verticillium wilt tolerance. Moderately responsive to PGR management, resulting in an easier-to-control plant growth. Excellent fiber package paired with outstanding yield performance. Average seed size: 5,100 seeds per pound.

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NOVEMBER 2020 | COTTON FARMING

Variety

Maturity

Micronaire Leaf Type

Staple Length

G/Tex

Comments

FM 1621GL

early

4.4

semi-hairy

1.14

30.7

Fits High Plains areas. Excellent yield, high gin turnout. Root-knot nematode tolerance, bacterial blight resistance.

FM 1830 GLT

early-mid

smooth

1.21

Consistent high performance in the Western Cotton Belt. Excellent disease package delivers very good Verticillium wilt tolerance and bacterial blight resistance. Excellent yield potential, high gin turnout, outstanding fiber package.

FM 1888GL

early-mid

3.8

semi-smooth

1.17

30.3

High-yield option with only the herbicide traits growers need. Resists bacterial blight. Tolerates storms to deliver outstanding yield potential, high gin turnout.

FM 1911GLT

early-mid

3.7

semi-smooth

1.17

29.8

Surpasses parent FM 2011GT with a broad-spectrum disease package. Bacterial blight resistance. Very good tolerance to root-knot nematode, Fusarium wilt and Verticillium wilt. Flexible in-season weed control and worm protection.

FM 1953GLTP

early-mid

semi-smooth

1.18

30.5

Consistently delivers excellent yield potential and fiber quality, regardless of the environment. Bred for harsh conditions. Shows good early season vigor, excellent heat tolerance and resistance to bacterial blight.

FM 2202GL

mid

4.6

semi-smooth

1.11

32.2

Consistent high-yield potential in the Western Cotton Belt. Excellent disease package delivers outstanding Verticillium wilt tolerance and bacterial blight resistance.

FM 2322GL

mid

3.8

semi-smooth

1.18

30.2

High yield and excellent fiber quality potential on irrigated or dryland even under pressure from Verticillium wilt. With outstanding tolerance to drought and to Verticillium wilt, FM 2322GL is a go-to variety throughout the Southwest.

FM 2334GLT

mid

3.9

semi-smooth

1.21

29.9

Dryland variety. Performs well under disease pressure. Similar to FM 1830GLT with slightly longer maturity, bacterial blight resistance and very good Verticillium wilt tolerance. Good tolerance to Fusarium Race 4 in California and the El Paso area.

FM 2398GLTP

mid

4.6

semi-smooth

1.14

30.4

Excellent yield and great fiber quality potential. Bacterial blight resistance, very good tolerance to Verticillium wilt.

FM 2498GLT

mid

4.5

semi-smooth

1.15

29.6

Excellent yield potential, bacterial blight resistance, very good tolerance to Verticillium wilt and very good fiber quality potential. Adapted to the High Plains, Rolling Plains, Oklahoma, South Texas and East Texas.

FIBERMAX FiberMax Cotton

STONEVILLE Stoneville Cotton ST 4480B3XF

early-mid

4.3

semi-smooth

1.18

Adapted to Oklahoma, Kansas, West Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi and Northern Alabama. Bacterial blight resistance, very good fiber package and very good storm tolerance.

ST 4990B3XF

early-mid

4.6

semi-smooth

1.18

30.8

Adapted to the Eastern Cotton Belt, East and South Texas, the Rolling Plains, the Southern Plains, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona. Performs well in high-yielding environments, has a good fiber package, is easy to manage.

ST 5600B2XF

mid-full

4.9

semi-smooth

1.17

32.2

Adapted to the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Delta, South Texas, West Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Outstanding yield potential, good fiber package and root-knot nematode resistance.

ST 5610B3XF

mid-full

4.5

smooth

1.15

31.4

Adapted to the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Southwest and West. Irrigated or non-irrigated fit, good emergence and high lint percent.

ST 5707B2XF

mid-full

4.5

semi-smooth

1.15

32.3

Fits West Texas and Eastern New Mexico dryland and limited irrigation production. Rugged early season vigor, bacterial blight resistance.

ST 4550GLTP

early-mid

4.6

hairy

1.16

32.5

Adapted to the Eastern Cotton Belt, South Texas and East Texas. Outstanding yield potential, exceptional fiber package with a medium to tall height.

ST 4946GLB2

early-mid

4.4

semi-smooth

1.15

31.5

Excellent choice for fields with root-knot nematode pressure. Consistently performs well across the Cotton Belt. Exceptional yield potential for high returns.

ST 5471GLTP

mid

4.4

smooth

1.16

31.5

Adapted to the Eastern Cotton Belt, South Texas and East Texas. Bacterial blight resistant, excellent emergence, outstanding yield potential, smooth leaf and very good Verticillium wilt tolerance.

SEED SOURCE GENETICS Conventional Cotton

SSG UA 107

early

4.5-4.9

smooth

35-39

30-33

Tall plant, widely adapted. Disease resistance: bacterial blight, Fusarium wilt. Tolerant to Verticillium wilt and tarnished plant bugs. Good supply in 2021.

SSG UA 114

early

4.5-4.9

medium-hairy

35-39

30-33

Widely adapted. Disease resistance: bacterial blight, Fusarium wilt. Tolerant to Verticillium wilt and tarnished plant bugs. Good supply in 2021.

SSG HQ210CT

mid-early

4.5-4.8

smooth

35-37

28-30

Smooth-leaf picker type.

SSG UA 222

mid-early

4.0-4.5

semi-smooth

36-39

29-33

Widely adapted, high-yielding picker type. Disease resistance: bacterial blight, Fusarium wilt. Tolerant to Verticillium wilt and tarnished plant bugs.

SSG UA 248

early

4.62

slightly hairy

36-39

33.2

SSG UA 248 yielded 1,095 lbs/A compared to the yield of SSG UA 48 of 997 lbs/A at four sites in Arkansas â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a 10% increase. This equals about $55 per acre at a lint price of 55 cents per pound.

COTTON FARMING | NOVEMBER 2020

COTTONFARMING.COM

Variety

Maturity

Micronaire Leaf Type

Staple Length

G/Tex

Comments

DYNA-GRO Bollgard II XtendFlex Cotton DG 3109 B2XF

very early

4.3-4.7

semi-smooth

1.12-1.14

31-33

Best adapted to short-season environments or late planting. Medium plant height. Best fit on moderate to high irrigation.

DG 3385 B2XF

early

4.3-4.7

semi-smooth

1.11-1.15

29-32

Adapted to Texas, Arizona, Mid-South, Upper Southeast and East Coast. Very good storm tolerance and early season vigor. Very good irrigated or dryland. Best performance on silt loams. Manage early with plant growth regulators.

DG 3450 B2XF

medium

4.2-4.7

smooth

1.15-1.20

29-34

Bacterial blight resistance with a good fiber package. Excellent storm tolerance. Best fits West Texas, West Oklahoma and Southwest Kansas.

DG 3544 B2XF

medium

4.5-4.9

smooth

1.15-1.19

30-34

Adapted to Texas and the Southeast. Very good tolerance to Verticillium wilt and bacterial blight. Use in dryland or ample irrigation production systems.

DG 3605 B2XF

med-full

4.1-4.6

smooth

1.18-1.26

29-32

Best in irrigated river valleys of Texas and Mid-South/Delta. Medium to tall plant type. Good fiber length.

DG 3635 B2XF

med-full

4.2-4.6

semi-smooth

1.12-1.16

31-35

Recommended for Texas, Delta and Southeast regions. Medium plant height. May require additional PGR applications under high-input scenarios.

Bollgard 3 XtendFlex Cotton DG 3317 B3XF

early

4.6-4.8

semi-smooth

1.19-1.21

30-31

Best adapted to the Upper Mid-South and Carolina regions. Medium plant height. Irrigated as well as dryland performance.

DG 3402 B3XF

early-med

4.0-4.4

smooth

1.21-1.23

30-31

Broadly adaptable to Texas and the Southeast. Excellent seedling vigor and fiber quality with bacterial blight resistance. Excellent storm tolerance.

DG 3421 B3XF

early-med

3.9-4.3

semi-smooth

1.19-1.23

29-31

Root-knot nematode and reniform nematode tolerance. Broadly adapted to Texas and the Southeast. Good fiber quality with excellent storm tolerance.

DG 3427 B3XF

early-med

4.4-4.7

semi-smooth

1.15-1.17

30-31

Responds best in the Delta, Coastal Plains and Carolina environments. Medium to tall plant height. Aggressive PGR management recommended.

DG 3456 B3XF

early-med

4.4-4.7

smooth

1.14-1.17

27-28

Broadly adapted across the Cotton Belt. Medium plant height with a solid fiber package. Aggressive PGR management recommended.

DG 3470 B3XF

early-med

4.6-4.8

semi-smooth

1.16-1.19

30-31

B3XF version of DG 2570 B2RF. Broadly adaptable across U.S. Southern Cotton Belt. Medium to tall plant height. Very good seedling vigor.

