Cotton Farming January 2020 by One Grower Publishing

Cotton Farming ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC

PROFITABLE PRODUCTION STRATEGIES

JANUARY 2020

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Lonestar Gin Up And Running

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Kochia Invades Texas High Plains

Don & Betty Lynn Farms Six Decades Of Cotton And Counting

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Vol. 64 No. 1

Cotton Farming PROFITABLE PRODUCTION STRATEGIES

JANUARY 2020

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F E AT U R E S

Lynn Farms

Kennett, Missouri, where cotton and other commodity crops flourish in the countryside, is in the southeast corner of the Bootheel, nestled between Arkansas and the Mississippi River. It is also home to Don and Betty Lynn, who have farmed cotton together as husband and wife for 62 years. “I can’t imagine any other life than farming, Don says. “It’s been a challenge, but it’s been rewarding.”

D E PA R T M E N T S & C O LU M N S

4 Editor’s Note 18 Specialists Speaking 6 Cotton’s Agenda 20 Industry News 10 Southwestern Report 30 My Turn ON THE COVER: Don and Betty Lynn grow Deltapine brand varieties in Dunklin County, Missouri. Cover photo by Al Fava.

LONESTAR GIN A new gin facility is up and running in Pampa, Texas. Lonestar Gin is built to have a ginning capacity of 150,000 bales per year.

GEORGIA YF&R WINNER

KOCHIA INVASION

GINNERS MARKETPLACE

Preston and Kendall Jimmerson were named the 2019 Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmer & Rancher Achievement Award winner.

Texas A&M AgriLife officials report that herbicide-resistant kochia is becoming more common in the Texas High Plains.

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE GINNING INDUSTRY

Duncan McCook joins TCGA as manager of regulatory affairs. Registration for the 2020 ginners school opens Feb. 17.

WEB EXCLUSIVE U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue recently issued a statement after the House of Representatives passed the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement by a bipartisan vote of 385-41. “I’ve long said that support for USMCA crosses political parties, and the bipartisan passage of the agreement is proof of that,” he says. Go to www.cottonfarming.com for this Web Exclusive report.

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Southern Production & Marketing Strategies

January 2020

Look for Corn South following page 16 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.

A Supplement to Cotton Farming and The Peanut Grower Magazines

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, Tenn. 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.

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JANUARY 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

Into The Unknown

ne of the big questions in the cotton industry is what does the millennial generation think about farming in today’s economic environment? The market is not that great, inputs are costly and the global trade situation is iffy at times. If you are “a Facebooker,” or an “Instagramer,” you’ve probably seen numerous videos and comments posted by these young farmers about their operations. Or you may have had mentoring conversations with them about walking “into the unknown.” It can be scary, and it can be rewarding. The bottom line to me is this generation is smart, fearless and has the guidance of those who came before to assist them. Take, for example, Don and Betty Lynn who have farmed cotton together as husband and wife in the Missouri Bootheel for 62 years. The stories they shared with me for the cover story on page 14 are informative as well as entertaining. In one instance, they recalled nights spent in the field trying to beat the rain and pick as much cotton as possible. They caught midnight naps on top of the module builder and then pushed on to gather the crop before Mother Nature ran them out. After a particularly trying day spent managing the logistics of their watermelon operation that supplemented the cotton farm, Betty said matter-of-factly, “Don, I always wondered what hell would be like, and I found out today.” But she is a hard worker and has a good sense of humor. Betty doesn’t let day-to-day challenges get in the way of running a successful operation with her husband. Don and Betty Lynn are not intimidated by the unknowns they have faced and overcome through the years. And they will be the first to tell you they love growing cotton. The lyrics of the tune “Into The Unknown” from the Frozen 2 movie say, “I’m afraid of what I’m risking if I follow you into the unknown. But don’t you know there’s part of me that longs to go into the unknown?” And like the Lynns, the young farmers who have chosen to go there are certainly capable of succeeding. They may be inspired by watching young seedlings emerge across the field or something as small as the presence of their toddler riding along in the harvester. After taking it all in, they understand what they are risking and even smile as they venture into the unknown without ever looking back. As we embark on a new season, I’m convinced the future of the cotton industry is in good hands. Happy New Year!

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. Contact Carroll Smith via email at csmith@onegrower.com.

COTTON FARMING | JANUARY 2020

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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. This product has 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 or glyphosate are approved for in-crop use with Roundup Ready 2 Xtend ® soybeans or cotton with XtendFlex ® technology. ONLY USE FORMULATIONS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY LABELED FOR SUCH USES AND APPROVED FOR SUCH USE IN THE STATE OF APPLICATION. May not be approved in all states. 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 cotton with XtendFlex ® technology. Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® soybeans contain genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate and dicamba. Cotton with XtendFlex® technology contains genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, dicamba and

glufosinate. 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 Bayer dealer or refer to the Technology Use Guide for recommended weed control programs. B.t. products may not yet be registered in all states. Check with your seed brand representative for the registration status in your state. 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. LibertyLink ® and the Water Droplet Design ® is a trademark of BASF Corporation. Respect the Refuge and Corn Design ® and Respect the Refuge ® are registered trademarks of National Corn Growers Association. Asgrow and the A Design ®, Asgrow ®, Bayer, Bayer Cross Design, DEKALB and Design ®, DEKALB ®, Deltapine ®, Respect the Refuge and Cotton Design ®, Roundup Ready ®, Roundup Ready 2 Xtend ® and VT Double PRO ® are trademarks of Bayer Group. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2019 Bayer Group. All rights reserved. DP-19057-CF-FP-JAN-TRI

Cotton’s Agenda Gary Adams

Preserving The Safety Net A National Cotton Council priority has been and continues to be shoring up cotton producers’ income protection and maintaining viable risk management programs.

What were major efforts in this arena?

n During the past four years, the NCC worked diligently with Congress and the Administration to return Upland cotton as a covered commodity in Title I of farm law and to strengthen risk management through crop insurance programs. Amending the 2014 farm law to add seed cotton for the 2018 crop was a major accomplishment and led to its continuation in the 2018 farm law. Protecting the seed cotton program and cotton crop insurance programs will be paramount in the next farm bill.

To obtain a password for accessing members-only information on the NCC’s website (www.cotton.org) or to become a NCC member, contact memberservice@cotton.org. Regarding trade, cotton-heavy counties received critically important Market Facilitation Program payment rates due to the damage from China retaliatory tariffs. Working to resolve the damaging tariff issues also is a high NCC priority. As such, the NCC continues to brief U.S. government officials on the specific changes needed to improve access for U.S. cotton/cotton products in China and the importance of reaching a trade resolution and prioritizing China purchases of U.S. cotton as part of any purchase agreement.

Are these benefits measurable?

n An NCC analysis showed how producers’ incomes were bolstered from Gin Cost Share, MFP, Price Loss Coverage program payments and crop insurance programs. The analysis reveals that since 2015, these total benefits have been delivered: $541 million in Gin Cost Share payments; $1.7 billion in MFP payments; and an estimated $1.4 billion in PLC payments. Because county-level enrollment data has not been released, Agricultural Loss Coverage payment estimates were not included in this analysis. The Stacked Income Protection Plan and multi-peril cotton crop insurance benefits also have delivered monetary benefits. For the 2015-18 period, average STAX per-acre premium subsidies amounted to $99 million or $33 per acre and STAX average net indemnities paid averaged $67 million or $22 per acre for those purchasing the product. For the 201418 period, multi-peril Upland cotton buy-up insurance subsidies averaged $489 million or $46 per acre. Net indemnities averaged $446 million or $42 per acre for those purchasing coverage. For extra-long staple cotton during the same period, premium subsidies averaged $14 million or $53 per acre, and net indemnities averaged $45 million or $175 per acre. Cotton producers also have benefited indirectly from NCC’s diligence on numerous regulatory matters. That includes monitoring court cases and agency rulemaking on such issues as endangered species, crop protection product registrations, and “Waters of the United States.” In these challenging economic times and with continuing production uncertainties, the NCC must increase its membership base. I encourage all cotton producers and other industry members to support the NCC so it can continue to vigorously advocate for U.S. cotton.

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.

COTTON FARMING | JANUARY 2020

COTTONFARMING.COM

Cotton Consultant’s Corner

Effective, Three-Gene Bt Varieties Shine Scott Asher, Ph.D. Regional Agronomy Manager, BASF Spring Hope, North Carolina

Over the past couple of growing seasons, there have been some hot spots of increased damage from cotton bollworm in two-gene Bt cotton in certain areas of the eastern Cotton Belt. We at BASF, in cooperation with university cotton entomology experts, conduct sentinel plots across the Cotton Belt evaluating efficacy of our Bt trait packages against cotton bollworm.

