Cotton farming july 2016

Cotton Farming ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC

PROFITABLE PRODUCTION STRATEGIES

JULY 2016

www.cottonfarming.com

MY TURN: SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR 2016 CCOY

IRRIGATION STRATEGIES IMPROVE WATER-USE EFFICIENCY, PROFITABILITY

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Vol. 60 No. 7

Cotton Farming PROFITABLE PRODUCTION STRATEGIES

JULY 2016

www.cottonfarming.com

MIKE HAMILTON/UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS DIVISION OF AGRICULTURE

F E AT U R E S

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Irrigating Cotton

“Irrigation Strategies: Part 1” on page 6 and “Irrigating For High Yields” on page 9 address water-use efficiency and profitability across the Mid-South and Southeast. See how new technology, web-based applications and university irrigation models are contributing to this trend. In the August issue, “Irrigation Strategies: Part 2” will feature cotton irrigation in the Southwest and West regions.

DEPARTMENTS & COLUMNS

13 Industry News 4 Editor’s Note 16 Specialists Speaking 10 Cotton’s Agenda 12 Research/Promotion 22 My Turn ON THE COVER: The A3030 Accelerator is a hybrid of Nelson Irrigation’s rotator and spinner technologies.

Cover photo by Tim Hall/Nelson Irrigation.

9

HIGH-YIELD IRRIGATION

14

WHOLE FARM PROGRAM

19

GINNING MARKETPLACE

The checkbook irrigation method developed at the University of Georgia is recommended as a starting point for North Carolina farmers.

AgriEdge Excelsior combines four key components to help producers maximize and sustain their return on investment.

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE GINNING INDUSTRY

Kelley Green, Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association, discusses the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s new rules for tracking workplace illnesses and injuries.

WEB EXCLUSIVE This month’s Editor’s Note on page 4, “‘Lions And Tigers And Bears...Oh, My!’” talks about Food Babe blogger Vani Hari’s recent declaration, “Cotton is not a food” and the warning she issued to her followers to avoid consuming cottonseed oil.

Cotton Incorporated posted a rebuttal on her blog, bringing facts and science to the table. To read Hari’s Food Babe blog and Cotton Incorporated’s rebuttal in their entirety, go to the Web Exclusive posting at www.cottonfarming.com.

CCOY NOMINATIONS To nominate a deserving candidate for the Cotton Consultant of the Year Award (co-sponsored by Cotton Farming and Syngenta), fill out the nomination form on Page 11. Deadline for nominations is Aug. 22.

Cotton C of the Y onsultant ear 2016 NOMINAT

ION FOR The Cotton M If you would (CCOY ) repres Consultant of the Year like ents the who has consultant recognition to nominate made a consu , please to the cotton great contributions take a mome ltant deserving Please use of this nt to fill outstanding industry through outstanding out the recommendaa separate page customer following for biogra leadership relations, tions via form. phical/profes and innova letters or members emails tion. sional Recognized are also encouraged from other farmer information. Additi of the cotton by fellow members s, consul to provid Consultant’s tants and onal e suppor Name: is given to industry, this award industry t for the nominee. the consul Company tant Name (if only meets applicable): these require who not Mailing Address also exceed ments but : s them.

City: Syngenta and Cotton Phone: magazine, Farming State: CCOY sponso soliciting rs, are your Email: In your own Zip: 2016 recipie help in selecting words, please of the Year” the nt, who will tell us why Award: at a specia you are nomina be named l celebration ting the consulta Background: weekend nt above of the 2017 during the for the “Cotton Mid-South Farm & Gin Consultant Show.

The winnin g person who consultant and the nominates receive two the nights’ hotel winner airfare to stay and the & Gin Show 2017 Mid-South Farm in Memp his, In additio n, the 2016 Tenn. recipient CCOY will four-page be the subject of a salute in the Februa 2017 issue ry of Cotton Farming.

Please nominatsend your August ion form by 22, 2016 to:

Carroll Smith 7201 Eastern Germantown, Ave. TN 38138 Scan/Email: You can print csmith@onegro out an electron wer.com the form ic version located on of the Cotton Web site at www.c Farming ottonfarming.c om.

Biographical/Ind ustry Involvem ent Backgro und:

Your Name: Address: City: Phone:

State: Email:

Sponsored by

Zip:

Cotton Farming

COTTON FARMING (ISSN 0746-8385) is published monthly January through December by One Grower Publishing LLC, 6515 Goodman Rd., Box 360, Olive Branch, MS 38654. 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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COTTON FARMING JULY 2016

3

Editor’s Note

Cotton Farming

Carroll Smith

®

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

‘Lions And Tigers And Bears...Oh, My!’

T

here were images evoked of the cotton ball diet, and baking with candle wax and a dirty crop and Indian farmer suicides. There was a boldface statement that screamed, “Cotton is not food,” followed by an ominous whisper, “It’s not a vegetable. It’s not a fruit. It’s not a grain.” And a random bully scare tactic thrown in that declared, “We must use regenerative organic farming if we are going to save our land and our bodies.” No lions and tigers and bears (Oh, my!) to run away from here. Instead, Vani Hari – the Food Babe blogger – warned her followers to avoid consuming none other than…cottonseed oil. Yes, you heard me right…cottonseed oil.

Unlike some companies that buckled under her self-serving, unscientific attacks, Cotton Incorporated took exception to them. In a well-researched rebuttal posted as a comment on the blog, the organization brought facts and science to the table. And for that effort, the cotton industry applauds. In its opening paragraph, Cotton Incorporated says, “The negative slant on cottonseed oil is supported by claims that are at best inaccurate and at worst, just plain wrong. I believe that you have been either misled or misinformed about cottonseed oil, as well as about cotton, in general.”

In response to “Cotton is not a food,” CI points out that the Food and Drug Administration regulates cotton as a food crop in the United States.

And “although cotton is neither a fruit nor a vegetable, it is a seed crop; like sunflowers, soybeans or safflower. The FDA states in its Code of Federal Regulations: Title 21: Food and Drugs, Part 172, that ‘cottonseed products may be used for human consumption.’ As such, it is a subject to the same government oversight as any food.”

Cotton Incorporated also addresses cottonseed oil specifically.

“According to the American Heart Association, unsaturated vegetable oils, like cottonseed oil, are ‘heart healthy’ when used in moderation....A 2012 study from Texas Women’s University has this to say: ‘We conclude that CSO (cottonseed oil) may lower cholesterol effectively, possibly making it a good candidate for inclusion in margarines and shortening, where it originated.’ ” To read Hari’s Food Babe blog and Cotton Incorporated’s rebuttal in their entirety, go to the Web Exclusive posting at cottonfarming.com.

Carroll 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.

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COTTON FARMING JULY 2016

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 Circulation Manager Charlie Beek (615) 377-3322 For circulation changes or change of address, call (847) 559-7578 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 2016 © ASSOCIATED PUBLICATIONS – One Grower Publishing, LLC also publishes RICE FARMING, THE PEANUT GROWER, SOYBEAN SOUTH and CORN SOUTH.

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COVER STORY

Irrigation Strategies Technology improves water-use efficiency and profitability.

BY CARROLL SMITH EDITOR

W

atering cotton to prevent drought stress and improve yields is not a new concept.

However, implementing modern technology to improve water-use efficiency and profitability takes irrigation to the next level.

“Watering a field Part 1 consists of turning the water on, and then turning it off either when you think it’s done or when water is running out of the bottom,” says Mike Hamilton, Extension irrigation instructor for the University of Arkansas System Division of

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COTTON FARMING JULY 2016

Agriculture and NRCS. “Irrigating a field means using the tools available to us to efficiently put on the correct amount of water in the appropriate amount of time without any runoff or waste.”

After graduating from Arkansas State University, Hamilton spent 18 years as an Extension county agent in Poinsett and Crittenden counties.