DG 3520 B3XF

medium

3.9-4.1

semi-smooth

1.21-1.23

31-32

Fits Lower Carolinas, Delta and Texas areas. Medium plant height with bacterial blight resistance. Excellent storm tolerance.

DG 3535 B3XF

medium

4.6-4.8

semi-smooth

1.16-1.18

28-30

Broadly adapted across the Cotton Belt. Outstanding performance on both irrigated and dryland ground. Medium plant height with a good fiber package. Aggressive PGR management recommended.

DG 3555 B3XF

medium

3.8-4.2

semi-smooth

1.28-1.30

30-32

Adapted to Texas and the Delta. Excellent Verticillium wilt tolerance and bacterial blight resistance. Excellent fiber quality and seedling vigor.

DG 3570 B3XF

medium

4.3-4.6

semi-smooth

1.16-1.19

29-31

B3XF version of DG 2570 B2RF. Broadly adaptable across U.S. Southern Cotton Belt on irrigated as well as dryland acres. Medium to tall plant height. Very good seedling vigor.

DG 3615 B3XF

med-full

4.2-4.5

smooth

1.17-1.23

31-33

Excellent seedling vigor and storm tolerance combined with Verticillium wilt tolerance and bacterial blight resistance. Adapted to Texas, Delta and Southeast environments.

DG 3753 B3XF

full

4.0-4.2

smooth

1.20-1.23

30-32

Best grown in Lower Southeast and Delta regions. Tall plant type that should be managed aggressively with PGRs. Very good fiber strength and length.

DG 3799 B3XF

full

4.5-4.7

smooth

1.15-1.20

31-33

Best grown in Lower-Southeast and Delta regions. Very full-season maturity. Bacterial blight resistance and Verticillium wilt tolerance. Manage tall plant type aggressively with PGRs. Very good fiber strength and good length.

DG H929 B3XF

early

4.2-4.5

semi-smooth

1.13-1.16

30-31

Enhanced with Halo salt tolerance. Adapted to West Texas and similar environments with saline soil types. Good storm tolerance with bacterial blight resistance and good Verticillium wilt tolerance.

DG H959 B3XF

medium

4.2-4.5

semi-smooth

1.16-1.20

30-32

Enhanced with Halo salt tolerance. Good seedling vigor. Adapted to Southern Cotton Belt and the Carolinas. Good storm tolerance with bacterial blight resistance and good Verticillium wilt tolerance.

GlyTol LibertyLink TwinLink DG 1602 GLT

med-full

4.4-4.8

semi-smooth

1.14-1.18

30-34

Best fit in the Delta and the Southeast. Semi-smooth leaf with medium to medium-tall plant type.

DG 1702 GLT

med-full

4.4-4.8

smooth

1.16-1.20

30-34

Best placed in the Carolinas. Excellent seedling vigor with dryland as well as irrigated performance.

New varieties for 2021 in blue

TWITTER: @COTTONFARMING

NOVEMBER 2020 | COTTON FARMING

TRAIT STEWARDSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES NOTICE TO FARMERS Monsanto Company is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship® (ETS). Monsanto products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance with Monsanto’s Policy for Commercialization of Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in Commodity Crops. Commercialized products have been approved for import into key export markets with functioning regulatory systems. Any crop or material produced from this product can only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries where all necessary regulatory approvals have been granted. It is a violation of national and international law to move material containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Growers should talk to their grain handler or product purchaser to conﬁrm their buying position for this product. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. It is a violation of federal and state law to use any pesticide product other than in accordance with its labeling. NOT ALL formulations of dicamba, glyphosate or glufosinate are approved for in-crop use with XtendFlex® Cotton. ONLY USE FORMULATIONS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY LABELED FOR SUCH USES AND APPROVED FOR SUCH USE IN THE STATE OF APPLICATION. Contact the U.S. EPA and your state pesticide regulatory agency with any questions about the approval status of dicamba herbicide products for in-crop use with XtendFlex® Cotton. B.t. products may not yet be registered in all states. Check with your representative for the registration status in your state. Roundup Ready® Technology contains genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate. Products with XtendFlex® Technology contains genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, glufosinate and dicamba. Glyphosate will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. Glufosinate will kill crops that are not tolerant to glufosinate. Dicamba will kill crops that are not tolerant to dicamba. Contact your seed brand dealer or refer to the Bayer Technology Use Guide for recommended weed control programs. Insect control technology provided by Vip3A is utilized under license from Syngenta Crop Protection AG. Bollgard®, Respect the Refuge and Cotton Design® and XtendFlex® are trademarks of Bayer Group. LibertyLink® and the Water Droplet Design® are registered trademarks of BASF. Agrisure Viptera® is a trademark of a Syngenta Group Company. Excellence Through Stewardship® is a registered trademark of Excellence Through Stewardship. All other products, company names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Industry News Changes To Tractor Series Models Increase Productivity Case IH is launching improvements to its Puma series tractors — models 185, 200, 220 and 240 — to enhance the efficiency, comfort and convenience. From an updated hood with new styling to increased service intervals and enhanced drivability, the new features aim to improve the operator’s experience and boost productivity. Updates to the Model Year 2021 Puma series tractors include:  Increased service intervals to maximize efficiency and uptime.  Redesigned hood with enhanced LED work lights to provide a uniformly lit work area to help operators safely tackle after-hour jobs.  Drivability improvements for the optional CVXDrive continuously variable transmission.  In-cab cool box feature for enhanced comfort.  Redesigned optional front hitch.  Low-mount wiper for maximum visibility in any conditions. Updated Puma models 185, 200, 220 and 240 are now available to order. Model Year 2021 Puma 150 and 165 tractors with updates, including longer service intervals and refreshed styling, will be available March 2021. For more information, contact your local Case IH dealer or visit www.caseih.com.

PCCA Elects New Officers

Before opening a bag of seed, be sure to read, understand and accept the stewardship requirements, including applicable refuge requirements for insect resistance management, for the biotechnology traits expressed in the seed as set forth in the Bayer Technology/Stewardship Agreement that you sign. By opening and using a bag of seed, you are reafﬁrming your obligation to comply with the most recent stewardship requirements. 14

COTTON FARMING | NOVEMBER 2020

Lubbock, Texas-based Plains Cotton Cooperative Association Board of Directors has elected Dahlen Hancock of Home, Texas, as its new chairman. The board elected Springlake, Texas, grower Lexie Fennell as vice chairman. Eddie Smith of Floydada, Texas, has served on PCCA’s board since 1986 and was board chairman beginning in 2004. Smith remains on the board representing PCCA’s District 4. “It’s been a privilege to serve as chairman for the past 16 years,” Smith says. “The time was right for a new chairman to help guide PCCA into the future. I look forward to Dahlen’s leadership of our board.”

Hancock, a fourth-generation producer, has represented PCCA’s District 7 since 2016. He has served as a director and chairman of New Home Co-op Gin; Lubbock County business director for Plains Cotton Growers; past chairman of Cotton Incorporated; and past president and chairman of Cotton Council International. He’s also a National Cotton Council delegate, serving on the organization’s U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol board and was a member of the first class of the NCC’s Policy Education Program in 1999. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve PCCA as chairman of the board,” Hancock says. “Through Cotton Incorporated and Cotton Council International, I have had the opportunity to see cotton’s global value chain firsthand. That perspective should be helpful in guiding our cooperative toward creating maximum value for its members. “We want to thank Eddie Smith for his strong leadership of our board. His steady hand has helped PCCA maintain its focus on serving our grower-owners and customers.” The board reelected other officers, including Kevin Brinkley, president and CEO; Sam Hill, treasurer; and Greg Bell, corporate secretary.