Cotton Bollworm Thresholds Adjusted In these trials, data is collected to quantify damage caused by the cotton bollworm on non-Bt, two-gene Bt and three-gene Bt cotton varieties over a five- to seven-week period once flowering has occurred. In most of these trials, damage levels have remained below threshold, even on two-gene Bt cotton, but there have been some hot spots in the Delta and North Carolina where damage has been elevated. Thresholds for cotton bollworm management in two-gene Bt cotton have moved from damage thresholds to egg-lay thresholds once bloom has occurred in parts of the eastern Cotton Belt. Due to this development, many growers and consultants want to move to three-gene Bt cotton varieties.

Excellent Results In The Eastern Cotton Belt

In 2020, Stoneville® cotton seed will offer multiple three-gene Bt varieties broadly adapted for the eastern Cotton Belt, all of which have shown outstanding performance. In 2018 university Official Variety Trials across this region, ST 4550GLTP and ST 5471GLTP were among the best performing three-gene Bt cotton varieties. The 2019 results are showing the same level of consistent performance with ST 4550GLTP and ST 5471GLTP. Both varieties were among the best performing varieties in the North Carolina on-farm testing program and were the top-performing three-gene Bt cotton varieties. ST 4990B3XF is a new variety we broadly showcased in our Agronomic Performance Trials in 2019. Its performance across the eastern Cotton Belt has been great, especially on high-performing ground. ST 4990B3XF is a variety that is easy to manage, which is very beneficial on the top-producing ground where some varieties are difficult to manage. So, if you are looking to incorporate some three-gene Bt cotton varieties into your farm plan in 2020, consider the top-performing three-gene Bt varieties from Stoneville.

• B.S., agronomy, Texas A&M University. M.S. and Ph.D. in crop science with an emphasis in weed science, Texas Tech University. • 2016 distinguished alumnus: Texas Tech University, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. • Held various technical, marketing and managerial roles during 20-plus year career with BASF. Currently manages the agronomic service team in the Delta, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast that support the Stoneville cotton seed and Credenz® soybean seed brands for BASF. • From a family farm that still operates today, raising cotton, corn and grain sorghum for seed in the Texas panhandle. • Celebrated 20 years of marriage to Stephanie in September 2019.

Recap: Effective Three-Gene Bt Varieties

1. BASF offers multiple three-gene Bt varieties that broadly fit the eastern Cotton Belt with ST 4550GLTP, ST 5471GLTP and ST 4990B3XF. 2. ST 4550GLTP and ST 5471GLTP performed consistently in the 2018 university OVTs and continued this strong performance in on-farm trial programs. 3. ST 4550GLTP and ST 5471GLTP were the top two performing three-gene Bt varieties in the North Carolina on-farm trials. 4. ST 4990B3XF is a new variety that was showcased in our APTs in 2019. It looks to have a good fit across the eastern Cotton Belt, especially on high-production ground.

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Lonestar Gin Up And Running The Pampa, Texas, Facility Was Built To Gin 150,000 Bales Per Year

ver the past two decades, cotton acreage has expanded significantly into the Texas Panhandle. Corn has historically been a mainstay crop in this area, but diminishing irrigation capacity and rotational crop needs have many growers seeking profitable alternatives. Gins are critical infrastructure to ensure timely cotton processing. The function of a gin is to process raw cotton from the field into three segments, including lint, seed and trash. The highest value of these components is lint, followed by seed and trash. More Ginning Capacity Needed Due to the significant expansion of cotton acres, ginning capacity is a necessity. Farmers cannot sell their crop or get paid until the cotton is

The Lonestar Gin in Pampa, Texas, has six Lummus gin stands with the capacity to turn out about 2 bales per minute or 120 bales per hour. PHOTOS COURTESY OF LONESTAR GIN

processed. Limited ginning capacity in the area became apparent beginning in 2016, and many gins did not complete processing the backlog of cotton until March or perhaps even later. The

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need for additional ginning capacity in the area was recognized by many producers. By 2017, growers with similar goals of expanding cotton acreage came together to envision, plan, finance and build the new Lonestar Gin located about 4 miles south of Pampa, Texas, on Highway 70. The finalized plan was to construct a facility with new state-of-the-art components. The Lonestar Gin has six Lummus gin stands with the capacity of turning out about 2 bales per minute or 120 bales per hour. It also has two cotton bale presses. The ultimate goal of the facility is to gin about 150,000 bales per year. A Farmer’s Perspective Lance Williams, who farms about 14,000 acres of cotton in the Texas Panhandle, is one of many area farmer investors in Lonestar Gin. “Since cotton is so new to our part of the world, we had a lack of ginning capacity in this area,” he says. “Two years ago, we sent cotton about 150 miles away to five different gins to get it processed in a timely manner. I knew we needed another gin, and a group of mostly farmer investors agreed. “Carey McKinney, the gin manager, says he is expecting to gin 50,000 to 55,000 bales this year, which is about COTTONFARMING.COM

CCOY Cotton Consultant of the Year established 1981

Who is the 2019 Cotton Consultant of the Year? An Arkansas cotton farmer says the 2019 CCOY recipient “has been a trusted consultant and friend of mine for most of my farming career. His recommendations are always spot on, and I never question his integrity.”

Carey McKinney, gin manager at Lonestar Gin, addresses the crowd during the facility’s open house on Sept. 25, 2019.

A university cotton specialist says, “He always asks the hard questions in his task to make his producers as profitable as possible. If there are no clear answers to his questions, he and some of his producers are always willing to work with Extension to initiate field studies to help answer them.”

one-third of what we anticipated ginning. But we had a huge crop failure up here this year. The facility was built to accommodate a gin capacity of about 150,000 bales per year.” Williams says Lonestar Gin is a state-of-the-art facility equipped with the latest technology. “We hang our hat on that,” he says. “We spent a lot of extra money to have the gin fully automated to get the best turnout and quality from a farmer’s cotton.” By The Numbers The facility was financed by Plains Land Bank and was supported by 80 investors. The investors included Windstar Inc., which has a substantial and experienced ginning footprint, extending from near Plainview through the Panhandle. The new facility sits on 5 acres. Also included is an office building and two 6,000-ton seed warehouses. The gin yard has the capacity to store about 80,000 bales. The entire gin complex consists of 640 acres, which were obtained through a lease-purchase agreement with the city of Pampa. The agreement was established over a five-year period. An important site-selection consideration was that a fire hydrant was located on the property. It will provide critical access to water in the event of fire at the complex. Many growers and investors with vision and faith in the future of cotton TWITTER: @COTTONFARMING

He is described as well respected by his growers, his peers, Extension and industry. He established his consulting firm in 1990 in Poinsett County, Arkansas. The company has grown over the years and now offers year-round services to farmer clients in a five-county region. Texas Panhandle cotton farmer Lance Williams held back some 2018 cotton to help test run Lonestar Gin in anticipation of the 2019 ginning season.

Who is the man so deserving of these accolades?

have reached a major milestone. After several years of discussion, planning, financing and construction, the Lonestar Gin has become a reality. An open house was held Sept. 25, 2019, and about 300 people attended. The Lonestar Gin’s service area includes the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma. Contact Carey McKinney, Lonestar Gin manager, at 806-665-0677.

Look for the big announcement in the February issue of Cotton Farming!

Lonestar Gin contributed information for this article.

Cotton Consultant of the Year sponsored by

Cotton Farming JANUARY 2020 | COTTON FARMING

SOUTHWESTERN REPORT

good; it was actually very poor. But we made it through, and I think my dad was pleased with the job I was doing.” He says things have changed a lot since that first cotton crop, but good quality cotton has always been the goal. Today, with help from his two sons, Joe and Stuart, he is farming about 5,700 acres of cotton. While they have other crops to which to rotate and cattle to manage, growing cotton is special and brings back childhood memories. One of Posey’s fondest memories is asking to spend his fifth birthday on the cotton farm, riding the tractor and cutting stalks with his grandfather.

Cotton Board Chairman Jeff Posey, center, farms with his sons, Joe, left, and Stuart, in West Texas.