During this time, he worked closely with now retired Arkansas irrigation specialist Phil Tacker, conducting irrigation tests and county demonstrations to help farmers improve their irrigation practices and realize the full potential of their farm-

Irrigation Strategies – Part 2 will appear in the August issue of Cotton Farming.

In that installment, irrigation experts will address efficient, profitable irrigation methods used in the Southwest and West regions of the Cotton Belt. land. In 2015, he accepted his new position, which is funded equally by Extension and the Arkansas NRCS. Pipe Planner “In the beginning, I started running PHAUCET, a computerized hole selection program,” Hamilton says. “This is a computer software COTTONFARMING.COM

Don’t Get Behind!

The next step in achieving irrigation efficiency is irrigation scheduling as opposed to just turning on the water every Monday morning, for example.

“We want to give the crop what it needs when it needs it,” Hamilton says. “We are doing that with the Arkansas Online Irrigation Scheduler program. Although the scheduler helps determine when to irrigate, it calculates every field individually. If you are trying to get across four fields serviced by one well and have a rainfall event, all four fields are zeroed out. The scheduler will then tell you to start irrigating all four fields on the same day, which is not possible. At that point, you can see what your irrigation needs are, then take into account that you have to start irrigating a little earlier so the last field will not be behind, causing plants to stress and start shedding fruit.

If you get a rain on Tuesday, then the scheduler will probably tell you to start irrigating Wednesday or Thursday of the next week. Instead, you can start irrigating on Tuesday, so by the time you get to Thursday, you are Twitter: @CottonFarming

PHOTOS BY MIKE HAMILTON/UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS DIVISION OF AGRICULTURE

application developed by Missouri’s NRCS that calculates the pressure in the tubing to give us the correct hole size. These calculations help the water flow evenly down the furrows so it won’t run off at the bottom of the field, which improves irrigation efficiency. Later, PHAUCET was used as a template to design Pipe Planner – a free, web-based application developed by Delta Plastics.”

Pipe Planner has a mapping feature that uses Google maps to calculate pipe length, furrow spacing, furrow direction and elevation change along the polytubing. The well volume discharge can be determined with a flow meter. Once Pipe Planner has this information, it calculates the type and size of polytubing needed, the size and number of irrigation holes, the estimated time for effective irrigation and where buildup is necessary to compensate for elevation changes.

“If farmers want to be more efficient in their irrigation practices and try to save water, the first thing we do is measure the well,” Hamilton says. “We have to know the amount of water that is available and the size of the tubing to get an accurate design for the field. The tubing size is determined by the flow of the well. For example, if the flow is 1,200 gallons of water per minute or less, we use 12-inch tubing. If it is 1,200-2,200 GPM, we use 15-inch tubing, for 2,200 GPM we need 18-inch, and over 2,900 GPM we have 22-inch tubing. These sizes could change depending on elevations or how far we have to use the tubing to supply water to other sets.

“Producers have access to flow meters across the state through their local Extension and NRCS offices to measure the well if a farmer doesn’t own one. Then we use computerized hole selection to get even flow in every furrow so the water gets to the bottom of the furrow in a uniform manner. This saves water and fuel and makes more profit in the long run. Pipe Planner now does a lot of the math that PHAUCET didn’t do.”

Before the Pipe Planner buildup feature was available, farmers basically had to guess where to put barrels to relieve the pressure at the bottom of the furrow. Now that they can tell exactly where the buildup is needed, dirt or barrels can be placed in the correct spots. Some farmers use a jack to raise or lower the tubing to keep the water flowing uniformly.

Computerized hole selection helps irrigation water flow down the furrow in a uniform manner. Farmers save water and fuel and are more profitable in the long run. across the majority of those four fields.”

Hamilton says it’s important to always know how long it will take to irrigate the land that the well services in order to satisfy irrigation needs.

“The bottom line is, don’t get behind on the front end,” he says. “Once you get behind, you can’t catch up.”

Surge Valves A surge valve is another tool that can improve irrigation efficiency by dispensing water from left to right. If PHAUCET or Pipe Planner tells you it will take 24 hours to get 3 acre inches of water on the field, and the water is actually running out the bottom in 12 hours, then the crop is not getting the correct amount of water.

The surge valve will switch to the soak cycle and cycle the water to the left, then cycle it to the right so water gets to the bottom of the furrow in the correct amount of time. The surge valve will cycle from one side to the other to advance the water to the bottom of the furrow. Then it will switch from the advance cycle to the soak cycle to get the correct amount of water on the field.

“A surge valve gets the water down into the soil profile so the crop always gets the correct amount,” Hamilton says.

Since improving irrigation does involve capital outlay, the government provides irrigation cost-incentive programs. Hamilton recommends that farmers call their NRCS office to sign up for Irrigation Water Management plans on their farms. Cost-incentive payments are available for things like flow meters, surge valves, land leveling COTTON FARMING JULY 2016

7

“We are committed to helping farmers achieve higher yields with fewer resources.”

NICK KING

Irrigation Consultant Finds Niche Agricultural irrigation water in Mississippi also is garnering a lot of attention today. According to state law, surface water and groundwater technically belong to the state, not the landowner, and every well is required to have a permit. However, farmers are good stewards of the land and are interested in achieving as much efficiency with their irrigation systems as possible.

When Nick King of Yazoo City, Miss., graduated from Mississippi College, he joined his father’s crop consulting business – King’s Ag Consulting. One of the services they provided to their farmer clients was irrigation scheduling.

The timing was good for Nick, who was interested not only in irrigation scheduling but also improving irrigation efficiency.

“New irrigation technology was coming to the market at that time, and I jumped on the bandwagon,” King says.

“Some of our farmers had soil moisture sensors that we had to read manually two or three times a week. After a year, we saw the need to get that information in real time.

With that in mind, my partner, Daniel Cole, and I decided to develop our own technology line under the parent company King Cole Technologies.

“Today, we have a broad product line that is manufactured in Yazoo City and branded under Precision King.

The web-based application that Daniel developed is very farmer-friendly and easy to use. All of the Precision King devices are easily accessed in one account with one user name and one password. Richard Pickens is the COO of the business. He is the guy who makes everything ‘go.’”

One of the Precision King offerings is a soil moisture telemetry unit, which basically is a custom computer and a cell phone modem in a box stationed in the field and paired with a soil moisture sensor. The telemetry unit reads the data from the soil moisture sensor and alerts the farmer when it’s time to irrigate.

“This technology saves fuel and equipment costs by not over-watering,” King says. “It’s compatible with Watermark Moisture Sensors – the most common sensor used in the Mid-South. It can also read volumetric probes, such as the Decagon Soil Moisture Sensor, Sentek Moisture Sensors and AquaCheck Soil Moisture Sensors.

It’s like Ford and Chevy. We let the farmer choose which one he wants to use, and we will support it.”

In addition, Precision King offers a pump automation unit, which is a box with a custom computer and cell phone modem. This allows a farmer to start and stop an electric well from a computer, iPad or cell phone. A timer function

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COTTON FARMING JULY 2016

ADAM ERICKSON

and pumping stations. The more you do, he says, the better your plan will be.

“We have some critical groundwater areas in Arkansas,” Hamilton says. “Our goal is to increase irrigation efficiency one field at a time. We want to sustain water availability in Arkansas forever.”

Mississippi irrigation consultant Nick King installed this Precision King telemetry unit in a cotton field to monitor soil moisture. allows him to shut off the well at a specific time. The pump automation unit also will remotely stop diesel motors. A flow meter can be added to the pump automation unit and will remotely read how many gallons of water are coming out of the well. “The unit records the flow meter data, and the farmer can print out a report at the end of the year for recordkeeping purposes,” King says.

“If a farmer has a pivot, the unit is placed on the end tower, and we can monitor it with GPS, which allows us to track its progress,” he adds. “A stop command can remotely shut off the pivot and the pump at the same time. Another function we built into that unit is a ‘stop bearing’ that tells the pivot where to stop. We also have an alert system that will tell the farmer if there is a flat tire or a mechanical failure, such as the motor dying or a drive shaft going out, which causes the pivot to stop.”