EPA Registers Low-Use-Rate Insecticide From FMC The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently registered Vantacor insect control from FMC Corp. for use on an array of crops including soybeans, corn, cotton, peanuts, potatoes, sweet corn, sugarcane and onions. Vantacor is a highly concentrated formulation of Rynaxypyr branded active, which offers long residual control of Lepidopteran pests. The actual active ingredient is chlorantraniliprole, an Insect Resistance Action Committee Group 28. Vantacor offers the same pest spectrum and activity as Prevathon insecticide but with a much lower use rate, typically 0.7-2.0 fluid ounces per acre compared to 14-20 fluid ounces per acre. It also offers extended residual control of key worm species, reducing the need for multiple applications per season. “All the things growers know and love about Prevathon insect control, including Continued on page 18 COTTONFARMING.COM

60-Inch Rows: Our Hail Mary Pass At Growing Cotton BY DARRELL VANDEVEN

hen we started picking cotton in the fall of 2019, my brother, Donnie, and I finally faced the reality that the crop just wasn’t working for us anymore. Our cost of production was too high, and the price we usually received was too low for the numbers to pencil out. We seriously considered quitting it altogether and just growing corn, soybeans and rice. We even went as far as putting our picker on the market. As harvest progressed, we went back and forth almost daily on our plans going forward. We enjoy growing cotton. We prefer being diversified and didn’t really like the idea of dropping a crop from our mix. We like the fact that cotton creates more commerce for local businesses associated with inputs — seed, chemicals, fertilizer, fuel, aerial applicators, etc. — needed to grow and produce it. And the infrastructure associated with cotton, such as gins and warehouses, employs more full-time and seasonal workers than grain elevators do. Pros And Cons

But our challenges with growing cotton profitably have been gradually getting worse for the past 12 years or so. We believed we were checking all the boxes to grow a good crop. For the

COTTON FARMING | NOVEMBER 2020

most part, our soil is well-drained, and we irrigate a lot. We have a couple of very good consultants — Steve Crawford and Anthony Pavloff — who help us with every facet of crop production. We have the labor and machinery to get things done in a timely manner. Our yields are consistently on par with other successful growers in our area. All of those factors are supposed to make cotton work, but there are problems. Northeast Louisiana has some of the worst insect pressure of any cotton-growing region in the world. Our mild winters enable pests to thrive. Even with a good integrated pest management strategy, we spend a fortune each year and still incur a lot of insect damage. Another challenge is that all too often we’ve had an excellent crop on the stalk Aug. 1 only to see a tropical system take a big percentage of it from us. It doesn’t even have to be a hurricane; a week of rainy weather in August will do a lot of damage in the form of boll rot and hard lock. We’ve seen many 1,400-pound crops become 1,100-pound crops in a matter of a few soggy days. A New Game Plan

We ultimately decided to try something radically different to see if we could find a way to improve the economics of growing

COTTONFARMING.COM

By the time we committed to the change, it was pretty late in the game to start converting everything. It was a mad scramble to reconfigure equipment, plow down the old beds and rework everything on the new 60-inch pattern. We completed most of it but still planted a few fields of corn and beans on the old pattern in 2020. This fall, we have gotten those fields converted, and everything will be on the new 60-inch pattern for the 2021 crop. Minor Changes For 2021

cotton. We decided to try planting on 60-inch rows — our cotton farming equivalent of a Hail Mary pass. We saw an opportunity in a 60-inch-row pattern to address our two biggest hurdles in growing cotton profitably — high cost of production and damage from wet weather in the fall. We had heard some mention of 60-inch cotton for the past few years. Guys in Georgia and West Texas had been doing it, and a friend just north of here had tried it. The Texas guys were using 60-inch rows for moisture conservation. The Georgia guys were doing it to open up the middle to allow air and light into the canopy to try to prevent boll rot. We saw potential advantages for those reasons, but we also felt we could do some things in the 60-inch system to save a significant amount of money. We could reduce seed and fertilizer, and we hoped to make some early season pest control applications on a band. After considering less cost for seed, fertilizer and hopefully several in-season applications on a 20- to 30-inch band, we made $120 per acre our goal in reducing costs. If we could yield the same as we had on our conventional 38-inch rows while spending $120 less per acre, it just might help cotton remain a viable crop for us. As an added benefit, this configuration made it easy to go to 30-inch rows on corn and beans — something we had wanted to do for a while.

Darrell VandeVen farms cotton, corn, soybeans and rice with his brother, Donnie, in Tensas Parish, Louisiana. Contact him at darrellvandeven@gmail.com.

PHOTOS COURTESY DARRELL VANDEVEN

This sprayer was built to apply early season insecticides and plant growth regulators on a 20-inch band so only one-third of the acres actually got sprayed this year.

We planted mostly PHY 400 W3FE and some NG 4936 B3XF. Our overall average yield is still unknown because some of the cotton is still being ginned. However, it appears this will be our best crop since 2013, with much of it picking around 3 bales per acre. We saved some money, but this first year we were still learning what equipment we need to rig up during the winter to further reduce expenses on insecticide and herbicide applications in 2021. For example, our sprayer wouldn’t raise up high enough to get over the cotton once it was about 1 foot tall. We are planning some modifications so we can use it further into the season and spray a wider band as the cotton grows. We would like to make a couple of applications on a 20-inch band, then a couple more on a 30-inch band and eventually go to a full broadcast spray. We cut our seeding and fertilizer rates considerably, but we think we can trim them a little more. We can’t say we achieved our goal of $120 per acre reduction in input costs this year. But with a few changes, we think that’s well within reach for next year’s crop. Instead of seriously considering dropping cotton from our mix, we’re now more excited about planting it in 2021 than we’ve been in a long time.

Hurry-Up Offense

We decided to convert everything to 60-inch beds and plant either two rows of corn or beans or one row of cotton. It’s also a good pattern for row rice, which has proven to be a good fit on some of our heavier ground. TWITTER: @COTTONFARMING

We modified our six-row picker to harvest four of the 60-inch rows. It did a really good job, and having more room between the rows also made it a lot easier to service the picker. NOVEMBER 2020 | COTTON FARMING

Industry News

Products Use Notice for “Choose Results” Advertisement for Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System Bayer is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship® (ETS). Bayer products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance with Bayer’s Policy for Commercialization of BiotechnologyDerived Plant Products in Commodity Crops. Commercialized products have been approved for import into key export markets with functioning regulatory systems. Any crop or material produced from this product can only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries where all necessary regulatory approvals have been granted. It is a violation of national and international law to move material containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Growers should talk to their grain handler or product purchaser to confirm their buying position for this product. Excellence Through Stewardship® is a registered trademark of Excellence Through Stewardship. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. It is a violation of federal and state law to use any pesticide product other than in accordance with its labeling. NOT ALL formulations of dicamba, glyphosate or glufosinate are approved for in-crop use with products with XtendFlex® Technology. ONLY USE FORMULATIONS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY LABELED FOR SUCH USES AND APPROVED FOR SUCH USE IN THE STATE OF APPLICATION. Contact the U.S. EPA and your state pesticide regulatory agency with any questions about the approval status of dicamba herbicide products for in-crop use with Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® soybeans or products with XtendFlex® Technology. B.t. products may not yet be registered in all states. Check with your seed brand representative for the registration status in your state. Roundup Technology® includes glyphosate-based herbicide technologies. Performance may vary, from location to location and from year to year, as local growing, soil and weather conditions may vary. Growers should evaluate data from multiple locations and years whenever possible and should consider the impacts of these conditions on the grower’s fields. Products with XtendFlex® Technology contains genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, glufosinate and dicamba. Glyphosate will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. Dicamba will kill crops that are not tolerant to dicamba. Glufosinate will kill crops that are not tolerant to glufosinate. Contact your seed brand dealer or refer to the Bayer Technology Use Guide for recommended weed control programs.

Insect control technology provided by Vip3A is utilized under license from Syngenta Crop Protection AG. Bayer, Bayer Cross, Bollgard II®, Bollgard®, Respect the Refuge and Cotton Design®, Roundup Ready®, Roundup Technology® and XtendFlex® are registered trademarks of Bayer Group. LibertyLink® and the Water Droplet Design® is a trademark of BASF Corporation. ©2020 Bayer Group. All rights reserved.

COTTON FARMING | NOVEMBER 2020

Continued from page 14

extended control of Lepidopterans, tankmix flexibility, no flaring of mites or aphids and preservation of many important beneficial insects, are also conveyed by Vantacor insect control. In addition, the new formulation offers improved mixing, low use rates and less packaging,” FMC insecticides product manager John McCool said in the release. “Growers will spend less time handling and hauling jugs, shuttles and pumps to and from fields.” The list of Lepidopteran pests controlled by the insecticide includes European corn borer, corn earworm, cotton bollworm, tobacco budworm, soybean looper, lesser cornstalk borer, Colorado potato beetles, beet armyworm, fall armyworm, western yellowstriped armyworm, western bean cutworm and more.

Herbicide Formulation Covers More Acres With Less Product Bayer launched Roundup PowerMAX 3 Herbicide —an innovative formulation within the Roundup brand agricultural herbicides. The latest formulation contains a new proprietary surfactant blend with high-performing weed control. Over a three-year launch, this new crop protection product will be introduced initially in the Southeastern states in year one, with plans of expansion throughout the country in years two and three. Compared to generic herbicide products on the market, as well as the 45-year history of current Roundup brand agricultural herbicides, the new formulation has the highest concentration of glyphosate on the U.S. market, according to a news release. This highly concentrated product lets growers spray more acres with less product, which allows for less packaging and bulk trucks on the road. Roundup PowerMAX 3 introduces a new proprietary surfactant blend. This exclusive surfactant enables fast absorption and provides more consistent control over yield-robbing weeds by allowing translocation throughout the plant, including the root system. Bayer’s proprietary Cropshield surfac-

tant technology provides high levels of crop safety on glyphosate-tolerant crops.