Share The Love Of Cotton

he Cotton Research and Promotion Program is led by a group of volunteer board members made up of cotton producers and cotton importers from across the United States. The members, alternates and advisers serving on The Cotton Board work together to represent the interests and improve the profitability of both industry segments. They also provide insight to guide program activities. Each year at its Annual Meeting, The Cotton Board elects a chairman from the membership to serve a oneyear term. This year, West Texas cotton producer Jeff Posey leads the organization. From Roby, Texas, he began his chairmanship in August 2019 and will complete his term in August. An Eye On Quality Cotton I recently spent time with him during cotton harvest in Fisher and Jones counties, where his family has been farming since the late 1800s. In 1983, two farmers in the area retired,

COTTON FARMING | JANUARY 2020

BY CHRISTI CHADWELL LUBBOCK, TEXAS

allowing Posey to pick up some acres to farm on his own. His father also turned some of the decision-making and day-to-day work over to him in exchange for using his equipment. That year, Posey married Phiny — the love of his life — and together they worked through a tough year but managed to harvest their first cotton crop. “The first year on my own was very dry, and the boll weevils were rampant,” he says. “The crop wasn’t very

Giving Back He attributes many of the farm’s successes over the years to a variety of agricultural research projects funded by the program. Posey was first appointed to The Cotton Board as an alternate in 2005 and became a member in 2010. He has served as chair and vice-chair on multiple Cotton Board committees — including the executive committee — and now leads the program as chairman. “The Cotton Research and Promotion Program has experts on staff who dedicate their careers to making sure farmers can be successful in the field,” Posey says. “They also work to create demand for our cotton all over the world. Many of the practices I’ve adopted as a farmer to help me produce more cotton with fewer inputs have come as result of the program’s research. “We want to be good stewards of the land. Not only do we want a crop that yields well, but we want to have sound science behind our sustainability practices. And I want to share those things with my sons and neighbors. Both of my sons have young children now, and I cannot wait for Phiny and me to share our love of cotton with our grandchildren.” If you are interested in becoming involved in The Cotton Board, please contact your local certified producer/ importer organization, The Cotton Board office at 901-683-2500 or the U.S. Department of Agriculture at 540-361-2726 for more information. Christi Chadwell is the Cotton Board’s regional communication manager for the Southwest. Contact her at cchad well@cottonboard.org. COTTONFARMING.COM

I CHOOSE

RESULTS

60 LBS/A ADVANTAGE on average vs key competitors in head-to-head testing 1

#1 COTTON SYSTEM planted by farmers

CONTROLS MORE WEEDS than any other crop system

2018 data as of May 15, 2019. Yield advantage calculated comparing Deltapine ® Bollgard ® 3 XtendFlex ® varieties (DP 1820 B3XF, DP 1908 B3XF, DP 1845 B3XF, DP 1835 B3XF, DP 1916 B3XF, DP 1851 B3XF, DP 1948 B3XF, DP 1840 B3XF) to PhytoGen WideStrike ® 3 with Genuity ® Roundup Ready ® Flex and Enlist™ varieties (PHY 300 W3FE, PHY 330 W3FE, PHY 340 W3FE, PHY 490 W3FE). N= 578 trials (Bayer internal trials and public testing) 2017-2018.

Traited U.S. cotton acres containing XtendFlex® Technology based on Bayer internal estimates.

Based on approved EPA herbicide labels as of Aug. 2018. 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. XtendiMax ® herbicide with VaporGrip ® Technology is part of the Roundup Ready ® Xtend Crop System and is a restricted use pesiticide. 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. ©2019 Bayer Group. All rights reserved. MDIC-19040-CG-120219

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Growing Georgia Agriculture State Cotton Farmers Compete For National Title

A Quick Transition Preston views the move as an adventure. He had married into a farm family also known for its commitment to the sport of diving. Rick’s father, Robert “Moose” Moss, started Moultrie’s renowned diving team. He built a diving facility on the farm, learned the sport and taught local youth. Though Preston didn’t grow up on a farm and had limited knowledge of farming, he jumped in with both feet. He and Kendall have continued kicking away from the side of the pool and been successful. Preston resigned his job as an insurance agent and began farming parttime with Rick in May 2010. Parttime, because both agreed Preston should study agriculture. He enrolled at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Georgia, and by

COTTON FARMING | JANUARY 2020

JAY STONE, GEORGIA FARM BUREAU NEWS

n 2010, Preston and Kendall Jimmerson were pondering their future. Preston was a four-year insurance agent with Lee County, Georgia Farm Bureau. But farm life had caught his attention. Kendall grew up on Moss Family Farm, then owned by her father, Rick Moss. Preston talked with his fatherin-law and told him he’d like to try farming if Rick ever wanted to retire. Preston’s expectation was this was something to be addressed far in the future. “I basically just said I’d really like to be outside. I would like to farm. I don’t want to be in business indoors the rest of my life,” Preston remembers. “He said, ‘Today’s the day. We’re going to set this up. You’re going to start right now.’” Kendall, having grown up on the farm, had a clearer view of what this meant. “I was scared,” she says. “Very,very terrified. I grew up on the farm and moving away was a big deal. Inside, I wanted to raise my kids here. I wanted to come back, but I never thought I would.”

Preston and Kendall Jimmerson won the 2019 Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmer & Rancher Achievement Award and will represent the state as they compete for the American Farm Bureau YF&R Achievement Award. 2012 had earned a bachelor’s degree in diversified agriculture. On Jan. 1, 2013, he took over the farm and Rick retired. The Jimmersons would rent the land from him, purchase all his equipment, and assume all financial and operational risk for the 2,400-acre farm. “I give him all the credit in the world,” Preston says. “There’s hardly any operation that transitions the way we did. His mentality has always been that you can only have so many mouths eating out of the same pie. He knew that in order for us to be able to make it, to be able to invest in the farm and grow it, he had to be out.” The Farming Adventure Begins So, the Jimmersons took out U.S. Department of Agriculture loans and moved forward. Preston says he and Rick occasionally talk about farm topics, but conversations about crop decisions don’t happen.

The Jimmersons, who started with 1,300 acres of cotton and 300 acres of peanuts in 2013, now produce approximately 1,600 acres of cotton, 475 acres of peanuts, 200 acres of corn and double-crop spring and fall cabbage on about 180 acres. In December, they were named the 2019 Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmer & Rancher Achievement Award winner and will represent the state as they compete for the American Farm Bureau YF&R Achievement Award in Austin, Texas. As the state winner, the Jimmersons received $500 cash, a four-seat John Deere ATV with trailer, a year’s use of a Kubota M Series tractor and an expense-paid trip to the AFBF convention. The runners-up received $500 cash. This article is by Georgia Farm Bureau News Reporter Jay Stone. It is reprinted with permission from the 2019 November/December GFB News. COTTONFARMING.COM

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Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System helps Tennessee cotton farmer take back control from glyphosate-resistant weeds ®

The number-one challenge each season for Barnes Farms, located near Kenton, Tennessee, is resistant Palmer amaranth, commonly known as pigweed. It has plagued Tennessee farmland for better than a decade and, recently, University of Tennessee researchers have documented Palmer amaranth to be resistant to four herbicide sites of action.* Since adopting the Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System, however, this family farm once again has a good handle on weed management, including pigweed.

Rance Barnes

Rance Barnes, Jr., grew up on this farm, located in the Obion River Bottoms, with its rich Memphis silt loam soils on hilly fields and low-lying river bottoms with streaks of clay-type “gumbo” dirt. Cotton and corn are the primary crops, with soybeans thrown in on river bottom fields planted later in the spring due to slow-torecede floodwater or behind wheat on the hill ground.

Before adopting the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System, Barnes Farms operators found themselves making multiple Roundup® agricultural herbicide applications, trying in vain to control glyphosate-resistant weeds. They applied Gramoxone® herbicide under row-crop hoods in an attempt to kill weeds between the rows. And they hired extra employees during the summer to walk fields and pull resistant pigweeds. TENNESSEE COTTON FARMER

Today, all of the farm’s cotton and the majority of its soybean acres are planted to the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System. While the system has been important for improving pigweed management on the farm, a key to making the system work effectively is application timing, Barnes says.

“The most urgent weed to control in our fields is resistant pigweed, so we want to be out there spraying about 10 days after emergence — that quick,” he says. “We are scouting for weeds as soon as the crops emerge, and at the first sight of pigweed, we spray.” Barnes plants soybeans on 15-inch row spacings, allowing them to canopy quickly. After the first in-crop application of XtendiMax with VaporGrip Technology, tank mixed with Roundup PowerMAX herbicide and an approved acetochlor product, plus an approved drift-reduction agent (DRA), the soybean fields are typically finished with herbicide application needs. The System Is Working In cotton, Barnes likes for young plants to have some legs on them before he makes the in-crop dicamba application. That typically occurs about 15 days after planting, applying XtendiMax with VaporGrip Technology, Roundup PowerMAX herbicide, acetochlor and an approved DRA. Most cotton fields will require a second dicamba application before rows are canopied over. For a layby application, Barnes will go in with an application of Liberty® herbicide and Roundup PowerMAX herbicide. From burndown to lay-by application, just five herbicide trips are needed to keep his cotton fields clean, and just three for soybean fields. “In the past, you’d get to the point where you did not want to spend any more money on weed management and would just let them go,” Barnes recalls. “The fact now that you ride around and don’t see pigweed in fields like you used to see them, it just shows you how much the system has meant to the farming community around here. The system is working.”

On the Barnes farm, cotton and soybeans get the same burndown treatment in early March of Valor® herbicide, Roundup PowerMAX® herbicide and a clethodim product for ryegrass control. Their soybean planter is followed with a spray rig to apply Gramoxone as a pre-emergence treatment. In cotton, the planter is followed up with an application of Prowl® herbicide and Gramoxone. Within 10 to 15 days after the crops emerge, Barnes expects to be in the field again making the first in-crop application of XtendiMax® herbicide with VaporGrip® Technology (Restricted Use Pesticide).