Other products include a weather station that reads wind speed, wind direction, wind gusts, rainfall, temperature and humidity and a rice unit that has a water level sensor that allows the water level in a rice field to be remotely monitored. To help defray some of the cost involved in investing in new irrigation technology to achieve greater efficiency and, ultimately, profitability, the NRCS in Mississippi offers cost-share programs. Contact your local office for details.

“I have spent 20 years walking fields, so I know what a stressed crop looks like,” King says. “Today, I am a fulltime irrigation consultant. We implement the irrigation technology, determine water use for the different stages of the crop, and make determinations about when to irrigate efficiently and when to terminate irrigation. We are committed to helping farmers achieve higher yields with fewer resources.”

For more information, visit www.precisionking.net.

COTTONFARMING.COM

SPECIAL REPORT

Irrigating For High Yields

BY GUY COLLINS AND KEITH EDMISTEN NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY

Authors’ note: These general irrigation guidelines were developed several years ago by other faculty at the University of Georgia. In some cases, deviating from this model may be appropriate. Much of this information is based on my (Collins) personal research experience while in Georgia. We recommend this model as a starting point for NC producers.

These recommendations may not apply to all states.

T

he squaring stage is an important benchmark in cotton development, marking the point in time in which irrigation management requires more attention. Although most of the 2016 cotton crop in North Carolina is noticeably delayed, several fields are now at the squaring stage or will be soon due to recent favorable weather in places. Growers with irrigation capabilities should be prepared to take action if rains subside and hot, dry conditions prevail. Although irrigation is most important during fruit development, yield penalties can occur if drought (to the point of wilting) occurs even during cotton squaring. Therefore, irrigating during the squaring stage should not be neglected.

Here are a few basic cotton irrigation principles to help North Carolina growers achieve high yields based on my personal research experience while in Georgia. There are several effective methods used for irrigating cotton. This information should provide growers who are either new to irrigating cotton or do not have access to some irrigation technologies with basic irrigation guidelines to avoid yield penalties due to drought at various stages of cotton growth. Farmers should have a general understanding of when and how much water a cotton crop needs to achieve high yield potential while conserving water.

One approach to irrigating cotton is the checkbook method, developed several years ago by other faculty at the University of Georgia. Further discussion can be found at http://www.ugacotton.com/vault/file/2016-UGACotton-Production-Guide.pdf. It is important to note that there are other methods available to producers that also may be effective in achieving high yields while utilizing less water. This particular method illustrates general cotton water requirements per week of development throughout the season, beginning at the first square stage.

Figure 1 describes the weekly water requirements, according to the checkbook method. These are general rates that can be adjusted once you gain some experience

TWITTER: @COTTONFARMING

Figure 1

Checkbook Method For Irrigating Cotton Weekly Water Requirements (per week) Week 1 of squaring (7-8 leaf cotton):

1 inch

Week 2 of squaring:

1 inch

Week 3 of squaring:

1 inch

Week 1 of bloom (55-60 days after planting):

1 inch

Week 2 of bloom:

1.5 inches

Week 3 of bloom:

2 inches

Week 4 of bloom:

2 inches

Week 5 of bloom:

1.5 inches

Week 6 of bloom:

1.5 inches

Week 7 of bloom:

1 inch

Week 8 of bloom:

1 inch

Source: University of Georgia 2016 Cotton Production Guide

with irrigation and soils on your farm. With these general rates in mind, the following points based on my experience with agronomic irrigation research in Georgia could help optimize your irrigation program.

Consider Timing Adjustments The checkbook method begins at first square (7-8 leaf cotton). Irrigation may be needed prior to squaring during extreme heat or drought or if another factor, such as herbicides, nematodes, etc., adversely affects plant growth.

Irrigating prior to squaring is rarely needed. The length of the squaring period can range from three to four weeks, depending on heat unit accumulation and current growth rate. Observe when blooming begins so weekly rates can be adjusted accordingly. There have been instances in my experience where squaring cotton did not require a full inch of water per week. However, 2012 research illustrated that withholding irrigation to the point of severe drought stress occurring during squaring could result in Continued on page 18

COTTON FARMING JULY 2016

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Cotton’s Agenda Gary Adams

A Welcome ‘Shot In The Arm’ The National Cotton Council (NCC) is urging U.S. cotton producers to participate in USDA’s Cotton Ginning Cost-Share program (CGCS), a one-time initiative with a June 20-Aug. 5 sign-up window.

What is the CGCS program’s purpose?

n Using administrative authority it has under the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter, USDA created the CGCS program to expand and maintain the domestic marketing of cotton. USDA said the $300 million commodity marketing assistance program is aimed at providing “meaningful, timely and targeted assistance” to cotton producers by offsetting a portion of a producer’s 2015 crop season ginning costs.

USDA acknowledged that since 2011, cotton fiber markets have experienced dramatic changes. It said as a result of low cotton prices and global oversupply, cotton producers are facing economic uncertainty that has led to many having lost equity and being forced to liquidate equipment and land to satisfy loans.

NCC responde d t o U S D A’ s announcement by offering sincere gratitude to Agriculture Secretary Vilsack for his help in Producers have until Aug. 5, 2016, to sign up for making the CGCS program possible.

USDA’s Cotton Ginning Cost-Share program.

We noted that the serious cotton market revenue decline also is due partly to heavily subsidized foreign competition, with no signs of the commodity’s price reaching the level needed to offset production costs. We stated that work continues with Congress and USDA on seeking long-term policy solutions for stabilizing the U.S. cotton industry.

How does the CGCS program work?

n Program payments are based on the 2015 acreage of upland and ELS cotton, both planted and failed, the producer filed at their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) service center.

Payments are calculated by multiplying certified acres times the regional payment rate times a producer’s share of the crop. Regional payment rates (to reflect regional costs of ginning) are: Southeast (AL, FL, GA, NC, SC, VA) – $47.44/acre; Mid-South (AR, IL, KY, LA, MO, MS, TN) – $56.26/acre; Southwest (KS, OK, TX) – $36.97/acre; and West (AZ, CA, NM) – $97.41/acre. Cost-share payments are capped at $40,000 per individual or entity and do not count against the 2014 farm law payment limitations. Payments will be processed as signups are received and should begin sometime in July. Eligible producers are urged to sign up before Aug. 5, 2016 – as there will be no deadline extension.

Each applicant is required to be a person or legal entity who was actively engaged in farming in 2015 and who complies with requirements including, but not limited to, the conservation compliance provisions. To be eligible for a cost-share program payment, a producer’s three-year average adjusted gross income may not exceed $900,000.

A CGCS fact sheet the NCC distributed to its members is on our website at www.cotton. org/issues/2016/upload/16cgcsfact.pdf. FSA’s “Cotton Ginning Cost-Share (CGCS) Program for 2015 Cotton Crop” notice that contains significantly more program sign-up and payment details and that was distributed to all FSA state and county offices in cotton-producing regions is on the NCC’s website at www.cotton. org/issues/2016/upload/ginnote.pdf. Producers also may contact local FSA offices. To find your FSA office, go to http://offices.usda.gov.

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

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COTTON FARMING JULY 2016

COTTONFARMING.COM

Cotton Consultant of the Year 2016 NOMINATION FORM

The Cotton Consultant of the Year (CCOY) represents the consultant who has made great contributions to the cotton industry through outstanding customer relations, leadership and innovation.

Recognized by fellow members of the cotton industry, this award is given to the consultant who not only meets these requirements but also exceeds them.

Syngenta and Cotton Farming magazine, CCOY sponsors, are soliciting your help in selecting the 2016 recipient, who will be named at a special celebration during the weekend of the 2017 Mid-South Farm & Gin Show.

The winning consultant and the person who nominates the winner receive two nights’ hotel stay and airfare to the 2017 Mid-South Farm & Gin Show in Memphis, Tenn.