Entry Period Open For High Yield Club Submissions BASF is now accepting sign-ups for the FiberMax One Ton Club and Stoneville Legacy Club. “Through our clubs, we aim to recognize in big ways the work that goes into achieving high yields,” says Malin Westfall, head of U.S. cotton at BASF. To qualify, FiberMax One Ton Club growers must produce a minimum of 2,000 pounds of ginned cotton per acre on a minimum of 20 acres planted with 100% FiberMax cotton seed from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2020. Cotton acreage can be either irrigated or dryland. Growers must provide complete gin recap sheets and qualification forms to verify 2,000 pounds-per-acre yields. See full details and eligible states at https://bit.ly/34nDZU6. The application deadline is Feb. 28, 2021. Printed qualification forms were mailed to FiberMax growers Oct. 1, and applications can also be submitted online. Qualifying growers who attend the annual banquet in Lubbock, Texas, on April 8, 2021, can also enter for a chance to win a two-year lease on a Ford F-350 Super Duty King Ranch truck. (BASF may elect to hold the grand prize event virtually, upon reasonable notice.) To apply for the Stoneville Legacy Club, growers must plant Stoneville cotton seed on a minimum of 20 acres from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2020. There are two divisions: Stoneville cotton grown on irrigated land and Stoneville cotton grown on non-irrigated land. Growers must provide complete gin recap sheets and qualification forms to verify yield. See full details and eligible states at https://bit.ly/35wjrIJ. The application deadline is Jan. 15, 2021. Printed qualification forms were mailed to Stoneville growers Oct. 1, and applications can also be submitted online. Applicants who rank in the top 10% of yields submitted for their state will receive a prize package, including a new Traeger 780 grill. Learn more by visiting FiberMax.com/ OTC, Stoneville.com/LC or contacting your BASF agronomic solutions adviser or agronomic services team member. COTTONFARMING.COM

As of 10/9/2020, no dicamba may be used in-crop with seed in the Roundup Ready ® Xtend Crop System unless and until approved or specifically permitted by the U.S. EPA and the appropriate state agency for such use. As of 10/9/2020, no dicamba formulations are currently registered by the U.S. EPA for in-crop use with seed in the Roundup Ready ® Xtend Crop System in the 2021 season.*

THIS SEASON

CHOOSE RESULTS Don’t just take it from us. Here’s what real cotton growers have to say about the high-yielding results they’re seeing from the Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System.

“

“With the [Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System] technology, everything changed for us overnight.” – Ronny A. in Levelland, TX

“

“We decided to plant Bollgard® 3 XtendFlex® cotton to test the new technology and because it’s the best cotton out there. It’s made a big difference in our operation.” – John K. in Friendship, TN

*As of 10/9/2020, no dicamba may be used in-crop with seed in the Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System, unless and until approved or specifically permitted by the U.S. EPA and the appropriate state agency for such use. As of 10/9/2020, no dicamba formulations are currently registered by the U.S. EPA for in-crop use with seed in the Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System in the 2021 season. Current stocks of low-volatility dicamba herbicides XtendiMax® herbicide, Engenia® herbicide and Fexapan® herbicide previously approved for in-crop use with seed in the Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System may not be used for the 2021 growing season. Dicamba may harm crops that are not tolerant to dicamba. Contact the U.S. EPA and your state pesticide regulatory agency with any questions about the approval status of dicamba herbicides products for in-crop use with seed in the Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System.

NOTICE: DO NOT APPLY ANY HERBICIDE TO SEED IN THE ROUNDUP READY® XTEND CROP SYSTEM UNLESS IT HAS A PRODUCT LABEL SPECIFICALLY AUTHORIZING THAT USE. TO USE A HERBICIDE IN ANY MANNER INCONSISTENT WITH ITS LABELING IS A VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW. REFER TO THE BAYER TECHNOLOGY USE GUIDE FOR DETAILS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON USING APPROVED ROUNDUP® AND LIBERTY® BRANDED HERBICIDES ON SEED IN THE ROUNDUP READY® XTEND CROP SYSTEM. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW GRAIN MARKETING AND ALL OTHER STEWARDSHIP PRACTICES AND PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. See the Products Use Notice for “I Choose Results” advertisement for Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System printed in this publication. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2020 Bayer Group. All rights reserved.

Xtend your yield | RoundupReadyXtend.com

CCOY

SPECIAL REPORT

North Carolina Harvest Update

Cotton Consultant of the Year established 1981

Billy McLawhorn 1993 CCOY AWARD RECIPIENT

BY GUY COLLINS

NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY

S “As an independent cotton consultant, I love the challenge of working with outstanding producers who are focused on continuous improvement. I’ve had the opportunity to work with an amazing group of producers, including the second generation, and, in a few cases, the third generation. “I’ve also enjoyed collaborating with the entire network of independent consultants. They are always willing to share information with other consultants as well as producers. We’ve had strong Extension and industry support, too. “In looking back, it was very humbling to have been selected by my peers as the 1993 CCOY. I appreciate Cotton Farming and Syngenta continuing to provide this recognition. That feels good.”

o far, 2020 is the year that keeps on giving. We can’t seem to catch a break, and most folks are ready to get this year behind us. Despite all the challenges we’ve faced, we have a substantial top crop — albeit late maturing — that has developed since early August. We were a l l hoping for fa l l weat her similar to 2019 to give the late crop a decent chance. Unfortunately, Guy that has not happened. Collins September and early October have been cooler than normal, and upper boll maturity is negligible or slow at best. As I write this Oct. 5, defoliation has only recently begun but will likely proceed rapidly with sunny conditions predicted until Oct. 10 and cooler weather arriving by mid-October. Right now, we’re doing our best to open bolls that aren’t quite mature given the weather we have. This year’s crop is widely variable, and the outcome will depend on how well upper bolls open. This is going to be a field-by-field success or failure, primarily depending on the length and severity of the July drought. Additionally, weather at the time of defoliation in relation to boll maturity will influence the success of boll opening. We’ll know where we stand by the time this article is read. The Weather Factor

Cotton Consultant of the Year sponsored by

Cotton Farming 20

COTTON FARMING | NOVEMBER 2020

Like 2019, this year clearly illustrates how much the weather during September and October can influence our yields and quality. Normally, we worry about tropical storms or prolonged cloudy, wet weather during these months. So far this year, cooler weather

“The outcome will depend on how well upper bolls open.” colliding with a late-maturing top crop seems to be the topic of discussion. While defoliation and harvest are the primary focus right now, growers should take advantage of any favorable weather to establish cover crops for 2021. Winter cover crops planting date and seeding rate often play a major role in stand establishment and biomass accumulation throughout the winter and early spring. Delaying cover crop establishment until the late fall or winter months can result in less-than-ideal ground cover for next year’s crop. Variety Selection Tools

Variety decisions for 2021 will begin in late November and December. The results of the North Carolina On-Farm Cotton Variety Evaluation Program and North Carolina State University Official Variety Trial will be posted on the NCSU Cotton Portal Website (https:// cotton.ces.ncsu.edu/). They also will be posted in the NCSU Cotton Variety Performance Calculator (https://trials. ces.ncsu.edu/cotton/). There are fewer variety trials this year due to COVID-19 restrictions during the spring, in addition to very challenging planting weather in 2020. Regardless, the trials we do have are important when making variety decisions for the coming year. Variety performance will also be discussed thoroughly during our winter meeting season. For more information, contact Collins at gdcollin@ncsu.edu. COTTONFARMING.COM

OWN THE EARLY

OW N THE E A RLY

Always read an d follow la be l dire c tions. Stoneville is a re giste re d tr a de m a r k of BA S F. Â© 2 0 2 0 B ASF Corpo r ation. All r ights reser v ed .

Stoneville_CottonFarming_7_875x10_75_R3_V2.indd 1

10/6/20 4:20 PM

Consumers Drive Move To More Sustainable California Cotton Farming BY JEANNETTE E. WARNERT

onsumers who purchase luxury cotton textiles want more than cool, soft, absorbent fabric. Increasingly, they demand clothing made from fiber grown using ecologically sound practices and they’re willing to pay for it, said speakers representing the textile industry at a University of California Cooperative Extension webinar on Healthy Soils for Healthy Profits. At the beginning of the webinar, UC Cooperative Extension conservation agriculture specialist Jeff Mitchell recalled the tragic 1991 dust storm on the west side of Fresno County, which reduced visibility on Interstate 5, causing a 104-vehicle pileup that took 17 lives. The devastating accident foreshadowed debates about agriculture’s role in reducing dust emissions. “It turns out that air quality was just the beginning,” Mitchell says. “There is now a whole cascade of expectations that buyers, consumers and the public are demanding of farmers about how food, fiber, feed and fuel crops are actually produced.” No-Till, Strip-Till

Speakers from nonprofit and commercial fashion and fiber organizations say they are anxious to get access to cotton grown using practices that promote soil health and sequester carbon to give their products climate-change mitigation cachet. “What we envision when we look at the fields is groundcover year-round. Living roots in the soil year-round,” says Rebecca Burgess, director of Fibershed, a California non-profit organization that develops regional and regenerative fiber systems. “No-till or strip-till practices have garnered interest to protect soil from disruption, to avoid breaking up fungal networks and produce cotton in a system that isn’t eroding topsoil.” Wrangler jeans is a clothing brand that has successfully incorporated sustainably produced cotton into its products. The company worked with a group of Tennessee cotton farmers and the Soil Health Institute to produce 100% sustainable cotton jeans and sell them in its Wrangler Rooted Collection. Men’s jeans in the collection run about $100 a pair. Ordinary cowboy cut Wrangler jeans range from $39 to $41 a pair. Cover Crop Strategies