Rance with Garrett Montgomery, Bayer, Weed Control TDR, discussing weed control in the field

Restricted Use Pesticide Low-Volatility Dicamba * Take Action. United Soybean Board (Sep. 12, 2019). Waterhemp management in soybeans. Retrieved from http://www.weedscience.missouri.edu XtendiMax® herbicide with VaporGrip® Technology is part of the Roundup Ready ® Xtend Crop System and is a restricted use pesticide. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW DIRECTIONS FOR USE ON PESTICIDE LABELING. It is a violation of federal and state law to use any pesticide product other than in accordance with its labeling. XtendiMax® herbicide with VaporGrip® Technology and products with XtendFlex® Technology may not be approved in all states and may be subject to use restrictions in some states. Check with your local product dealer or representative or U.S. EPA and your state pesticide regulatory agency for the product registration status and additional restrictions in your state. For approved tank-mix products and nozzles visit XtendiMaxApplicationRequirements.com 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. ©2019 Bayer Group. All rights reserved. MDIC-19040-CF-120219

COVER STORY

Lynn Farms Bootheel Missouri Cotton Farmers Don And Betty Lynn Have Chalked Up 62 Cotton Crops And Counting BY CARROLL SMITH EDITOR

ennett, Missouri, where cotton and other commodity crops flourish in the countryside, is in the southeast corner of the Bootheel, nestled between Arkansas and the Mississippi River. It is also home to Don and Betty Lynn, who have farmed cotton together as husband and wife for 62 years. Even before they met and married in 1956, their lives followed a similar path. Both graduated high school in Kennett, then went north to find jobs. Don worked the wheat harvest out West during the summers and was employed in a factory up North during the winter. Betty secured a job as a hospital secretary in Flint, Michigan, but yearned to return home after a short stay.

For 62 years, Don and Betty Lynn have farmed cotton in the Missouri Bootheel. They also raised four children here and are now enjoying their grandchildren and great-grandchildren as well.

COTTON FARMING | JANUARY 2020

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Don and Betty Lynn harvest their cotton with two, four-row pickers and two module builders. They gin their crop at 4-Way Gin Co. Inc. in Senath, Missouri.

“I came home after wheat harvest in 1956, met Betty, and after a whirlwind courtship, we were married,” Don says. “In the spring of ’57, we started farming cotton, popcorn and watermelons on 60 acres. We didn’t have any collateral, so we borrowed money from the Federal Housing Administration. The first year was bad, but Betty had a check from her job as an office secretary for one of the local surgeons. She later worked as a secretary for the school system for 26 years.” The young couple started out with a one-row cotton picker to harvest their crop, then graduated to a two-row. Don typically ran the picker and dumped the cotton in a trailer, which Betty then drove to the gin. Today, they farm 1,600 acres of cotton, soybeans and potatoes and harvest the cotton crop with two John Deere four-row pickers and two module builders. About 60% of the farm is irrigated — mostly with seven center pivots — and 40% is dryland. The Lynns plant a rye cover crop every year on their cotton and soybean acreage, using an air seeder on the hipper. “We plant the cover crop after we harvest the cotton and hip the ground for the following year at the same time. In the spring, we knock the top of the bed off and leave the cover crop in the middles as long as we can. I believe it helps with our pigweed problem and with wind and water erosion,” Don says. “If we didn’t have a cover crop, some of our sandy ground would turn into a dust bowl.” 2019 Yield And Quality In 2019, the Lynns planted DP 1725 B2XF, DP 1522 TWITTER: @COTTONFARMING

B2XF, DP 1646 B2XF and several Deltapine New Product Evaluator test plots. According to Deltapine, the NPE Program is designed to invite growers to evaluate variety candidates on large-acre plots under their own management systems and field conditions. Don says after reviewing the numbers following harvest, 1725 was their highest yielder, making 2-plus bales per acre in some fields. “We also had good quality cotton,” he says. “The strength, length and color were good, but what I really like about the Deltapine cotton is the turnout. When I first started farming cotton, we got about 33% turnout. Now the turnout is in the 40s, which is adding a lot of yield to our crop. “And we usually get above loan price on our cotton. This year the loan was 52 cents, and we got 55 and 56 cents for it. So that’s 3 to 4 cents above the loan.” But last season was not without its challenges, Don says, starting with the rain that began in October 2018 and carried into the next spring. All of the moisture created some spots in the field that the planter just had to go around. “We had to replant about 25% of our cotton,” he says. “There’s a saying in Missouri that you can lose a crop twice and still make a good crop. That proved true last year. The second time we replanted the cotton, it came right up and had good growth on it.” Managing Cotton Pests The Lynns say their most troublesome weed problem is pigweed. They make a pre-emerge application of Warrant JANUARY 2020 | COTTON FARMING

Products Use Notice for "I Choose Results" Advertisement for Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System 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. This product has 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. XtendiMax® herbicide with VaporGrip® Technology is part of the Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System and is a restricted use pesticide. 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. XtendiMax® herbicide with VaporGrip ® Technology and products with XtendFlex® Technology may not be approved in all states and may be subject to use restrictions in some states. Check with your local product dealer or representative or U.S. EPA and your state pesticide regulatory agency for the product registration status and additional restrictions in your state. For approved tank-mix products and nozzles visit XtendiMaxApplicationRequirements.com. NOT ALL formulations of dicamba, glyphosate or glufosinate are approved for in-crop use with cotton 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 cotton 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. Cotton 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 Monsanto 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®, Deltapine ®, Respect the Refuge and Cotton Design®, Roundup Ready®, VaporGrip ®, XtendFlex® and XtendiMax® are registered trademarks of Bayer Group. LibertyLink® and the Water Droplet Design® is a trademark of BASF Corporation. ©2019 Bayer Group. All rights reserved. MDIC-19040-CG-120219

Although Don and Betty Lynn had to replant about 25% of their cotton twice last year, they still enjoyed good yields and good grades on their 2019 crop. herbicide that keeps the weeds from coming up. Then they use hooded sprayers to help control drift when applying a tankmix of XtendiMax and Roundup herbicides. “Most of our farm is in a fairly isolated area of Dunklin County, which helps with avoiding drift onto neighboring crops,” Don says. “This weed control program works well. We did very little hand chopping this past year.” In the insect arena, the Lynns typically battle thrips and tarnished plants bugs and occasionally spider mites, which turn the underside of the cotton leaves reddish-brown mid-season. Their cotton scout, Thomas Scales Jr., helps them identify pest problems in the field and makes treatment recommendations. “We depend on Thomas and his knowledge,” Betty says. Don says he is looking forward to ThryvOn — the new Bayer biotechnology trait coming in the near future. According to the company, it will protect cotton plants against thrips and tarnished plant bugs. NPE Program Fans When making their variety decisions, the Lynns say they always consider the results of the Deltapine NPE program. “We have participated in the

COTTON FARMING | JANUARY 2020

“I can’t imagine any other life than farming. It’s been a challenge, but it’s been rewarding. DON LYNN

Deltapine NPE Program since it began in 2008,” Betty says. “We feel fortunate to be in the program and get to see how the varieties perform on our farm a year before they are commercially released. We attend the NPE meeting every year and have made a lot of goods friends we enjoy spending time with.” In looking to the 2020 season, Don says they intend to plant DP 2012 B3XF, DP 2020 B3XF and DP 1725 B2XF. DP 2012 B3XF is a Deltapine Class of ’20 early maturity variety with bacterial blight resistance. DP 2020 B3XF — also part of the Class of ’20 — is an early to mid-maturity variety with bacterial blight resistance plus moderate tolerance to Verticillium wilt. In reflecting on the past 62 years, Don says, “I can’t imagine any other life than farming. It’s been a challenge, but it’s been rewarding.” Betty agrees. “It has been a good life — a blessed happy life.” COTTONFARMING.COM

THRIVING IN COTTON

Evaluate Fields for Silent Yield Robbers

hytoGen® brand varieties contain PhytoGen Breeding Traits™ that offer built-in protection against some of the most common yield-robbing pests and diseases found in cotton. ▶ All PhytoGen® W3FE varieties are resistant to bacterial blight. ▶ Additional protection from root-knot nematodes and verticillium wilt is available in select Upland varieties. ▶ All PhytoGen Pima varieties provide tolerance to Fusarium (FOV) Race 4. ▶ In the near future, protection from reniform nematodes also will be available in select Upland varieties. Clemson University nematologist Dr. John Mueller, who has studied nematodes for years, says you can drive by a field where nematodes are present and not notice anything unusual until the damage translates into a yield loss at the end of the season. “Yield losses of 10% within a field are common and often go unnoticed,” he says. “And yield losses in an individual field can exceed 50%.” Maximize Yield Advantage Jason Woodward, Ph.D., PhytoGen cotton development specialist for the Mid-Atlantic region, says, “In fields where producers have identified a root-knot nematode problem, we are maximizing yield advantage by planting varieties with the PhytoGen Breeding Trait for root-knot resistance. Nematode populations are being reduced in the soil for subsequent years as well.” Cotton producer Wade Atkinson farms with his nephew, Ricky Atkinson, in Lee County, South Carolina. He says root-knot nematode is present over most of the farm, especially where they grow cotton behind cotton. To combat this pest, Wade plants root-knot nematode resistant varieties, such as PHY 350 W3FE, which is a two-gene root-knot nematode resistant variety. In addition, recent nematode samples indicated high populations of reniform nematode throughout his farm as well. He has used crop rotation to help break the nematode cycle. Wade also plants wheat cover crops and uses conventional tillage to promote soil moisture retention. “We are trying several approaches to help increase cotton yields, especially in dryer years,” he says. In 2018, Wade had a couple fields in continuous cotton and noticed the yield was down. So in 2019, he planted 350 acres of dual-gene root-knot nematode resistant PHY 350 W3FE and had a first look at the newly named PHY 400 W3FE, which is also a root-knot nematode resistant variety. “Mitch Binnar, our PhytoGen territory manager, brought in an experimental variety with reniform resistance to see if that would help with the nematode problem,” he says.