In addition, the 2016 CCOY recipient will be the subject of a four-page salute in the February 2017 issue of Cotton Farming.

Please send your nomination form by August 22, 2016 to:

If you would like to nominate a consultant deserving of this outstanding recognition, please take a moment to fill out the following form.

Please use a separate page for biographical/professional information. Additional recommendations via letters or emails from other farmers, consultants and industry members are also encouraged to provide support for the nominee.

Consultant’s Name: Company Name (if applicable): Mailing Address: City:

State:

Phone:

Email:

Zip:

In your own words, please tell us why you are nominating the consultant above for the “Cotton Consultant of the Year” Award: Background:

Biographical/Industry Involvement Background:

Carroll Smith 7201 Eastern Ave. Germantown, TN 38138 Scan/Email: csmith@onegrower.com You can print out an electronic version of the form located on the Cotton Farming Web site at www.cottonfarming.com.

Your Name: Address: City:

State:

Phone:

Email:

Sponsored by

Zip:

Cotton Farming

RESEARCH & PROMOTION

Webcasts Provide Real-Time, Reputable Information

C

otton Incorporated is dedicated to providing valuable tools and resources to cotton farmers as part of an overall commitment to improving the profitability of growing cotton. To help achieve the goal, Cotton Incorporated has partnered with the Plant Management Network to create Focus on Cotton webcasts. Accessible 24-7, this online suite provides realtime access to scientific information that can be used in the field.

“The cotton supply chain has moved to a ‘real-time’ flow of fiber, fabric and fashion to meet the latest consumer needs. So it is only logical that information flow to producers would evolve as well to ‘real-time’ delivery of agricultural knowledge to meet producers current needs,” says Dr. Kater Hake, vice president of Agricultural and Environmental Research at Cotton Incorporated.

“This is part of the reason Cotton Incorporated has partnered with the Plant Management Network, to make it extremely easy for producers to access useful information when they need it.”

Focus on Cotton features frequently updated webcasts from noted cotton industry experts covering topics such as agronomic practices, crop protection from insects and weeds, disease control and ag engineering. These webcasts provide farmers and crop consultants the opportunity to access the best, research-driven management practices.

Objectivity, Convenient Access Another reason Cotton Incorporated teamed up with the PMN to develop this tool is its reputation for scientific robustness and objectivity in reporting. “The Plant Management Network is backed up by three of the most reputable agricultural science organizations and thus delivers unbiased and up-to-date information that producers can apply to challenges on their farms,” Hake says.

“Sharing information through these

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COTTON FARMING JULY 2016

Access to the Focus on Cotton webcasts, which feature reports from noted cotton industry experts, is available 24 hours a day. webcasts is a useful way to explain the latest technologies, reinforce the basics, and communicate the best practices that can translate into higher yields and greater profits,” says Phil Bogdan, PMN business and communications manager.

Dr. Ryan Kurtz, director of agricultural and environmental research at Cotton Incorporated, adds, “We know producers, consultants and researchers don’t always have time to attend meetings to learn about the latest advances in cotton research. And these open access webcasts allow anyone to go online at his or her convenience to stay current on the latest research developments.”

Webcast Content To date, Focus on Cotton contains more than 40 webcasts on various aspects of cotton crop management.

The webcasts range from 10-30 minutes in length and are freely accessible 24 hours a day.

Titles of the most recently released webcasts include:

• Managing Cotton Fertility by Dr. Tyson B. Raper, University of Tennessee • Beltwide Evaluation of the Effect of 2,4-D Drift on Cotton

by Dr. Seth A. Byrd, Texas A&M University • Managing Thrips in Cotton: Research in the Southeast Region by Dr. Michael D. Toews, University of Georgia • Selection and Use of Sensors for Cotton Irrigation Management in Humid Regions

by Dr. Brian G. Leib, University of Tennessee.

This resource also features a new and improved Cotton Extension Search tool, where users can conveniently search for Extension resources across all U.S. land-grant universities serving cotton producers.

To access Focus on Cotton, please visit http://www.plantmanagement network.org/foco.

The Cotton Board, which administers CI’s Research and Promotion Program, contributed this article.

COTTONFARMING.COM

Industry News Cotton Ginning Cost-Share Program Approved Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency will provide an estimated $300 million in cost-share assistance payments to cotton producers through the new Cotton Ginning Cost-Share program to expand and maintain domestic cotton marketing.

“This announcement shows USDA continues to stand with America’s cotton producers and our rural communities,” Vilsack says. “The Cotton Ginning Cost-Share program will offer meaningful, timely and targeted assistance to cotton growers to help with their anticipated ginning costs and to facilitate marketing. The program will provide, on average, approximately 60 percent more assistance per farm and per producer than the 2014 program that provided cotton transition assistance.”

Through the Cotton Ginning CostShare program, eligible producers can receive a one-time cost share payment, which is based on a producer’s 2015 cotton acres reported to FSA, multiplied by 40 percent of the average ginning cost for each production region. With the pressing need to provide assistance ahead of the 2016 ginning season this fall, USDA will ensure the application process is straight-forward and efficient.

The program estimates the costs based on 2015 cotton planting; therefore, the local FSA offices already have this information for the vast majority of eligible producers and the applications will be pre-populated with existing data. Sign-up for the program began June 20 and will run through Aug. 5 at the producer’s local FSA office. Payments will be processed as applications are received, and are expected to begin in July.

While the Cotton Ginning CostShare program makes payments to farmers for cotton ginning costs, the program benefits will be felt by the broader marketing chain associated with cotton and cottonseed, including cotton gins, cooperatives, marketers and cottonseed crushers and the rural communities that depend on them.

The program has the same eligibility requirements as were used for the 2014 Cotton Transition Assistance Program, including a $40,000 per Twitter: @CottonFarming

producer payment limit, requirement to be actively engaged in farming, meet conservation compliance and a $900,000 adjusted gross income limit.

To learn more, visit www.fsa.usda. gov/cgcs or contact a local FSA county office.

Transform WG Insecticide Use Approved In Six States Transform WG insecticide is back in the arsenal in six states. Dow AgroSciences announced that, in response to requests from multiple states, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has granted Section 18 emergency use exemptions in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee for the application of Transform for control of plant bugs in cotton.

Transform provides effective control of tarnished plant bugs and cotton aphids, and doesn’t flare spider mite populations.

“Tarnished plant bug represents a real threat to cotton producers in the Mid-South,” says Gus Lorenz, Arkansas Extension entomologist.

“Since its introduction, Transform has reduced overall tarnished plant bug applications and provided significant yield increases and return in gross revenues. Transform has been used on more than 3 million acres across the Mid-South with zero reported incidents of adverse effects on bees or other pollinators.”

Transform WG insecticide was federally registered in 2013 for use in cotton, but that registration was vacated as a result of an order by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court, in response to activist litigation. Now, with the recently approved Section 18s, producers in the listed states can use Transform to control tarnished plant bug populations in the 2016 season.

“Documentation of plant bugs resistant to multiple insecticides created extreme concern that without Transform, farmers would not have sufficient modes of action to manage damaging plant bug populations,” says Jeff Gore, Mississippi Research and Extension entomologist. “We are grateful that growers in Mississippi have this tool back in their arsenal this season.”

To hear from cotton farmers and consultants about their experience battling tarnished plant

bug with Transform, go to www.

TransformMyCotton.com. Visit with your local Dow AgroSciences representative to learn more about application recommendations in your area.

In Memory Of Distinguished Texan Don Erwin Ethridge Don Erwin Ethridge, age 73 of Lubbock, Texas, passed from this life on June 13, 2016. Don was born July 23, 1942 in Spur, Texas, to Sidney Melvin “Bo” Ethridge and Sammie Jo Houston. The family moved to Bailey County in 1948, where he grew up and graduated from the Muleshoe School System in 1960.

He earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Agricultural Economics from Texas Tech University and a Ph.D. degree in Economics from North Carolina State University.

Don will be remembered as a passionate and caring husband, father and grandfather who dedicated his life to teaching as well as learning from others. His professional work included tenures with the University of Missouri-Rolla, Economic Research for the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.

In 1985, he began his tenure with the Agricultural Economics D e p a r t m e n t o f Te x a s Te c h University, where he developed a prolific research program, became an award-winning teacher and student mentor, and engaged in outstanding service to agricultural entities throughout Texas. He served as Chairman of the Department during 1997-2005 and brought it to historically high levels of high-impact research and development.

Aw a r d s i n c l u d e d P r e s i d e n t ’s Academic Achievement Award (for distinguished teaching, research and service); Outstanding Service to the U.S. Cotton Industry; College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Outstanding Researcher; Lifetime Achievement Award for Significant and Enduring Contributions to the Agricultural Economics Profession; and Distinguished Alumnus Award by the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. He retired with Professor Emeritus status in April 2009.

Continued on page 15 COTTON FARMING JULY 2016

13

SPECIAL REPORT

Whole Farm Program Merges Four Key Components

BY CARROLL SMITH EDITOR

I

f standing the test of time is an acceptable measure of success, then AgriEdge Excelsior, which has been in place for 15 years, satisfies this requirement. What started off as a cotton program from Syngenta has evolved over time into a whole farm approach.

Reagan DeSpain, the Southern and East Coast AgriEdge manager, says the four fundamentals on which the program is based are Syngenta’s broad portfolio, Land.db farm management software, dedicated AgriEdge specialists and a risk mitigation component.

To get started in this region, the farmer signs an agreement to buy $45,000 of branded Syngenta products if he or she has one crop, such as grains, or $60,000 if two or more crops are involved, such as grains and cotton, peanuts or vegetables. The farmer has choices and is not restricted to just applying Syngenta products. Ag Connections, a subsidiary of Syngenta, houses the Land. db farm management software. Two farmers – Pete Clark and Rick Murdoch – developed Land.db and are co-owners of the company.

An AgriEdge specialist installs the software and is available to the farmer either on-farm or via phone at the farmer’s request. Farmers can also talk to their retailers about the program, and Ag Connections can troubleshoot any issues related to Land.db. Although the software typically is installed in the farmer’s office or home computer, it also is accessible via mobile devices in the field.

Based on information inputs, Land.db enables the farmer to track almost anything related to his farming operation except labor costs. If a cotton farmer has access to e-cotton through his gin, he can input information from his gin tickets so his yield records will be available as well. DeSpain notes that a breakeven number also can be obtained for all the farmer’s commodities, depending on how well he keeps up with his records.

The fourth pillar of the AgriEdge Excelsior program is a risk mitigation or cost-sharing mechanism that gives growers an opportunity to earn financial rewards.

“The data belongs to the farmer, who is the only person allowed to grant access to his database,” DeSpain says. “If a farmer asks that we send information to a third party, we must have written consent from the farmer to do so.”

Farmers’ Perspectives Bryce Wilde, who farms cotton, grain sorghum, sugarcane and corn in Lyford, Texas, has taken advantage of the AgriEdge Excelsior program to keep up with his entire operation for about four years.

“It’s definitely a farmer-friendly recordkeeping tool,” Wilde says. “We can pull reports from past years in terms of services and chemical applications to better understand

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COTTON FARMING JULY 2016

Texas producer Bryce Wilde uses AgriEdge Excelsior to more accurately determine his farm’s breakeven point. what we are doing on the farm. When it comes to marketing, we are able to figure out what we need to get for our crop. The program also contains a large database of crop protection products. When we input a chemical that we want to use, the program accesses the label. Information such as the re-entry interval or the pre-harvest interval for the product is available if we need it. If a label is not in the database, we can request that it be added.”

Wilde reviews the information he inputs to get a better idea of what he can afford. “It’s a real eye-opener.

Although there are a lot of variables to consider, we are working with the program to more accurately determine our breakeven point.”

Seminole, Texas, producer Otis Johnson, who farms cotton, peanuts, corn and grain sorghum, has used AgriEdge Excelsior for all his crops since 2012. Johnson says one of the biggest benefits of the program is the recordkeeping system that allows him to efficiently keep up with input costs on each field and farm. “I have several landlords and buy everything in bulk,” he says. “I can print reports for any input on any farm. It’s easy to go back to a particular date to get that information. The program is very versatile in that regard. For example, I can access how much peanut seed we planted on each circle on each farm, then bill my landlords their shares. The program also accesses weather data so I don’t have to keep track of it myself.”

Today, AgriEdge Excelsior has a 96 percent retention rate. “Through trust and long-term business relationships, we are here to help farmers become better managers and better stewards of their farms,” DeSpain says.

COTTONFARMING.COM

Industry News Continued from page 13 Don had a life-long love of automobiles, which he passed on to his daughter, Heather. On a sunny day, he could be found showing off one of his classic beauties at an area car show, swap meet or parade. He leaves behind a close-knit group of friends who share his passion and will miss him at Saturday morning breakfast.

Jack C. McCarty Receives Prestigious ICAC Award The International Cotton Advisory Committee recently announced that Jack C. McCarty was selected as the ICAC Researcher of the Year. This competition was open to all disciplines involved in cotton research worldwide.

McCarty is a dedicated public servant of Agricultural Research Service who has quietly gone about solving problems in cotton through good research for many years. He has been invited to make a keynote presentation of his research at the 2016 ICAC International meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan, in October.

McCarty received an engraved glass award trophy with the globe in the center during the opening ceremonies of the WCRS 6 in Brazil before 350 of his fellow researchers.

Years ago, Jack discovered and published on several wild cotton accessions that were resistant to boll weevil oviposition under no choice conditions.

He discovered that these accessions were also resistant to boll weevil in Brazil. This research along with his other contributions are being used around the world in cotton breeding.

McCarty began his career with ARS in 1976. Prior to his work with ARS, he served for two years with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Congratulations to a world class scientist who is a gentleman and a dedicated public servant.

Monsanto Donates Mississippi Research Farm And Facilities Monsanto Company recently announced the donation of its Leland Agronomy Center to The B.F. Smith Foundation, a nonprofit organization in the Mississippi Delta. The 150-acre site consists of cropland and supporting infrastructure that includes offices, labs, greenhouses and shops.

Twitter: @CottonFarming

Mississippi State University’s Delta Research and Extension Center, based in Stoneville, will use the greenhouse and lab space for plant breeding and other agronomic research. The site also will support a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education project, which will be coordinated with a local school district.

“The STEM Project is a collaborative effort that will focus on promoting careers in science, engineering and math, particularly among elementary and middle school students in the local area,” says Dr. Leeson Taylor, Superintendent, Greenville Public School District. “Field trips and classroom lectures by public and private-sector researchers will be enhanced as a result of Monsanto’s gift to The B. F. Smith Foundation.”

Stoneville researchers said they are looking forward to supporting the STEM project’s curriculum through teaching and lectures on exciting new breakthroughs, as well as discussing the challenges ahead for plant science and its role in global food production.

“We are grateful to The B. F. Smith Foundation for its longstanding history of supporting agricultural research and education programs located at our Stoneville campus. Our expansion into these neighboring facilities will help us tremendously in meeting the challenges in agriculture, which can only be addressed through new innovations and technologies, and by engaging the next wave of talent that will address tomorrow’s challenges,” says Jeff Johnson, Head of the MSU Delta Research and Extension Center.

“The B. F. Smith Foundation is ecstatic about the new opportunity to advance one of the foundation’s primary missions. It was due to the generosity, strong corporate citizenship and Monsanto’s commitment to this region that the foundation is able to further develop the purposes for which it was founded,” says Travis Satterfield, Chairman of the B.F. Smith Foundation.