Growing regenerative cotton in California comes with challenges that farmers are facing head on. This year, Firebaugh farmer John Teixeira grew a multi-species cover crop that he terminated with a flail mower rather than a herbicide to make a compost. In some areas of the operation, he spreads 8 to 10 tons of the organic matter per acre. “We spread it on soil and also on cover crops to digest the cover crop,” Teixeria says. “We’re adding bacteria. We would love to have more fungal diversity in the compost, but that’s really hard. Fungi don’t like to be disturbed. I believe microbes are the future. The key is to keep them alive.” Gary Martin of Pikalok Farming in Firebaugh was using

COTTON FARMING | NOVEMBER 2020

A cover crop grows in cotton and tomato residues in a no-till field. poultry manure on the farm until it became prohibitively expensive. He then turned to cover crops and municipal compost to improve water infiltration, soil structure, water retention and increase organic matter. After three years, he added gypsum to improve the soil health. He found that planting a cover crop without irrigation is a gamble. “The net value of the cover crop is negative if it doesn’t grow (because of a lack of rain),” Martin says. “Composting is more of a sure bet.” Bowles Farm is experimenting with using a native plant cover crop. “Native plants are designed to grow when we get moisture, and go away when we don’t,” says Bowles Farm Executive Vice President Derek Azevedo. The company is also working on writing a carbon plan to map out how much carbon a cotton farm in Merced County can capture. The trial is managed with a multi-species cover crop, strip tillage, untreated seeds, fungal-dominated compost inoculation and a reduction in synthetic nitrogen. Cotton Fits The Bill

Rebecca Daeschner represented the Los Angeles-based luxury women’s wear brand CO (CO-collections.com), which in its current collection sells a ruched cotton top for $725, a cotton button down shirt for $795 and a short-sleeved cotton dress for $795. “We’re interested in making products that stand the test of time, stay out of landfills, eliminating waste,” Daeschner says. The company currently sources its high-end materials mainly from Italy but is interested in transitioning to fabrics that are not only high-quality but also have a reduced environmental footprint. Jeannette E. Warnert is a communications specialist, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources. Contact her at jewarnert@ucanr.edu. COTTONFARMING.COM

Cotton Farming We at Cotton Farming strive to deliver profitable production strategies to help boost your bottom line. Between our print product and digital offerings, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never leave you high and dry.

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MID-SOUTH REPORT

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Mixing It Up – Crop Rotation In The Mid-South

c ross the Cotton Belt, crop rotation is a widely adopted production practice that has the potential to increase producer yields without increasing input costs. Over the years, Cotton Incorporated has funded numerous research projects showing that crop rotation decisions can have myriad benefits beyond yield improvement. These include reduced disease pressure, fewer weeds, less insect damage and improved soil health. It’s no secret that crop rotation is one of the most sure-fire ways to improve cotton yields, so why doesn’t everyone do it? According to Dr. Kater Hake, vice president of agricultural and environmental research at Cotton Incorporated, sometimes there are compelling challenges to overcome to successfully implement crop rotation practices. “For many cotton producers, the major hurdle in implementing crop rotation is finding a rotation crop that provides as much revenue as the primary cash crop,” Hake says. “Also, concentrating efforts on one crop requires a lower investment in equipment and often a simpler strategy for planting, harvesting and marketing that single crop.” In the Mid-South, growers implement both tried-and-true and out-of-the-box crop rotation practices to overcome potential challenges. According to Cotton Incorporated’s 2015 Natural Resource Producer Survey, most cotton producers in the Mid-South rotate cotton with soybeans and corn. Cotton Following Corn

Mississippi producer Jim Robertson actually credits crop rotation practices as one of the major strategies that has allowed him to keep cotton in the mix at his operation. Robertson, an Indianola, Mississippi, native, is a partner in the St. Rest Planting Co. that has grown cotton for more than 100 years. “Over a span of the past five rotation cycles, I have averaged a 200-pound-peracre lint increase in the cotton plant-

COTTON FARMING | NOVEMBER 2020

BY STACEY GORMAN WARREN, ARKANSAS

ed directly following field corn, which is phenomenal for us,” Robertson says. “This yield increase has made it economically feasible to keep growing cotton.” Beyond yield improvement, he has also noticed a marked reduction in nematodes and overall improved soil health from the implementation of the cotton and field corn rotation.

“This yield increase has made it economically feasible to keep growing cotton.” The Mississippi State Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, Mississippi, is located just miles from Robertson’s operation and is home to the longest-running cotton crop rotation research study in the Mid-South. Dr. Wayne Elberhar with the DREC has overseen a 12-year cotton crop rotation study funded by Cotton Incorporated’s State Support Program. The project, referred to as the Centennial Rotation study, was started in 2004 in conjunction with the DREC’s 100th Anniversary. “The Centennial Rotation study found that cotton following corn has resulted in a 222-pound-per-acre, per-year increase compared to continuous cotton,” Elberhar says. To take a deeper dive into the project’s results, Cotton Incorporated published a webinar, hosted by Elberhar, titled COTTONFARMING.COM

“Crop Rotations — Lessons Learned and Changing Times.” The online presentation, available free-of-charge through Cotton Incorporated’s Plant Management Network Focus on Cotton Series, gives an in-depth analysis of the DREC long-term cotton crop rotation study findings.

H OW TO

R EDU C E YO U R COST

Rotates Cotton and Peanuts

Stacey Gorman is The Cotton Board’s director of communications. Contact her at sgorman@cottonboard.org. TWITTER: @COTTONFARMING

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Over the years, Cotton Incorporated has partnered with researchers across the Cotton Belt and funded seven projects specifically examining the advantages of cotton and peanut rotations, including reduced disease, nematode control and increased nutrient availability. The crop rotation experiences of Felton and Robertson are examples of Cotton Incorporated-funded research results from controlled environments being mirrored in on-farm producer results. To learn more about the research projects Cotton Incorporated is funding in your area, reach out to your Cotton Board regional communication manager.

Cotton Incorporated’s Role

O N COT TO N S E E D

In many areas of the Mid-South, rotating cotton with corn and soybeans seems to be the norm, but one Arkansas cotton producer has found success with adding peanuts to the mix. Jason Felton of Felton Farms in Lee County, Arkansas, says the addition of peanuts to his crop rotation cycle has been very beneficial for his operation. He implements a threeway crop rotation cycle with peanuts, followed by cotton, followed by corn. “I’ve been growing peanuts for nine years, so this is my third cycle of the threeway rotation strategy,” Felton says. “The cotton yield difference since I’ve started this rotation has consistently been a lint increase of 100 to 150 pounds per acre.” Felton notes other benefits that he considers just as important as yield increase. “The residual biomass from the organic matter in the leftover stubble has majorly increased the soil health in these fields,” he says. Felton also mentioned a higher level of chemical efficiency and credits the peanut, cotton, corn rotation with that benefit. “Year after year, I am noticing my chemistry working better. By changing up the crops, and the chemicals needed to manage a different crop each year, we have found a way to combat resistance issues.”

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NOVEMBER 2020 | COTTON FARMING

Mississippi Launches Wild Hog Control Program

ississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson announced the implementation of the department’s new Wild Hog Control Program supported by the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation. “We are excited to launch the firstof-its-kind state agriculture department-led invasive feral hog trapping initiative,” Gipson says. “After a full year of public education, research and outreach through the commissioner’s Wild Hog Challenge, MDAC is launching the Wild Hog Control Program, which will provide farmers, ranchers and landowners with the resources and training necessary to effectively combat the rise of destructive wild hogs in Mississippi.” During the 2020 Legislative Session, MDAC was authorized to operate programs to fight nuisance wildlife species on private agricultural and forest-

ry lands. The program will involve the coordinated trapping and control of feral hogs on private farm and timber land throughout Mississippi. The program will include training and technical assistance for farmers on the most effective methods to trap and control destructive wild hogs on their farms. Following training, one or more Wild Hog Control Program “smart” trapping systems may be set up on the farm, and farmers or their designees will be trained on remote monitoring methods and best practices for effective trapping. Remote Trapping Capability

MFBF provided key support to the program with the acquisition of additional traps that will be deployed across the state. “In Mississippi alone, wild hogs cause more than $60 million in damag-