South Carolina cotton farmer Wade Atkinson says, “If you have nematodes, planting a PhytoGen brand variety with nematode resistance is the way to go.”

After the reniform fields were harvested on Wade’s farm, the results showed a 20 to 216 pounds-per-acre increase with the experimental reniform resistant variety when compared to susceptible varieties. Reduce Nematode Populations Woodward says in the Mid-Atlantic region, yields were higher for experimental PhytoGen brand varieties with reniform resistance compared to non-reniform resistant varieties in all comparisons, ranging from 20 to 356 pounds per acre. Resistant varieties reduced reniform populations at the end of the season by 42% to 71% compared to susceptible varieties. “This looks to be very consistent with other data I have seen across the Cotton Belt — about 200 pounds per acre yield advantage and a 60% to 80% reduction in nematode populations,” he says. Based on his own PhytoGen experience, Wade says, “If you have root-knot or reniform nematodes, planting a PhytoGen brand variety with nematode resistance is the way to go. And if you have any drought at all, planting nematode resistant seed will give you a bigger yield and healthier roots all season long. That stronger root also will help if you have any drought stress. We are blessed with good seed technology.”

™ ® Trademarks of Dow AgroSciences, DuPont or Pioneer, and their affiliated companies or their respective owners. PhytoGen Seed Company is a joint venture between Mycogen Corporation, an affiliate of Dow AgroSciences LLC, and the J.G. Boswell Company. TWITTER: @COTTONFARMING JANUARY 2020 | COTTON FARMING

Specialists Speaking Variety Selection Critical For Success ARIZONA Randy Norton With the challenges of 2019 behind us, I am sure this year in cotton production will be one we will not want to revisit any time soon. For most cotton producers across the state, it was one of lower-thanaverage yields, fiber quality issues that included some short staple and a complicated harvest with fall rains about once a week from late October through mid-December. The production problems have been accompanied by low cotton prices, all of which has had a tremendous impact on the bottom line of many producers across the state. As we contemplate the 2020 season and where to place resources, it is important to look critically at every input made into the crop to ensure it will provide a positive return on investment. Increasing the efficiency of our production practices will be critical in the upcoming year to maintain the economic viability of our industry. Every aspect of production must be evaluated from variety selection, fertility management, pest management an irrigation management to general crop management to see where improvements can be made to increase the overall efficiency and sustainability of our operations. These topics along with others will be covered in a series of preseason cotton management meetings that will be conducted across Arizona during January and February. I encourage you to attend these meetings sponsored by the University of Arizona where the latest information on topics related to cotton management will be discussed. A calendar of events, meetings and educational opportunities is kept on the ACIS website (http://cals.arizona.edu/crops/counties/all/ events.html). Consult it regularly to keep up to date with meetings and events. rnorton@cals.arizona.edu

ALABAMA Steve M. Brown Everyone understands why variety selection is so important. Among the reasons are the cost of seed, the narrowing of pest management options, the presumed determination of yield potential and the lack of opportunity for a post-plant correction. A few questions provide a beginning funnel for these decisions.  Does yield drive everything? Or do certain qualifiers constrain choices?  Can I manage multiple technologies, or is it imperative that all acres have the same herbicide trait package?  Do I need to “play defense” with herbicide technology based on my neighbors’ cropping systems?  Should my portfolio be limited to three-gene Bt varieties?  Are nematode-resistant varieties a good choice for me?  With an offer of a “deal,” is it one that truly helps the bottom line or is it simply a bad deal?  Does a financial, contractual or personal obligation influence alternatives?  Should previous stand establishment issues factor into decisions?  Have past experiences — good and bad — with fiber quality been significant enough to steer me to or away from certain varieties?

COTTON FARMING | JANUARY 2020

I came across an old presentation with a slide titled, “The Tried and True.” Its points: Give me data. Give me local experience. Give me onfarm experience. Over time, years, environment. Another slide pictured a basket with cotton overflowing and made the classic point, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” Simple, straightforward questions and principles to guide plans for 2020. cottonbrown@auburn.edu

FLORIDA David Wright Many of our county variety trials in Florida had higher yields than expected. Each year, the first thing a grower wants to know (after price) is what varieties I should plant. Yield stability across regions is a good way to look at varieties. Did the variety rank near the top of all trials in both low- and high-yielding environments? This is an important characteristic as each field has low-, mid- and high-yielding zones. Most fields are managed in the same way with the same plant population, fertilizer, herbicides, etc., so using varieties that do well in all locations should be considered. Our recent research of planting cotton after winter grazing with resulting higher yields (often 150-400 pounds per acre lint higher yield) works with any variety and often masks the weak places in the field. Less nitrogen can be used, and the crop can go seven to 10 days longer without irrigation due to enhanced rooting of the cotton crop from grazing cattle prior to planting. If the opportunity arises to plant cotton on a small field after winter grazing, consider trying it for the yield and input benefits. wright@ufl.edu

LOUISIANA Dan Fromme Choosing cotton varieties can be difficult, and the availability of different transgenic traits often complicates the process. It is advantageous to have as much information on a variety to help make a more informed decision pertaining to variety selection. To assist in this decision-making process, the LSU AgCenter annually conducts official variety trials at the Red River Research Station, Bossier City; Dean Lee Research Station, Alexandria; Macon Ridge Research Station, Winnsboro; and Northeast Research Station, St. Joseph. This past year, 47 cotton varieties were evaluated at these locations. In addition to the official cotton variety trials, 10 on-farm cotton variety trials were conducted with growers throughout the state. The objective of both the official variety trials and the on-farm trials is to provide as much information as possible concerning a cotton variety’s performance over a range of soil textures and growing conditions. As the new season approaches, variety selection is a key component in the planning process for the upcoming year, and now is an excellent time to review past year’s results. Review as many public and private company tests as possible in your area before making a variety decision. Results for the 2019 LSU AgCenter cotton variety trials are located at lsuagcenter.com. They can be found by clicking on topics>crops>cotton>varieties. Best of luck in 2020! dfromme@agcenter.lsu.edu Continued on page 24 COTTONFARMING.COM

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Getting a strong start is in the palm of your hand. Text your ZIP code to (833) 525-0051 for varieties bred to fit your acres.

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Talk to your local BASF Seed Advisor about finishing strong with varieties that work in your area. Stoneville.com.

Industry News New Varieties Have Root-Knot Nematode Resistance PhytoGen plans to have two new cottonseed varieties, PHY 400 W3FE and PHY 500 W3FE, available for the 2020 season. The varieties exceeded criteria for commercial advancement after on-farm evaluations were completed by more than 75 PhytoGen Horizon Network growers this year. All PhytoGen W3FE varieties available in 2020 have PhytoGen Breeding Traits for built-in protection against diseases and pests. PHY 400 W3FE is a mid-maturing, medium-height, semi-smooth leaf variety that performs well on irrigated and non-irrigated land. A Southeast PHN farmer reports that it packed on fruit and responded well to plant growth regulators. As growers discovered this year, PHY 400 W3FE is manageable and responds well to higher inputs and productive soils. It also has PhytoGen Breeding Traits for bacterial blight and root-knot nematode resistance. The new variety has also performed well in Official Variety Trials across

the Cotton Belt in 2019. In preliminary data of the combined trials in Central and South Texas (three Monster and 16 RACE trials), for example, it outyielded competitors by 66 pounds per acre — $38 per acre — while winning highest lint value outright in nine of 23 trials. The mid- to full-maturing newcomer, PHY 500 W3FE, is one of the most consistent PhytoGen cotton varieties available. It fits across a wide range of soil types from the Mid-Atlantic to the Southeast and across West Texas. PHY 500 W3FE is a top-yielding, smooth-leaf variety with excellent fiber characteristics, including micronaire, strength and staple. For farmers who have root-knot nematodes, the RKN resistance in both varieties is a major benefit.