Doug Rushing, Director of Industry Affairs for Monsanto, said the gift demonstrates both the company’s commitment to “support the communities where our customers and employees live and work,” as well as Monsanto’s efforts to engage young people in STEM subjects and introduce them to science and math-related careers in agriculture.

CCOY 2015 WINNER Cotton Consultant of the Year

Wes Briggs SUCCESS IS A JOINT EFFORT, BASED ON TRUST & HARD WORK

Without a doubt, I attribute the accomplishments of Briggs Crop Services to my farmers, five full-time employees and my wife, Beth. The pressure we feel every summer tests us, but faith, family, friends and a love of agriculture carry us through.

I tell my guys to treat the last field of the day like it is the first and never get stagnant. Always strive to be excellent when nobody’s watching.

I am proud to be part of a legacy that was started many years ago. The past recipients have paved the way for guys like myself. It is truly an honor and very humbling to have been chosen as the 2015 Cotton Consultant of the Year.

CCOY nomination form, page 11 Cotton Consultant of the Year sponsored by

Cotton Farming COTTON FARMING JULY 2016

15

Specialists Speaking Manage Bloom Period Carefully TEXAS Gaylon Morgan Across the state, excessive rain has been a blessing and a curse for the cotton crop. The Rio Grande Valley has had timely rainfall, and both dryland and irrigated cotton are progressing nicely and look good.

The combination of prolonged saturated soils and high plant nutrient demand for early bloom cotton has led to immobile, nutrient-deficient (yellow) cotton. Sunshine and dry weather will cure the deficiency symptoms as root uptake of nutrients increases. Foliar fertilizers will not likely be economical in this scenario.

The Upper Gulf Coast and Southern Blacklands cotton has been saturated for months but continues to hang on and look decent, except for flooded-out areas. The Northern Blacklands never reached its acreage potential due to the inability to plant in wet conditions.

When dry, sunny weather returns across South and East Texas, producers need to be prepared for plant growth regulator applications.

The timing and large plant sizes will require higher rates than usual, especially for the more vigorous varieties.

Planting in the Northern and Southern Rolling Plains has progressed slowly due to wet conditions in late May. However, with dry weather predicted for the first half of June, the odds are good for completing cotton planting before the June 20 final planting date.

Weed management has been a challenge for timely herbicide applications due to poor access to wet fields, additional weed flushes and fast-growing weeds. Although the pre-emergence herbicides broke down more quickly than usual, they still provided good early season weed control. Cotton fields that did not receive a pre-emergence herbicide, are fairly obvious and will present a challenge for the remainder of the season.

Rainfall in 2015 and 2016 has helped flush some of the salts from our irrigated land and helped replenish a few of the shallow aquifers. Although we have been fortunate not to need irrigation yet, it is Texas, and we will be short of moisture before we know it. gmorgan@tamu.edu

TEXAS Seth Byrd The middle of May saw a lot of cotton go in the ground in the Northern High Plains. Most southern areas waited until moisture conditions improved and began planting heavily at the end of May and into early June. As of June 8, cotton planting was complete on approximately 75 to 80 percent of the acres in the region. Although it would be ideal to plant earlier, the vast majority of the High Plains planted into good soil moisture, and temperatures have generally been suitable for rapid growth and crop development. So we were set up with a good start to the season although it was a week or two later than planned.

With adequate to plentiful moisture available throughout most of the region, the crop may make it to bloom with few, if any, irrigation applications needed. Cotton typically requires little water to make it through the vegetative growth stages; however, avoiding stress is still critical. Supplemental irrigation may be necessary if long-term drought conditions persist. Cool temperatures delayed the development of early planted cotton, likely resulting in a fairly similar first bloom date across most of the region despite two to three weeks difference in planting date.

Entering bloom in mid- to late July will leave plenty of time to

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produce a high-yielding crop if the weather cooperates later in the summer and an early frost is avoided. Since the crop is getting off to an overall late start, square and boll retention will be key to success.

Balancing water requirements through irrigation and growth regulation through timely plant growth regulator applications will aid in achieving a high-yielding and manageable crop in what could be a shortened season. seth.byrd@ag.tamu.edu

LOUISIANA Dan Fromme The Louisiana cotton crop looks very promising.

DD60s accumulated for the past 60 days are above average compared to the historical average for this time period. Thrips pressure was extremely heavy this year.

Soil moisture is very good in most parts of the state.

As of June 10, most of the cotton fields were squaring. Plant growth regulator applications will be going out to manage plant height and excess vegetative growth. Earlier planted fields in central Louisiana will be approaching first bloom in about 10 to 14 days. Since squaring began, insect pressure from aphids, fleahoppers and plant bugs has been low throughout most parts of the state. Square set is looking very good with fields having 80 to 85 percent or higher square retention.

As cotton fields in Louisiana reach early bloom, an effective method for farmers to determine vigor, or the amount of horsepower the cotton plant has, is to count the number of nodes above white flower (NAWF). NAWF is measured by counting the number of nodes above the lowest first position white flower on the cotton plant. The last node to be counted at the top of the plant will be the uppermost node that has an unfurled main stem leaf larger than a quarter (greater than 1 inch diameter).

Factors that influence NAWF at early bloom are maturity differences in varieties, soil moisture conditions, insect pressure and disease.

At early bloom, NAWF can be at 5 or 6 under drought-stressed conditions to 10 or more under optimum growing conditions. Fewer NAWF at early bloom indicates an early cutout is eminent and there is potential for low lint yields. Higher NAWF counts of 9 or 10 indicate that the plant has ample horsepower and the potential for an excellent crop. dfromme@agcenter.lsu.edu

ARKANSAS Bill Robertson Even with the difficult start we have experienced with this crop, we should be on track to find flowers

by July 4. The status of our cotton plants at first flower reveals much about the past and gives us an indication of what we must do down the road to end up where we want to be.

Ideally, we will find nine to 10 first position fruit above the uppermost first position white flower at first flower. This verifies that we have the foundation to set and mature high yield and fiber quality potentials. Our goal is to maintain 80 percent retention going into first flower. Problems that can directly impact yield and profit are extremely high fruit retention rates as well as low retention rates. Going into flowering with extremely high retention can set you up for failure if any problems are encountered as the margin for error is small. Compensation for lost fruit late in the season is often very costly.

Maintaining a balance between vegetative and reproductive growth will help to optimize earliness and preserve yield and fiber quality COTTONFARMING.COM

potential. Irrigation initiation and timing play dominant roles in this balance. Utilizing sensors and scheduling tools along with programs such as Pipe Planner will help improve irrigation water-use efficiency and profitability. An effective fruiting window of three weeks between first flower and cutout (NAWF=5) will provide the yield and earliness cotton producers in Arkansas desire. brobertson@uaex.edu

MISSOURI Mike Milam The Missouri cotton crop was planted in a timely fashion this season. However, some fields had to be replanted due to rainfall. I have seen many fields that did not drain well after several storms. Other fields had excellent drainage, and the water got off the field very rapidly.

Although we had timely planting, rainfall has put a stop to most field operations. We have had rainfall on nine of the past 14 days. We have had excellent temperatures this past month. The cooler night temperatures have given way to the higher range that we normally expect at this time of the year.

In looking at the May 31 Crop Progress and Condition Report, the condition of the cotton crop is 3 percent very poor, 8 percent poor, 40 percent fair, 46 percent good, and 3 percent excellent. In looking at the crop’s condition from the previous week, there was an 11 percent drop in the good category to the fair category.

The Drought Monitor shows that we have excellent moisture.

The 3-month forecasts show above-normal temperatures with equal chances of below-, average and above-average rainfall. One of my concerns is that with the available moisture near the surface, the roots have no incentive to move deeper into the soil profile. Therefore, producers who don’t have supplemental irrigation are at risk later in the summer. milammr@missouri.edu

TENNESSEE Tyson Raper Given the water and irrigation theme for this issue of Cotton Farming, I thought it might be appropriate to briefly cover some best management practices for irrigated acres in Tennessee. We definitely want to start the flowering period with adequate soil moisture and remain at that state through boll fill.