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es annually,” Gipson says. “As I’ve said many times, we already know the problem, and now we are taking meaningful action to curb the invasion of hogs on farmlands. The WHCP will fight the scourge of wild hogs on behalf of Mississippi farmers and ranchers. “I want to thank Mike McCormick a nd t he Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation for their indispensable support, and I want to thank Rep. (Bill) Pigott, Sen. (Chuck) Younger and the entire Mississippi Legislature for their support in this endeavor.” The traps are powered by Mississippibased HogEye Camera Systems, which allow for remote trapping wherever there is a cellular signal. They will be deployed across the state in concentrated focus areas determined by MDAC through the application process. Trap rotation will occur about every 30-60 days, depending on use and success. MDAC will collect and analyze data that include trap locations, program effectiveness and number of wild hogs harvested. Although the first application period has closed, interested parties are encouraged to visit www.mdac.ms.gov/ whcp for updates on the next application period. Submitted applications will be evaluated based on the number of acres available for trapping, historical agricultural losses caused by wild hogs on the property and current trapping efforts on the property. A cooperative application is encouraged for small acreage — adjoining land managers of small parcels should work together to submit one application. Traps will be available for one-month intervals, depending upon use and success. One trap per 1,000 acres is recommended, depending on landscape and land use. For more details, visit www.mdac. ms.gov/whcp or email Chris McDonald at chris@mdac.ms.gov. MDAC and MFBF contributed information for this article. COTTONFARMING.COM

Cotton Farmers Nail Down 2020 With An Eye On 2021

his season’s cotton crop results are right around the corner, but growers are already eying their strategy for the 2021 growing season. Some of them already have a preliminary attack plan in their head, if not yet entirely on an Excel spreadsheet. “Mother Nature dealt us a fairly significant setback early this season,” says Lyle Carraway, a Lynchburg, South Carolina, farmer. “I got so much rain right after planting that it drowned out a lot of the stand. As a result, it was skippy and somewhat difficult all season long. But that’s OK. I’ve seen worse.” Carraway is strictly a dryland farmer, so uncertainty is one of the most predictable components of his strategy. “It’s very simple,” he says. “Some things you can control; some you can’t.”

By The Numbers

Carraway applied AgLogic aldicarb in furrow at planting at 5 pounds per acre to his cotton in 2019 and again in 2020. “Compared to what I had been seeing for a few years without TWITTER: @COTTONFARMING

BRENDA CAROL

Honing In On Management

In terms of things he can control, Carraway focuses on three inputs:  Seed selection.  Early season pest control.  Careful monitoring from planting until harvest. This year, he planted Deltapine 1646 B2XF. Even though the season got off to a rocky start due to excess rain, the variety seems to have performed reasonably well, Carraway says. “You can’t do anything about the weather, except maybe time your planting,” he says. “After that, it’s early season pest pressure you have to watch. I don’t use insecticide-treated seed. It has been losing effectiveness for years now.” Instead, Carraway has gone back to an old familiar nematode and thrips control product that he believes has served him well. “I used to use Temik,” he says. “When it went off the market, I tried all sorts of different options for early season insect control.” When Temik aldicarb was replaced with AgLogic aldicarb after a five-year hiatus from the market, Carraway seized on the opportunity in 2019 and “You just can’t again this season. His consultant agrees. beat it considering “Temik aldicarb pesticide was successfully marthe pests we are keted for more than 40 dealing with. It’s years,” says Jerry Adams, JLA Consulting Service very effective on LLC in Bishopville, South nematodes and Carolina. “Over that time, we never saw anything that thrips.” gave us the early season insect control with the consistency of aldicarb. AgLogic aldicarb is the same active ingredient with the same consistent performance.”

To grow cotton successfully, South Carolina cotton farmer Lyle Carraway focuses on seed selection, early season pest control, and careful monitoring from planting until harvest. it, I was very pleased,” he says. “You just can’t beat it considering the pests we are dealing with. It’s very effective on nematodes and thrips.” Even though the in-furrow application costs more than seed treatments, Carraway justifies the investment by using only fungicide-treated seed. Based on his calculations, he saves about $10-$12 per acre by foregoing extra seed treatments. “When you look at it like that, AgLogic aldicarb is only costing me about $20 an acre versus about $32 per acre,” he says. “That figure doesn’t even address what it saves us in early season pest control, fewer early season foliar applications and the benefits of more vigorous plant health. “We also get a grow-off advantage. I had one hopper box in 2019 that was stopped up, and you could see the difference from planting, right up until we harvested.” As the 2021 season approaches, Carraway may tweak a few inputs here and there, but he’s adamant he won’t gamble with early pest control and careful crop monitoring. Will he use aldicarb again next year? “Absolutely,” he says. Article by Brenda Carol on behalf of AgLogic. NOVEMBER 2020 | COTTON FARMING

Specialists Speaking

Weather’s Influence On 2020 Harvest CALIFORNIA Bob Hutmacher

With limited irrigation water in many areas and some difficult early and midseason problems with lygus in parts of the San Joaquin Valley, we have a wide range of yields across fields this year. Under limited water situations and generally warm, dry weather this fall, many growers are seeing good to very good performance of harvest aid chemicals. Preparations for harvest have been easier than in many years. We also have observed more fields that experienced what again appears to be potassium deficiency late season particularly in the northern cotton area of the SJV. In many cases, the foliar breakdown that accompanies this problem makes defoliation easier. On the downside, it can reduce filling out the top crop of later-developing bolls. Unfortunately, several of the Pima cotton fields that were able to receive higher amounts of irrigation water also experienced some early to midseason pest-related fruit losses or high temperature-related fruit losses in August. These larger plants will likely require more harvest aid chemicals and time to properly desiccate and defoliate. As of mid-October, harvests are underway in parts of the SJV, with growers experiencing moderately decent yields in some early harvested fields. Going forward, growers will be working through yield results and evaluating variety performance in advance of making their 2021 field selection strategies and planting plans. Hopefully, many growers will find places for cotton in the mix. With that in mind, approaches to consider include:  Putting cotton into some of your weaker ground or areas with salinity issues, where cotton yield and profit potential might be more moderate. In these places, cotton might perform better than other crop choices, such as vegetables or forage/silage crops.  Planting cotton mostly in your stronger ground where you have a history of attaining high yields and better profit potential, but with more inputs. While we may have great winter rain in the valley and snow in the mountains, it is likely there will continue to be competition and rising costs for irrigation water. Crops like cotton that can take some “stress” or use poorer quality water may have a place in your crop rotations. Of course, an improved price for our consistently high-quality SJV cotton is what is really needed in addition to your good management efforts. rbhutmacher@ucdavis.edu

ARIZONA Randy Norton

The 2020 cotton season will no doubt be remembered as one of the longest, hottest and driest in recent years. The 2019 season, which was nearly the opposite in terms of temperature, provides an interesting comparison of two extremes. Spring 2020 provided favorable weather for planting, and the crop generally got off to a good start. Early season fruit set began strong and, for the most part, held in all regions of the state. In early July, the heat began to intensify with several days of level two (L2) heat stress in the low desert. At the University of Arizona Maricopa Agricultural Center from July 1 through Sept. 15, the crop experienced level one (L1) heat stress where canopy temperatures exceeded 82.4 degrees Fahrenheit more than 80% of the time. We know that L1 heat stress does not typically result in significant

COTTON FARMING | NOVEMBER 2020

impacts on crop development and fruit retention. However, during that same period (early July through mid-September), nearly 50% of those days experienced L2 heat stress where crop canopy temperatures exceeded 86 F. During this time when we were closely monitoring flower development and fruit retention, we observed significant losses in fruit load particularly during late July and early August. This coincides with peak bloom with a mid- to late-April planting date. Not every cotton variety possesses the same level of heat tolerance, so it will be interesting to evaluate the performance of different varieties in trials we have across the state this year. Some early yield results from the western part of the state have been encouraging. Very early Central Arizona yield results at the time of this writing have proven to be significantly better than 2019. As we move further into the harvest season, we will be able to determine the effects of the long, hot, dry summer. The results of our statewide variety testing will be available and a topic of discussion in Extension meetings across Arizona in early 2021. rnorton@ cals.arizona.edu

TEXAS Ben McKnight

Cotton from South Texas continues to class very good, and growers have wrapped up harvest in the Coastal Bend and the Upper Gulf Coast. Early planted cotton in the Upper Gulf Coast yielded very well. Several growers harvested 1,400 to 1,600 pounds per acre. Later-planted cotton in this region yielded less with reports of 1,200 pounds. As of Oct. 14, harvest was mostly complete in the Blacklands. Fiber quality took a big hit in areas of the central and northern Blacklands after receiving untimely rainfall prior to and during harvest. Some fields harvested prior to the rain reported good quality. Average yield reports for this region are in the 1,000- to 1,200-pound range. Harvest is still underway in Northeast Texas, and yields have been reported in the 1.5to 2-bale range. Dr. Emi Kimura, Extension agronomist in Vernon, says that defoliation of the irrigated cotton acres in the Rolling Plains is in full swing, although some growers are still waiting to catch the last few heat units of the season. Typically, growers in this region will begin harvesting their dryland acres around mid-November. Kimura indicated that more heat units in September would have helped finish the cotton crop in the Rolling Plains. The 32nd Annual Texas Plant Protection Association Conference is going virtual this year and will be held Dec. 8-10. Information for the conference can be found at www.texasplantprotection.com. The 2020 variety trial results for South and East Texas will also be available soon at http://cotton.tamu.edu/. bmcknight@tamu.edu