Tax Credit Tied To Irrigation Some Alabama farmers could see a tax break, thanks to a new tax credit. It allows a farmer to count certain costs associated with irrigation, including fuel conversions, equipment and reservoirs, on their income taxes. Only qualified irrigation systems or

reservoirs are eligible. Producers must have filled out an annual information report with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries to qualify. Eligible taxpayers can claim one credit for qualifying equipment purchased and installed during five-year periods. These periods are 2012-17, 2018-22, and 2023 and thereafter. To learn more, go to www.aces.edu.

Cotton Breeders Added To Staff Americot Inc., is expanding the company’s cotton seed breeding team, adding four new staff members. Laura Barham grew up on a family farm in Bonita, Louisiana, growing cotton, corn, soybeans and produce. Over the past 14 years, she was with Stoneville brand cotton seed, working in cotton breeding and testing in the Mississippi Delta. Based in Hollandale, Mississippi, Laura joins Americot as an associate breeder. Jody Butler has been working in the cotton industry for more than 20 years, starting out with Stoneville Seed Co. in 1995. Most recently, he was the southeast testing man-

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Industry News ager with Bayer/BASF. Butler joins Americot’s breeding team as the senior testing manager and is based in Albany, Georgia. Stephen Follis was born and raised in the Lubbock, Texas, area. Since 2005, he has worked in cotton and ag-related research, most recently for Bayer Crop Science, where he was a research specialist. Follis is based in Lubbock and joins Americot as the breeding lab manager. Luis Duran-Ortiz was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He started with Pioneer in 2002 on the firm’s four-generation trait introgression. Based in San Juan, Luis joins Americot as the breeding manager for the newly established breeding station there.

LATMC Conference Scheduled The Louisiana Agricultural Technology & Management Conference sponsored by the Louisiana Agricultural Consultants Association is Feb. 12-14 at Paragon Casino Resort in Marksville, Louisiana. This conference provides recertification of consultant and commer-

cial applicator licenses. CCA CEUs are also available. The preliminary program is posted at www.laca1.org. Contact Denise Wright, LACA executive director at denise@laca1.org or 337-945-3694 for more information.

Here are the four broadly adapted varieties:  DP 2012 B3XF, an early maturity variety with bacterial blight resistance.  DP 2020 B3XF, an early mid-maturity variety with bacterial blight resistance plus moderate tolerance to Verticillium wilt.  DP 2038 B3XF, a mid-maturity variety with excellent yield potential and bacterial blight resistance.  DP 2055 B3XF, a full-maturity variety with excellent fiber quality potential. For the tough growing regions of Texas, the Class of ’20 features two solid products for both dryland and irrigated ground:  DP 2044 B3XF, a mid-maturity variety with excellent seedling vigor and bacterial blight resistance that will join the DryTough program lineup for West Texas.  DP 2022 B3XF, an early to mid-maturity variety with Vertilcillium wilt tolerance and bacterial blight resistance. Deltapine Class of ’20 varieties will be in limited launch-year seed supplies for 2020.

Deltapine Names Class of ’20 U.S. cotton growers will have access to new Bollgard 3 XtendFlex varieties that have demonstrated the outstanding yield and fiber quality performance of DP1646 B2XF with the launch of Deltapine’s Class of ’20. “The Class of ’20 is the strongest class of varieties since starting the Deltapine New Product Evaluator Program in 2008,” says Keylon Gholston, Deltapine cotton products manager. The new Deltapine varieties combine the protection from bollworms provided by Bollgard 3 technology and the flexible and efficient weed management of the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System for cotton. In addition, five of the new varieties are resistant to bacterial blight, and three have moderate tolerance or tolerance to Verticillium wilt.

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DeltaForce ® controls weight for consistent emergence. vDrive ® simplifies your drive system and ensures seeds are singulated correctly. You shouldn’t have to wonder what your cotton stand is going to look like. You can have conﬁdence in your planter. DeltaForce®, vDrive®, and Precision Planting ® are a registered trademarks of Precision Planting LLC. ©2019 Precision Planting LLC.

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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. This product has 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.

B.t. products may not yet be registered in all states. Check with your representative for the registration status in your state. Insect control technology provided by Vip3A is utilized under license from Syngenta Crop Protection AG. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW DIRECTIONS FOR USE ON PESTICIDE LABELING. 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 or glyphosate are approved for in-crop use with cotton 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 cotton with XtendFlex® Technology. Cotton with XtendFlex® Technology contains genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, dicamba and glufosinate. 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 dealer or refer to the Technology Use Guide for recommended weed control programs.

Bollgard®, Bollgard II®, 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.

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 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. 22

COTTON FARMING | JANUARY 2020

Herbicide-Resistant Kochia Invades Texas High Plains

ochia, a kind of tumbleweed, has long been associated with the Texas High Plains, but its abundance is starting to alarm Texas A&M AgriLife officials. As herbicide resistance mounts, regional producers are experiencing challenges controlling the weed. Dr. Muthu Bagavathiannan, Texas A&M AgriLife Research weed scientist in the Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, College Station, says kochia has been a major multiple herbicide-resistant weed problem for some time. This includes parts of the Great Plains — Kansas, Colorado, Montana and surrounding states, and even in Canada. Spreading Their Seed Kochia is a summer annual plant, germinating in the spring and maturing in the fall. One plant produces thousands of seed that spread into the soil when the weed breaks free and begins to tumble. The tumbling ability is an important dispersal mechanism for this weed, which can rapidly spread herbicide-resistant genes across agricultural landscapes. It is common to see kochia tumbleweeds get caught in fence lines where dropped seed establishes a patch along field edges and ditch banks. These patches are usually not well managed, leading to further spread into adjacent crop fields and pasture lands, Bagavathiannan says. Falling Behind Dr. Jourdan Bell, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agronomist, Amarillo, says where kochia is sprayed along a fence line, producers often use a non-selective burndown herbicide and overspray into the highway right of way, creating a perfect environment for weeds to proliferate. If the kochia patches are resistant to glyphosate, it further magnifies the problem. Resistance is a major concern, Bell says. Without effective management of kochia and other weeds, producers can see a big effect on their yields. She has received multiple calls from farmers in the area who faced kochia control failures with glyphosate,

dicamba, metsulfuron and fluroxypyr. They suspect multiple resistance to these herbicides. Kochia is also being found in cotton and grain sorghum fields and fence lines in the South Plains. “Though effective control has not been an issue so far in the area, we are monitoring its spread and paying close attention to its response to herbicides,” says Dr. Peter Dotray, AgriLife Research weed scientist, Lubbock. “The key to effective kochia control is timeliness of preplant applications when weeds are very small.” Surveying Resistance Bagavathiannan says he conducted a survey in the Texas High Plains in 2018 to start documenting the distribution of kochia and determine herbicide resistance status. He says he frequently observed kochia in winter wheat and fallow fields, especially in no-till systems. He also found corn, grain sorghum and cotton fields with severe infestations of this weed. Bagavathiannan says glyphosate resistance is suspected to be widespread in the samples since this chemical is frequently used for weed control in the fallow fields as well as in glyphosate-resistant corn and cotton. Bell says, “A successful program generally includes herbicides with residual activities in addition to post-emergence herbicides with several modes of action.” Gaining Control Bell says most branches on the kochia plant have a growing point so when farmers only “burn back” the plant, they will still have seed production on lower branches and contribute to herbicide resistance due to partial control. “Farmers need to be proactive and aggressive in treating kochia using chemicals with multiple modes of action and other tools,” Bagavathiannan says. “They also need to control the weed in field edges and roadsides, instead of letting it produce seed.” Kay Ledbetter, Texas A&M University, contributed this article. COTTONFARMING.COM

Specialists Speaking Continued from page 18

MISSOURI Calvin Meeks Growers in the Missouri Bootheel are likely evaluating yields and grades of the varieties they used in 2019 to make variety selection decisions for 2020. I encourage producers to make sure they consider as much information as possible by taking a look at data statewide and not relying solely on what happened on their farm in 2019. I believe we tend to overreact to what happened in the previous year since hindsight is 20/20. Using results from multiple locations helps to select varieties that have high yield stability. This allows a producer to select a variety that is widely adapted to potential conditions for 2020. I encourage producers to consider the results from the Missouri official variety trials, which are available at https://mizzoucotton.word press.com. Yields were quite good with numerous varieties breaking 2,000 pounds per ace in some of the locations. Consider the locations nearest to your area to help determine variety selection while also considering yield stability across multiple environments. The preliminary data sets without fiber quality are currently posted for all of the 2019 locations. Pay close attention to the stability across all environments and across irrigated environments data summaries to help determine the most stable varieties for your farm. I also encourage the practice of multiple planting dates while using multiple varieties and maturities to help manage your risk. It would also be prudent to consider results from previous years to help determine the best varieties for your farm in 2020. Furthermore, also note that the Bollgard 2 traits will be phased out in the near future. Please attend the 2020 Regional Missouri Cotton Meeting at the Fisher Delta Research Center Jan. 22. The agenda is posted at https:// mizzoucotton.wordpress.com/2019/11/19/cotton-production-con ference-2020/. Variety selection will be one of the topics covered. For further information about the conference, email me at meeksc@ missouri.edu or call 573-379-5431. meeksc@missouri.edu