Although some research has indicated pre-flower irrigations can increase yields under periods of severe stress, irrigations are rarely justified pre-square and uncommon during pre-flower.

Proper termination timing varies by production system. However, by the time bolls crack, Tennessee cotton farmers should consider shutting off the pump in most irrigated fields.

As anyone who has attempted to irrigate a crop knows, the hardest part is figuring out how much you need and how much you have.

The good news is advancements in technology are moving us closer to having a complete picture of available water and plant demand.

In the meantime, I encourage you to check out an atmometer. This instrument measures the rate at which water evaporates and gives insight to atmospheric demand across a large area. When coupled with a solid number for typical crop water use by growth stage, it can give you a good feel for how much water should be applied and when. traper@utk.edu

MISSISSIPPI Darrin Dodds I am always amazed at how we tend to go from one extreme to another in terms of water. Most of Mississippi was wet and cold for the majority of the spring; however, once cotton planters began to roll, rainfall was non-existent for up to five weeks in some areas. I have always heard that at any given time we are only seven days away from a drought. This is true, particularly during July and August.

As long as irrigation has been a part of cotton production in Mississippi, we have watered cotton based on personal experience and Twitter: @CottonFarming

whatever data could be found. Although cotton is generally considered one of the more drought-tolerant row crops, rainfall and/or irrigation can help stabilize and increase yields.

More scientific methods for irrigation are available every year, which include computerized hole-selection programs for poly tubing, soil moisture sensors, and surge valves, among others.

In order to make the most of our limited water resources, I encourage you to take a look at any or all of the tools available to help increase irrigation efficiency. Given the continual increase in human population and the fact that no more land is being made, we will be forced to produce more food and fiber on the land we have. Making the most out of limited water resources will be of paramount importance to crop production in the coming years. darrind@ext.msstate.edu

FLORIDA David Wright Cotton and peanut are mainstays of agronomic crops grown in Florida due to their drought tolerance on sandy soils compared to corn and soybeans. Both cotton and peanut bloom over an eight-week period or longer with high demand for water during the bloom period.

Even though Florida has a total of about 2 million irrigated crop acres, most of the irrigation is for high-value horticultural crops. About 20 percent of the cotton acreage is irrigated. However, non-irrigated cotton often does as well as the irrigated due to frequent rainfall in July and August when the crop has peak demand.

Many of our producers who irrigate are using moisture sensors to maintain adequate moisture in the soil profile without leaching nitrogen and potassium below the root zone. Florida producers who grow cotton after peanut and grow winter grazing prior to cotton planting have found that nutrients are recycled through livestock.

Also, cotton rooting is deeper with enhanced rooting (almost twice the root mass) resulting in as much as 50 percent less irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer use with yields of 2- to 4-bale cotton. More of our growers are working to integrate livestock into the cropping system to reduce water and nutrient use while making higher cotton yields. wright@ufl.edu

VIRGINIA Hunter Frame As we move into July, cotton in Virginia is two to three weeks behind where it is normally. Unseasonably cool temperatures and excess rainfall from May 1 to May 20 resulted in only 79 percent of the expected crop planted by June 5. With that in mind, Virginia cotton acres could be down as much as 21 percent from 2015. From here on out, cotton producers in Virginia are going to need nearly perfect conditions to average 1,000plus pounds of lint per acre.

Since Virginia has less than 5 percent irrigated acres, Mother Nature is considered the sole provider of water in the state. Given late planting dates, producers need to be mindful of plant growth regulator applications and timely insect control to ensure no delay in crop maturity this fall. Nitrogen management also will be an important component in managing crop maturity. High nitrogen rates could delay maturity, especially if dry conditions prevail in July and August followed by rain in September. This may be a good year to split side-dress nitrogen applications and evaluate nitrogen status by tissue and petiole testing during the first week of bloom. Our data indicated over the past three years that petiole nitrate levels 4,600 ppm NO3-N (nitrate as nitrogen) or higher during the first week of bloom were enough to achieve optimum yields. In-season monitoring of N will be the best way to ensure nitrogen is not over-applied in a shortened growing season, which would delay crop maturity.

We can still achieve yields greater than 1,000 pounds, but we have to stay on top of plant growth regulators, insects and soil fertility management to ensure a timely harvest in 2016. whframe@vt.edu COTTON FARMING JULY 2016

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Continued from page 9

Keep Up With Growth Stages Monitor fields for each of the major growth stages.

First square should occur by the 7- to 8-leaf stage (40-45 days after planting in most years….likely later this year in North Carolina). First bloom typically occurs 55-60 days after planting. It should be difficult to find blooms at first bloom as there are only a few on the lowest fruiting branches (one bloom every 5-6 feet of row). If you see blooms with little effort, chances are that you are already seven to 10 days into the bloom period. Making irrigation decisions based on windshield evaluations can cause growers to apply the wrong rates at the wrong time.

Growth stages are important in determining when to begin irrigating and how much to irrigate. In my experience, it is difficult and sometimes impossible to “catch up” if you miss these growth stages by a week or more when hot, dry conditions prevail.

Be aware of your soil characteristics and irrigation system efficiency. Heavier soils retain water longer than sandier soils, and there is variation in the efficiency of various irrigation systems. These factors influence how much and how often you will need to irrigate. Further discussion can be found at http://www.ugacotton.com/ vault/file/2016-UGA-Cotton-Production-Guide.pdf. Lastly, your tillage system could theoretically influence irrigation rates and frequency by influencing how quickly the cotton crop may reach the point of yield-reducing stress.

Split Weekly Rates The water requirements listed in Figure 1 are total weekly water rates, including rainfall, and should be divided into two or more irrigations. Adjust irrigation rates for any meaningful rainfall (0.3 inches or greater) that occurs in a given week. Splitting the weekly rates helps avoid over-irrigating or wasting irrigation water and the associated pumping costs. It also allows for improved soil water absorption and thus utilization by the plant. Most soils cannot absorb much more than 0.75-1 inch from a single rain or irrigation, while higher rates tend to runoff or move below the effective rooting zone. Another reason to split the weekly rates is to have a continuous source of moisture throughout the season and help prevent soil moisture depletion. If you irrigate the total weekly rate in one event and don’t irrigate again for a week, drought stress could occur during that time if hot conditions prevail without additional rainfall. Splitting rates also maximizes irrigation system efficiency.

The checkbook method can be adjusted once you gain experience with it. Some fields may require slightly higher weekly rates or more frequent irrigation if soil water retention or system efficiency is low. Some fields enter the bloom period with insufficient stalk height or nodes above white bloom, which may call for higher irrigation rates towards the front end of the bloom period. Length of the bloom period often needs to be adjusted if open bolls are present before eight weeks of bloom have elapsed, or if a higher-than-normal proportion of smaller harvestable bolls are located on upper nodes of the plant. Although this method suggests irrigation should cease once lower

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TIM HALL/NELSON IRRIGATION

significant yield penalties (300-600 lbs/acre) despite later efforts to irrigate appropriately during bloom.

bolls begin to open, research has shown that continuing irrigation can increase yields if a large number of upper yield-contributing bolls are not fully developed. Irrigation should be avoided, if possible, when a noticeable amount of bolls have opened, especially if damp, cloudy, foggy conditions exist when lower bolls reach full maturity. This scenario is conducive to hardlock or boll rot.

Soil Moisture Sensors There are several types of commercially available soil moisture sensors that can be used in concert with the checkbook method. Two common types are those that measure volumetric water content or soil water potential.

Both offer advantages, but you need to understand the difference in how they work and what they measure.

Sensors can help with irrigation scheduling by accounting for rainfall, which would tell you when you need to resume irrigating following a rainfall event; adjusting for soil type differences and soil water retention; and quantifying the point in which drought stress is likely to occur.