TEXAS Murilo Maeda

As I write this mid-October, harvest has indeed started in the Texas High Plains, although at a slow pace. Field activity should start ramping up by the time this issue reaches you. Since our first strong cold front in early September, much of the region has been blessed with open, warm weather, although much like the summer, mostly dry conditions have prevailed. On the harvest aid side, we all know it is not quite an exact science. The COTTONFARMING.COM

Specialists Speaking best combinations usually vary some depending on the year and overall field condition. Whether because of a “conditioning” cold treatment or just good environmental conditions overall, most harvest aid programs seem to be working well so far this season. The middle of October usually marks the transition to some cooler temperatures and rapidly diminishing heat unit accumulation for us. The northern Panhandle is forecasted to see its first freeze by the end of the month, consistent with what we expect. As of this writing, however, it looks like the Lubbock region pointing to the south may not see its first freeze until sometime in November. As harvest picks up, so does the movement of strippers, module builders, module trucks and heavy machinery in/out of fields and on roads. As you start working those long hours to bring the crop in, please remember to be safe out there. mmaeda@ag.tamu.edu

OKLAHOMA Seth Byrd

ARKANSAS Bill Robertson

This season’s challenges continue to arrive. Cotton harvest as projected by the National Agricultural Statistics Service was 30% complete going into the second week of October. Harvest progress is a little better than half of what it should be at this time. We have lost almost two weeks of harvest days due to rain and wet conditions so far. The most current NASS yield projection based on conditions as of

BILL ROBERTSON

Cotton harvest started on some dryland acres in Oklahoma in late September. As of mid-October, harvest activity has picked up, but expectations are that a large proportion of the crop will be harvested during the second half of October and early November. Weather up to this point has been favorable, with predominately warm and sunny conditions. We’ve had very few days in which harvest was impeded due to humidity. These conditions allowed producers to space out harvest aid applications, keeping harvest schedules in mind to avoid a rush to spray or harvest. Regrowth has been the primary issue affecting most acres, particularly basal or juvenile regrowth. On average, most of the cotton has been running about two weeks ahead of schedule compared to previous years.

This has resulted in more favorable temperatures for regrowth after the first pass of harvest aids was applied. This type of regowth is usually more difficult to control or kill than terminal regrowth, which occurs at the top of the plant. Basal regrowth occurs on the mainstem at the bottom to middle portions of the plant, making it difficult to achieve adequate coverage of the new vegetation. It is often more concerning for stripper-harvested cotton as the stripper rolls come into close proximity or actually clip the mainstem. While it is difficult to remove the young vegetation in basal regrowth, proper desiccation of these leaves is ideal prior to harvest to prevent lint staining that can result in fiber quality issues. There is still a lot of optimism surrounding the 2020 cotton crop in Oklahoma. As harvest starts, it appears much of the dryland acres weathered the harsh August conditions better than many expected. The irrigated crop has been impressive all year, although there have been struggles with achieving optimal boll opening in some areas. Overall, expectations are high for this year’s crop. A month from now, we should know how excited we will be. Hope everybody has a safe and productive harvest. seth.byrd@okstate.edu

“Pickers were rolling in this field of DP 2012 B3XF near Marianna, Arkansas, trying to get out in front of the rain expected from Hurricane Delta,” says Arkansas cotton specialist Bill Robertson. “There were actually four pickers out there, but I could only capture three in this photo.”

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Specialists Speaking Oct. 1 estimated an average 1,200 pounds per harvested acre on 520,000 harvested acres. Most producers are finding that yields are less than expected. For many, fields that appear to be in the 1,400-pound range end up being more like 1,250 pounds of lint per acre when wrapped into a module. This means it may be a challenge to obtain the current yield estimate. The lack of well-developed bolls in the upper portion of the plant that we have seen the past few years are just not there in 2020. Our more average September and October temperatures are the driving factor in our less-than-expected yields. There are still a great number of challenges we must be prepared to address as this crop season comes to an end. We all look forward to seeing how it wraps up. Most are well into planning for 2021. Soil samples for fertility as well as nematodes will be pulled in great numbers after harvest and stalk destruction is complete. Get cover crops on your radar if they are not part of your current plan. Look to the University of Arkansas Variety Testing webpage at https://arkansas-variety-testing.uark.edu/ for variety testing results from counties and the Official Variety Trials. The Arkansas Crop Management Conference and county production meetings we normally have in January and February will be conducted virtually in 2021 to accommodate all attendees amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Remember, your county Extension agent still is just a phone call, text or email away. Contact your county Extension agent for details on meetings and other questions you may have. brobertson@uaex.edu

TENNESSEE Tyson Raper

As I write this Oct. 19, most farmers are just now really beginning to “roll.” As we expected, yields are off compared to the past couple of years; it appears the dry spell that hit us at the end of the effective flowering window took a toll. Still, I suspect the state may average just shy of 1,000 pounds per acre. Rain moved across the area yesterday, Oct. 18. But the wind has been blowing this morning, and I suspect pickers may be moving again by later this afternoon. We still have a considerable acreage of late cotton with a good number of bolls in the top yet to open. Our current forecast is warmer than the first few weeks of October. Hopefully, these temperatures and a little sunshine will allow the upper bolls to open before the picker arrives. We have begun discussions with our agents concerning the 2020-21 meeting season and have no hard plans at the moment. Some counties will likely hold in-person gatherings while others may hold virtual events. We will update our blog with meeting times and locations as soon as things solidify. traper@utk.edu

MISSISSIPPI Brian Pieralisi

Harvest season has presented several challenges for Mississippi cotton producers. Tropical rains have been a source of both worry and grief as growers forge ahead to the end of harvest. Hurricane Delta inflicted the most damage to the cotton crop with impacts varying across the state. Areas along the Mississippi River received the greatest amount of rainfall and wind, with rainfall amounts reaching more than 6 inches in some places. Most of the cotton growers west of Highway 61 received 4-plus inches and can expect yield reductions of about 200 pounds. I have spoken to a few farmers in central Mississippi who fared a little better, receiving less than 3 inches of rain with very little wind, and expected yield losses less than or equal to 100 pounds. Progress is highly variable across the state, with some farmers wrapping harvest up Oct. 12-16 and others with quite a lot of cotton remaining

COTTON FARMING | NOVEMBER 2020

in the fields. Regardless, we need a long stretch of dry, sunny weather to bring this harvest season to a close. Sunny weather with a dry breeze will benefit harvest efficiency and grades. Prior to Hurricane Delta, exceptional grades were reported; consequently, a slight reduction in weight and grade should be expected as harvest resumes. Mississippi cotton yields have been near average or slightly above average for most of the state. Some areas in the Delta reported exceptional yields prior to Hurricane Delta. The eastern portion of the state reported slightly below-average yield, most likely influenced by excessive rainfall early in the growing season, which was anticipated by many of these cotton producers. Central Mississippi produced great cotton on their best ground and moderate cotton on its mediocre soils. One grower informed me that his yields were driven primarily by soil type and not irrigation. Major rain storms and cool temperatures have definitely complicated the 2020 cotton harvest for Mississippi farmers. However, all of the growers I have spoken to remain optimistic and look forward to a dry period through the month of October to finish picking their crop. bkp4@msstate.edu

ALABAMA Steve M. Brown

Unwanted visitors. We hate to see them come. We’re glad to see them go. Laura, Sally and Delta have been terrible, uninvited guests. While Laura touched the northern most part of Alabama with limited rainfall and wind, Sally affected at least half the state. She was by far the worst offender. In contrast to what often occurs in the wake of a hurricane or tropical storm — bright, blue skies and breezy, almost picture-perfect conditions — Sally was reluctant to leave. For 10-plus days following the storm’s entrance through the Gulf Coast, significant portions of Alabama cotton experienced overcast weather and intermittent showers. When conditions improved and we returned to the fields, then came the rains of Delta. There have been a few bright spots in Alabama this fall, but not many. For the most part, we’ve seen miserable harvest conditions in months that are normally our driest. Rainfall has delayed defoliation and picking. We have a lot of ugly fields. Maybe sustained sunshine will bring surprising improvements to what was once a pretty good crop. When 2020 becomes hindsight, most of us will be glad. cottonbrown@ auburn.edu

FLORIDA David Wright

The beginning of harvest season started with Hurricane Sally. Heavy rains caused harvest delays for many acres of cotton and peanuts. Growers are two to three weeks behind schedule with quality and yield of both crops declining. Other continuing storms are pushing harvest later, threatening a potentially good quality and yielding crop. Many cotton fields were just opening when the first storm hit with hard lock showing up as well as sprouted seed. High soil moisture from following storm systems has made harvest difficult. Many fields are past peak timing for best yield and quality. Good weather is needed for several weeks as days become shorter and cooler. As crop harvest is finishing, many growers will plant cover crops for grazing or high residue covers. Plant cover crops as early as possible to maximize crop biomass or forage for grazing. Growers are resilient and have dealt with weather issues every year. They develop backup plans that make their system work even with adverse weather. This will be a year that all will remember for many reasons. wright@ufl.edu COTTONFARMING.COM