NORTH CAROLINA Guy Collins I think most North Carolina growers were both surprised and pleased with this year’s crop. Some areas that didn’t receive timely summer rains naturally have lower yields, but these areas are very few. Most of our acreage was saved just in time by late summer rains, and it has shown in yields. This year has also illustrated the significant influence that September and October weather can have on our crop. The dry, warm weather that occurred during this period in 2019 allowed us to avoid major losses to hard lock, boll rot, weathering losses of lint, etc. Additionally, we are seeing more 11, 21, and 31 color grades than we have had in several years. January kicks off the 2020 meetings, and there will be many opportunities for growers to hear the latest research results and recommendations for the coming season. As I write this on Dec. 2, the North Carolina State University Extension cotton county meetings are now listed on the NCSU cotton portal website (https://cotton.ces.ncsu. edu/) under “Events.” The results of the North Carolina On-Farm Cotton Variety Evaluation Program and NCSU Official Variety Trials are also being loaded into the NCSU Cotton Variety Performance Calculator (https://trials. ces.ncsu.edu/cotton/) and will be discussed during our winter meet-

COTTON FARMING | JANUARY 2020

ings. Additionally, we will be talking about the new pilot program for North Carolina Department of Agriculture’s cotton seed quality testing program for 2020 that will address one of our major production challenges in recent years. guy_collins@ncsu.edu

OKLAHOMA Seth Byrd Cotton harvest will likely be over or nearly there by the time this issue of Cotton Farming reaches you. Early returns on the 2019 crop are good but disappointing. While visually much of the crop had recovered from unfavorable May and June conditions and heat unit accumulations in August and September were above average, it’s apparent that yields are falling short of expectations. It’s likely the slow start coupled with seed issues and high temperatures in the late summer contributed to the mediocre yields many are experiencing, at least compared to their expectations entering October. Results from our on-farm variety trials will be a good resource for comparing variety performance in the roller coaster 2019 production season. These will be made available at cotton.okstate.edu, ntokcotton.org and through your local Extension office. Variety information as well as results of other agronomic cotton trials will be presented at production meetings. These include the Red River Crops Conference, Jan. 22-23, Altus, Oklahoma; Great Plains Cotton Conference, Feb. 25-26, Wichita, Kansas; and the Oklahoma Panhandle Spring Conference, likely in late February or early March in Goodwell, Oklahoma. seth.byrd@okstate.edu

TENNESSEE Tyson Raper While 2020 will see several “new” varieties introduced to the market, the factors driving variety selection for 2020 will be very similar to 2019. You will likely hear several of my colleagues discuss Bt traits over the winter months. I would encourage you to listen very closely to their comments. We are just beginning to analyze data in Tennessee as I write this on Dec. 3, but several of our two-gene Bt varieties have again proven their place on a portion of the acres. It is clear there are some three-gene Bt varieties that can perform at a similar level to our go-to two-gene Bt varieties, but we are still getting to know these “new” products. This leads me to discuss the number of varieties you should plant and how many of those should be new versus old. Instead of providing specific numbers or ratios, I think it is more appropriate to consider the reason for such recommendations. First, over time, new varieties outperform the old ones. Sure, there are exceptions. Occasionally, a new variety fails to perform, or the stars align behind an old variety. But eventually, even the best “old” line will fall. I, for one, don’t like betting against our cotton breeders. Eventually, they will find and advance a line that outperforms even the best variety. Second, varieties — new or old — sometimes flop. The reasons for the flop vary, but it happens. The take-home message is to plant numerous varieties. Plant some you know well, some you are getting to know, and a few you don’t know well at all. Having a good mix on number of varieties and new versus old balances risk and reward. You’ll be less likely to take a big hit from a variety that flops, but you’ll be at the table if a new variety knocks it out of the park. Keep an eye on news.utcrops.com for the Tennessee cotton variety trial results. Happy New Year! traper@utk.edu COTTONFARMING.COM

Specialists Speaking

VICKY BOYD

The fruits of harvest are all wrapped up for the holidays near Forrest City, Arkansas.

TEXAS Murilo Maeda In early December as I write this, many growers in the northern regions of the state are wrapping up the 2019 harvest. There are still a few fields out there, but with good open weather, most of the region should be done with harvest by the time you receive this issue of Cotton Farming the first of the year. AgriLife Extension is also working to finish harvesting its large replicated trials and compile results for the whole state. They will be made available by region, at: http://varietytesting.tamu. edu/cotton/. As of the first week in December, about 1.53 million bales have been through the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Marketing Service classing office in Lubbock. For the season, color grades have been mainly 21s and 22s, average staple is 35, average micronaire is 4.38, average strength is 30.5 and average uniformity is 80.6. While 2019 brought with it many challenges, this is a good time to start planning for the coming season as we get things wrapped up. Cover crops, soil sampling, variety selection, as well as fertility and herbicide programs are all factors that should all be considered as they will ultimately have a big impact on your operations. If (and that’s a big if) no big changes in the market occur this coming season, we will need to watch input costs very carefully. It would be advisable to have a best-case scenario plan in case things look good (market, weather, etc.), but also a plan B just in case you need it. The first of the year also marks the beginning of our regional/county meetings. AgriLife research and Extension personnel will be travelling across the state to deliver updated information on lessons learned this past season. While planning for many of these meetings has already started, I encourage you to reach out to us or your local county agent with TWITTER: @COTTONFARMING

any topics you may be interested in hearing about. Also, many of these meetings already have a date, so please check with your local Extension ofﬁce and make plans to attend. We look forward to seeing and visiting with you in one of our meetings. mmaeda@ag.tamu.edu

ARKANSAS Bill Robertson Variety selection is one of the most important decisions a producer makes. Once planted, no amount of effort can make up for a poor decision. Many producers have booked their main varieties but may still be evaluating some of the new ones with new technologies worthy of a look. Planting recommendations state that roughly twothirds of your acres be planted with varieties that are proven on your farm. Of the remaining acres, limit new varieties to no more than 10% of your total acreage. The remaining 25% should be dedicated to those varieties in which you have limited experience. This strategy provides stability while allowing for evaluation of the new ones. In 2019, many producers lowered seeding rates and nitrogen fertility rates. Results were very positive, especially with varieties that possess strong growth characteristics. In 2020, farmers are encouraged to continue these practices as well as implementing a plan that will help them get a picker in the ﬁeld by Sept. 15 to complete harvest by our target date of Nov. 1. There are a number of unbiased information sources available to assist in selecting new varieties. Our primary source is the University Variety Testing program conducted by Dr. Fred Bourland. County demonstrations are another good source. Find results at https://arkansas-variety-testing.uark.edu/. Contact your local county Extension agent for assistance in obtaining or interpreting variety performance data and to get the date and location of upcoming county production meetings for your county. brobertson@uaex.edu JANUARY 2020 | COTTON FARMING

COTTON

Ginners Marketplace COTTON FARMING IS THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE GINNING INDUSTRY.

Duncan McCook Joins TCGA As Manager Of Regulatory Affairs The Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association is pleased to announce Duncan McCook has joined the TCGA team, Jan. 1. In his new role as manager of regulatory affairs, he will be working with Kelley Green to serve TCGA membership with regulatory compliance. McCook will add a lot of depth to our team in terms of regulatory knowledge and experience in the ginning industry. McCook graduated from Texas A&M University with degrees in agricultural engineering and agricultural systems management. Upon graduation, he joined Anderson Clayton Corp. in California, where he worked as a ﬁeld engineer for the ginning department. His duties included working with utility companies on rates; air pollution equipment and facility design; safety program development; and air permitting. He later became manager of technical services for the California and Arizona ginning divisions. Upon leaving Anderson Clayton, McCook went to work for Consolidated Cotton Gin Co. as a project engineer. He then brieﬂy worked for the Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association in Lubbock. In 2003, he joined Lummus Corp. as manager of applications engineering. Later, he was moved into manufacturing where he became general manager of Lubbock Manufacturing and oversaw the development and construction of the new Lub-

bock manufacturing facility. In 2016, he was made vice president of manufacturing where he currently serves. McCook and his wife, Linda, will be relocating to Austin from Savannah, Georgia. They have two children. Braeden graduated from Texas A&M in May 2019 and is working in the Dallas area, and Kendall is a freshman at Georgia College and State University. TCGA is excited to have McCook join our team. Please welcome him to the TCGA family when you get a chance. The Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association contributed this article.

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Registration For The 2020 Ginners School Opens Feb. 17 The ginners school will be offered at three locations in 2020. Cooperators for the school include the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service, National Cotton Ginners’ Association and its member associations, National Cot-

Lummus Ag Technology – a new name for an old friend. The team that’s been here for you through the years, now with an expanded commitment to be the source for the best in cotton ginning machinery, repair parts, and technical service. Regardless of your project scope, now is the time to contact Lummus to discuss your goals and needs.

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Physical Address: 225225 Bourne Boulevard • Savannah, Georgia 31408-9586 Physical Address: Bourne Boulevard • Savannah, Georgia 31408-9586USA USA Mailing Address: P.O. Box 929929 • Pooler, Georgia 31322-0929 USA Mailing Address: P.O. Box • Pooler, Georgia 31322-0929 USA Phone: (912) 447-9000 • Fax: (912) 447-9250 Phone: (912) 447-9000 • Fax: (912) 447-9250 TollToll Free (USA Only): 1-800-4LUMMUS (1-800-458-6687) Free (USA Only): 1-800-4LUMMUS (1-800-458-6687) Web Site: www.lummus.com • E-mail: lummus.sales@lummus.com Web Site: www.lummus.com • E-mail: lummus.sales@lummus.com

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Council, Cotton Incorporated, gin machinery/equipment manufacturers and suppliers, and select land grant universities. Please note the ginners school is for the exclusive use of the U.S. cotton ginning industry. All courses are offered in English only. Registration and classes begin at 8 a.m. and end each day at 5 p.m. Lunch is served each day at the school and is included as part of your registration fee. The Southwest Ginners School is March 31-April 1, Lubbock, Texas; the Western Ginners School is May 5-7, Mesilla Park, New Mexico; and the Stoneville Ginners School is June 2-4, Stoneville, Mississippi. To see area maps of the locations and access links to hotel information, go to https://www.cotton.org/ ncga/ginschool/index.cfm.

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The Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association Has A New Ofﬁce Address

Another cotton cleaner belt snapped, and we only have one spare left!

Don’t worry! I just ordered more gin supplies from Lubbock Electric’s online store!

The Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association recently moved its headquarters from Austin to Round Rock. The building is easily accessible and located just east of Interstate 35. The new address is Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association, 211 West Bagdad Ave., Round Rock, TX 78664-5803. Please update your records and be sure to drop by when you are in the area. The staff would love to give you a tour.

Cotton’s Calendar

Cotton Ginners Marketplace

¢ Jan. 8: North Carolina Cotton Producers Association Annual

Meeting, Sheraton Imperial Hotel & Convention Center, Durham, North Carolina ¢ Jan. 8-10: Beltwide Cotton Conferences, JW Marriott, Austin, Texas ¢ Jan. 15: PCCA Board of Directors Meeting, Lubbock, Texas ¢ Jan. 15-19: Southern Southeastern Annual Meeting, Marriott Savannah Riverfront, Savannah, Georgia ¢ Jan. 16: Calcot Board of Directors Meeting, Bakersfield, California ¢ Jan. 29: Georgia Cotton Commission Annual Meeting, UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center, Tifton, Georgia ¢ Jan. 29: Georgia Cotton Commission Annual Meeting, UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center, Tifton, Georgia ¢ Feb. 14-16: NCC Annual Meeting, Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana ¢ Feb 19: PCCA Board, Delegate Body & Marketing Pool Committee Meetings, Lubbock, Texas ¢ Feb 28-29: 68th Annual Mid-South Farm and Gin Show, Memphis Convention Center, Memphis, Tennessee ¢ March 2-4: Cotton Board Meeting, Loews Vanderbilt, Nashville, Tennessee ¢ March 18: Staplcotn Board of Directors Meeting, Greenwood, Mississippi ¢ April 2-3: TCGA Annual Meeting and Trade Show, Lubbock Memorial Civic Center, Lubbock, Texas ¢ April 14-16: American Cotton Producers Spring Meeting, Omni Mandalay Hotel at Las Colinas, Irving, Texas ¢ April 15: PCCA Board, Delegate Body & Marketing Pool Committee Meetings, Lubbock, Texas ¢ May 6-8: ACSA Convention, Ritz Carlton, Washington, D.C. ¢ May 18-20: National Cottonseed Products Annual Meeting, Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort, Miramar Beach, Florida ¢ May 18-20: National Cottonseed Products Association Annual Meeting, Destin, Florida ¢ May 20: PCCA Board of Directors Meeting, Lubbock, Texas

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225 Bourne Boulevard ● Savannah, Georgia 31408-9586 USA P. O. Box 929 ● Pooler, Georgia 31322-0929 USA Phone: (912) 447-9000 ● Fax: (912) 447-9250 Toll Free (USA Only): 1-800-4LUMMUS (1-800-458-6687) 225 Bourne Boulevard ● Savannah, Georgia 31408-9586 USA Web www.lummus.com ● E-mail: lummus.sales@lummus.com P. O. Site: Box 929 ● Pooler, Georgia 31322-0929 USA Phone: (912) 447-9000 ● Fax: (912) 447-9250 Toll Free (USA Only): 1-800-4LUMMUS (1-800-458-6687) ® Copyright 2020 Lummus Ag Technology Web Site: www.lummus.com ● E-mail: lummus.sales@lummus.com ® Copyright 2020 Lummus Ag Technology

My Turn

‘A Treasure To Reflect’

recall two farm vis- ary changes from 1987 to 2008: eradication of the its during April 1978, boll weevil; a six-fold explosion in cotton acres; my first month as total overhaul of peanut weed control; bumps, an assistant coun- bruises and successes of early transgenic cotton; ty agent — cotton pest remarkable advancements in cotton pest managemanagement in Lawrence ment; astonishing progress in yield performance; County, Alabama. One and challenges with weed resistance and fiber involved a replant situa- quality. Those were 21 satisfying years, with lots tion on a cold, wet Friday of learning and a few hard controversies. I considered the possibility of working in indusnorth of Town Creek. The other was an informative try and got a call one afternoon at Sun Belt Expo Steve turnrow conversation with as I was emptying plot sacks. The next morning I met two Dow AgroSciences leaders for breakfast, a grower near Courtland. Brown I didn’t know much but and a short time later joined PhytoGen Cotton. was eager to learn. I was The cotton seed/technology business is very comafforded countless opportunities to grow by watch- petitive. Even when you have excellent products, ing and listening to producers and ag professionals you don’t always win. Most fascinating were the processes of delivertoo many to name. In those two years and the four that followed with a weed scientist on a Cotton ing varieties to growers each season and developIncorporated project, l learned lots and realized, ing new technologies for the long term. PhytoGen treated me well, and “This is what I want to I worked with some do when I grow up.” “Act honorably. Help people. great folks. After 11 My daddy was born Don’t burn bridges.” years, I retired in in Hurtsboro, Alabama. March 2019 with good After high school, he raised 7 acres of cotton using a steer, then decided memories. Because I wasn’t “done” and because my famhe should seek greener pastures. My mother was from Monroe County, Mississippi, and her large ily insisted I stay active, my youngest son said, family earned income growing and ginning cotton. “You need to die in a cotton field.” I answered the I have a vague memory of filling a pillow case persisting question of what to do when I grow used as a picksack somewhere in East Mississippi. up with a new assignment. On April Fool’s Day, My parents left the cotton patch, but I did not. I I joined the ranks of Auburn University as the wasn’t born or raised on a farm, yet I yearned to Extension cotton specialist and the oldest assisbe part of PRODUCING. That yearning still exists tant professor on campus. I didn’t take the job to coast. I want to meaningfully contribute to the a few months short of my 64th birthday. I left Auburn in the winter of 1984 to begin a good of cotton growers in Alabama. “I” and “my” fill this column, but I’ve benefitted Ph.D. program at Texas A&M. In the classroom and the field, I rubbed shoulders with talented from many wonderful mentors and colleagues folks, professors and fellow students. Countless over the years. The long list includes farmers, times we heard Dr. Merkle respond to a student’s university peers and industry personnel. It’s a uncertain answer about herbicide chemistry, “If it treasure to reflect. Since most who read this are looks … walks … and quacks like a duck, it must younger, I’ll close with a few life lessons. Keep be a duck.” I learned a lot. I departed College learning. Tell the truth. Act honorably. Help peoStation in December 1986 with a new bride from ple. Don’t burn bridges. Alabama and a job in Georgia. — Steve M. Brown As an Extension weed scientist and later the Auburn, Alabama cotton agronomist at the University of Georgia, cottonbrown@auburn.edu I witnessed and participated in many revolution-

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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- John Kelley Grower | Friendship, Tennessee

See John’s full story. Deltapine.com/Kelley

STRONG COTTON 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. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW IRM, WHERE APPLICABLE, GRAIN MARKETING AND ALL OTHER STEWARDSHIP PRACTICES AND PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Bayer Cross Design and Deltapine® are registered trademarks of Bayer Group. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2019 Bayer Group. All rights reserved. DP-19057-CF-BC-DEC2019JAN2020-MS