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Moisture — One Of The Primary Keys To Quality Cotton While this article may come out a bit late for some of the cotton harvest, I believe moisture is an important topic to review. It is one of those things we, as ginners, often have a love-hate relationship with. Moisture adds weight and weight is money. The problem is, too much moisture (particularly at harvest or in the bale) can cost you BIG money. Final Bale Moisture I don’t want to get too much into the whole bale moisture issue. But suffice it to say, if you are adding any moisture to your ginned cotton, you should be able to monitor that final bale moisture content. Even if you’re not adding any or a significant amount of moisture back, you should keep an eye on your bale moisture. There are a number of commercial products for your press or even handheld ways of checking or spot-checking your final bale moisture. A quick online search for U.S. Department of Agriculture materials should produce evaluations of how these various systems differ and can be used. Final bale moisture has been a much more significant issue in the past, and most gins are doing a good job handling it today. But any discussion on moisture shouldn’t ignore this im-

portant aspect. Final bale moisture can have a profound effect down the line from color shift to mold growth. It cannot be ignored. Seed Cotton Moisture Seed cotton moisture is really where I want to go with this discussion. Modern John Deere pickers have some form of onboard moisture monitoring. This has given producers a tremendous tool to help preserve the quality of their crop. Despite opinions to the contrary, gins cannot make quality better, but they can screw it up. No matter how good the cotton fiber is, if it is harvested wet, the quality will deteriorate rapidly. USDA’s studies on traditional modules show how cotton above 12.5% moisture will deteriorate quickly, costing up to $45 per bale. We don’t have good data on round modules, but anecdotally they seem to be even more sensitive to excess moisture than traditional modules. Cotton harvested wet in round modules seems to deteriorate faster than in traditional modules, but there is no scientific proof of that. It has been proven that harvesting below 12.5% will better preserve round module quality (withstand the elements) than traditional modules.

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All that is to say that moisture management seems to have shifted from the gin to the producer. Cotton Incorporated recently posted a short publication on its Cotton Cultivated page that outlines these issues. It is a good summary of the state of research and the cost of too much moisture. All the traditional rules of thumb still apply. Don’t harvest when there’s dew on the lint. If the seed cotton isn’t springy when squeezed, or if the seed doesn’t crack when bitten, it is probably too wet to harvest. Producer/Ginner Communication We all know we don’t live in an ideal world. We can’t control the rain or tropical weather or sunshine. The perfect harvest conditions rarely exist. In these cases, communication between the producer and the ginner can be key. If the producer knows the cotton was harvested wet, letting the ginner know can help minimize a bad situation. Onboard moisture measurement is just another tool that can help both the ginner and the producer minimize the havoc that excess moisture can wreak in both the seed cotton and in the bale. Dusty Findley, CEO of the Southeastern Cotton Ginners Association, contributed this article. Contact him at 706-344-1212 or dusty@southern-southeastern.org.

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Bale Packaging Survey Results

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The Joint Cotton Industry Bale Packaging Committee met this fall to discuss and review the results of the bale packaging mill survey conducted in cooperation with Cotton Council International. Through a self-administered online survey, 167 contacts at various mills and manufacturers responded from mid-May through mid-June. Visit https://bit.ly/3obG2Tf for a PDF version of the survey results. The survey asked for preferences of bale bagging and strapping, bale patching material, tagging materials, bale head closure practices, and recyclability/sustainability. The topic of contamination also was included by asking for comparisons of U.S. contaminant levels with those of competing growths and for preference of the contaminant color that is easiest to detect and remove. In addition, mills were asked if they had any bale handling safety education programs in place. Bagging, Strapping And Tags According to the survey, preferences for bale bagging/strapping materials varied by region. More than half of the responses preferred cotton bale bagging, mentioning that it was not a source of contamination and was considered sustainable and easy to use. However, of the mills that preferred cotton bagging, 71% said they would not pay a premium for it. Of the responses indicat-

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ing they would pay a premium, most would not pay more than 1% extra. Just over one-third of respondents preferred PE film bagging. Only 8% preferred woven polypropylene, although responses from certain regions suggested woven polypropylene bags provided the best protection. Mills and manufacturers tended to prefer polyethylene terephthalate strap to wire ties, 62% to 34%, respectively. PET straps are reported easier to work with and safer to handle. Results showed wire ties were slightly more durable and less likely to contaminate the bale but aren’t as safe or as easy to work with. Adhesive tags are preferred to paper hang tags, 78% to 13% respectively. Cotton twine was the preferred bale head closure method with zip ties being the second-best choice, 54% to 24%. Half of mills and manufacturers preferred polyethylene sleeves for the bale patching material. One third preferred “cling wrap” style patching material while adhesive plastic tapes were least preferred. Contamination Colors Contamination responses were positive for the United States compared to most other countries. Across all growths, Indian and West African growths were most often mentioned as containing high levels of contamination. The United States is considered to have slightly more contamination than Australia but not as much as Brazil. U.S. and Australian growths were considered to have decreasing amounts of contamination. Additionally, the survey asked which contamination colors were the easiest for mills to detect and remove. Results indicated light blue was most preferred, followed by pink, green and then yellow. It is anticipated at the next JCIBPC meeting in February that these survey results will be considered again. If you have any questions or comments regarding the results, contact Lauren Krogman at lkrogman@cotton.org. NORTHERN / LUCUS MACHINE, INC 1116 E SLATON HWY LUBBOCK, TX 79404

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My Turn Keeping Things In Perspective

am a sixt h-ge nera- ality in many of our industry organizations that make tion farmer in Bulloch them so successful and effective — passionate grower County, Georgia. I oper- leadership and professional staff. ate Cromley Farms in I marvel at the quality of grower leadership and the partnership with my brother, ideas and perspectives they bring to meetings that Charley, where we grow cotton help mold initiatives, programs, research projects and and peanuts. When pickers policies. Cotton producers from California to Virginia roll this fall, it will be the 40th and all states in between unselfishly give their time to crop I have taken to harvest. improve an industry that provides a livelihood for them As Thanksgiving approach- and their families. es, there are many things for These organizations are staffed by some of the most Lee which I am thankful. One of talented and professional people anywhere. The true Cromley those is the friendships I have strength of these organizations lies in their staff and developed through the var- leadership. I am honored to be associated and serve ious cotton organizations and association boards on with them. which I have had the privilege of serving through the In early June, I was speaking with a farmer friend years. who told me how a freakish cold snap leading to a late The collective efforts of these boards, their staff and frost wiped out his entire 2020 cotton crop just as it leadership offer all cotton farmers the best hope for eco- was emerging. After some economic analysis, he deternomic viability as an industry moving into the future. mined it was too late for him to replant. Their foresight and influence have been the linchpins As I stumbled around for the right words to say, connecting opportunities to he quickly shifted the conversuccesses for decades. “My goal this Thanksgiving sation toward family, friends Moving cotton from “dirt faith. He explained what a season is to cultivate a more and to shirt” is a complicated problessing it is to be able to farm cess across a complex supply and how thankful he is for that thankful heart.” chain. Although our industry privilege. is represented by many different organizations, each has Here stood a man who will not harvest the first a unique, well-defined role; however, sustainability and cotton boll in 2020. Despite that fact, he managed to long-term growth are central goals of them all. cultivate something much more important this growing State organizations such as the Georgia Cotton season — a thankful heart. Commission play an important role at the grassroots In these uncertain times when our industry and level, acting as a voice for growers on the turnrow. country continue dealing with a pandemic, trade wars, Their assessment dollars are invested prudently in tar- declining cotton prices and other things that challenge geted research, promotion and education programs to us, my friend made me realize we all need to be thankbenefit Georgia cotton producers. ful for what we do have. Southern Cotton Growers, where I am the current So my goal this Thanksgiving season is to cultivate a chairman, maintains important regional roles as a more thankful heart — thankful for the temporal blessmechanism to build grower consensus, develop policy, ings of today and the eternal blessings of tomorrow. and share challenges and farming solutions from growParaphrasing two of my favorite Bible verses in ers in other regions. Psalms; I get my strength from the Lord. He is my From there, national organizations like the National shield and my heart trusts him. I hope you have a safe Cotton Council, Cotton Council International, Cotton and bountiful cotton harvest this season. I hope your Incorporated and The Cotton Board provide effective cup runneth over. Mine surely does. representation across our entire country and across the world. — Lee Cromley As I have listened and participated in discussions at Brooklet, Georgia meetings through the years, I recognized a commonCromleyfarms@bulloch.net Cotton Farming’s back page is devoted to telling unusual “farm tales” or timely stories from across the Cotton Belt. Now it’s your turn. If you’ve got an interesting story to tell, send a short summary to csmith@onegrower.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

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