Sensors provide a soil moisture threshold to trigger irrigation. Frequent monitoring and/or maintenance of soil moisture sensors is necessary to reap the full benefits.

Avoid wilting at all costs. In my experience, if you see wilting in a cotton field, some yield has already been lost Irrigate before reaching the point of wilting to achieve optimal yields. Another useful resource for making irrigation decisions in the Southeast can be found at: http://www.cottoninc.com/fiber/AgriculturalDisciplines/ Engineering/Irrigation-Management/.

Contact Guy Collins, Extension Cotton Specialist Crop Science, at gdcollin@ncsu.edu. Email Keith Edmisten, Professor of Crop Science and Extension Cotton Specialist Crop Science, at kledmist@ncsu.edu.

COTTONFARMING.COM

COTTON

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

OSHA Finalizes New Rules For Tracking Workplace plate 3/7/14 3:26 PM Page 1 Injuries And Illnesses On May 12, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration published the final regulations for the Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses. The first two parts of this rule become effective on Aug. 10.

Part one requires employers to inform their employees how to report illnesses and injuries. Most gins should already have a good practice in place to meet this requirement.

Part two requires employers to inform their employees of their rights to report injuries and that they cannot be discriminated against for reporting. OSHA has issued a poster that should help gins meet this requirement.

The third part of the rule is much more complicated and will not begin until 2017. This part requires all employers with more than 250 employees, and some employers with 20250 employees, to submit illness and injury data to OSHA each year through a portal on its website.

The rules are different for larger employers. For employers with 20-250 employees, only some groups will have to

report. One of these is an employer with a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code beginning with 11, which includes cotton gins. Under this rule, gins must submit the information from the OSHA 300A form. This is summary data only and is the form that all employers must currently post on Feb. 1 each year. OSHA will develop a website that allows each employer to manually enter this data into the OSHA system. OSHA will then post the data publicly in some manner. The 2016 data will be posted by July 1, 2017. Similarly, the deadline for 2018 is also July 1. After that, the reports will be due on March 2 each year.

In the preamble to the rule, OSHA describes this rule as an effort to “nudge” employers to abate hazards by applying

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On The Web For more on these changes from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration, visit www.osha.gov.

behavioral science in the context of making all injuries at a facility public and basically “shaming” employers into preventing accidents. The idea is that OSHA will publish all the data entered by employers, so that perspective employees and customers can see what the injury data looks like at any business.

Injury Reporting Scrutinized OSHA also states that it will watch more closely for evidence that an employer is discouraging workers from reporting injuries. Two examples that it gives of policies that would discourage reporting are certain drug testing policies and incentive programs. OSHA states that a policy of drug testing all workers after an injury could be considered discriminatory. The examples it gives include drug testing after a bee sting or a musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) injury. We need to be careful in this area, although OSHA cannot supersede state workers compensation rules.

Incentive and bonus programs must also be done carefully so that they do not discourage reporting.

OSHA particularly does not like programs that give a bonus based on no reported injuries for a period of time. It says these programs specifically put pressure on workers not to report injuries.

This rule does not look particularly difficult to meet, but on the other hand, it gives OSHA another excuse for coming into a workplace without any employee complaint or incident. The cotton ginning industry and many other industry groups opposed this rule for several reasons. As with many other recent OSHA regulations, industry concerns were largely ignored.

Kelley Green, technical services director of the Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association, contributed this article.

Contact him at 512-476-8388 or kelley@tcga.org.

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Cotton’s Calendar 2016 July 31-Aug. 3: Southern Southeastern Board Meeting, Amelia Island, Fla. Aug. 2-4: Cotton Board/Cotton Incorporated Meeting, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Aug. 17: PCCA Board Meeting and Delegate Body Meeting, Lubbock, Texas.

Aug. 24-26: NCC Board Meeting, Memphis, Tenn.

Sept. 21: Staplcotn Annual Meeting, Greenwood, Miss.

Sept. 26: Calcot Ltd. Board of Directors Meeting, Phoenix, Ariz.

2017

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Jan. 4-6: Beltwide Cotton Conferences, Dallas, Texas.

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COTTON FARMING JULY 2016

COTTONFARMING.COM

Jan. 18-21: Southern Southeastern Annual Meeting, Charlotte, N.C. Feb. 10-12: NCC Annual Meeting, Dallas, Texas.

Feb. 28-March 1: Cotton Board Meeting.

March 3-4: Mid-South Farm & Gin Show, Memphis, Tenn.

April 6-7: Texas Cotton Ginners Association Trade Show, Lubbock, Texas.

June 6-8: Cotton Incorporated Meeting.

July 10-12: Southern Southeastern Mid-Year Board Meeting, Marriott Grand Dunes, Myrtle Beach, S.C. Aug. 8-10: Cotton Board/Cotton Incorporated Joint Meeting.

Aug. 23-25: NCC Board Meeting, Peabody Hotel, Memphis, Tenn.

Dec. 5-7: Cotton Board/Cotton Incorporated Joint Meeting.

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2018 Jan. 3-5: Beltwide Cotton Conferences, San Antonio, Texas.

Feb. 9-11: NCC Annual Meeting, Ft. Worth, Texas.

April 5-6: Texas Cotton Ginners Association Trade Show, Lubbock, Texas.

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All machinery is offered “as is, where is” (unless noted otherwise) and is subject to prior sale.

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1 – Consolidated 96” R-5000 Stick Machine* 2 – Consolidated 120” R-5000 Stick Machines* 1 – Lummus 60” overshot Standard Battery Condenser* 1 – Consolidated 72” undershot Standard Battery Condenser* 1 – Consolidated 72” undershot MC Battery Condenser* 1 – 1997 model Ginning/Lint Cleaning Line, consisting of a 96” wide Model 700TM Feeder, 170-Saw ImperialTM III Gin, Super-Jet® Lint Cleaner, and Model 108 Lint Cleaner 1 – Belt-Wide 75-HP Flooded-Suction Hydraulic Booster Pumping Unit 1 – Lubbock Electric Hydraulic Pumping Unit for Gin Dor-Les® or E.E. Dor-Les® Press (single reservoir with multiple motor/pump groups) 1 – Lummus Bale Handling System for up-packing press 1 – Lot, miscellaneous Burner and Moisture Unit components (contact us for details) * - does not include any Steel Supports or Platforms

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Cotton Ginners Marketplace

2 – Lummus Model 66 Lint Cleaners with Condensers

1 - Complete 2/141 Gin Plant consisting of: Unloading System with 15” diameter single-lane Powered Telescope, Rock Trap with Trash Vacuum, 72” Unloading Separator/Feed Control with Vacuum Wheel and Flight-Saver, and No. 50 Unloading Fan; First-Stage Drying/Precleaning System with Continental 3 MBTU Burner and No. 40 Push Fan, 54” Tower Dryer, 96” Continental Inclined Cleaner with Vacuum Wheel over 96” Horn 3-Saw Stick Machine (with double 96” x 24” Vacuum Wheels), Second-Stage Drying/Precleaning System with Continental 3 MBTU Burner and No. 40 Push Fan, 54” Tower Dryer, 96” Continental Inclined Cleaner with Vacuum Wheel over 96” Continental 2-Saw Stick Machine; Distribution/Overflow System with Continental 2-Stand Conveyor Distributor and 72” Automatic Overflow Hopper with Breaker Cylinder; Feeding/Ginning System with two (2) Continental 141-Saw Gins (converted) and 96” Comet Supreme Feeders; Lint Cleaning System with four (4) 66” wide Continental 16-D Lint Cleaners (two tandem arrangements); Condensing/Pressing System with 50” Moss Battery Condenser, 20” x 54” Continental Bespress, and Bale Handling System with Bale Push Cart (manual) and Bagger (powered); five (5) Smith 35/40 Centrifugal Fans (only one season of operation)

My Turn Setting The Record Straight

T

Jump forward to the fall of 1980. I’m set to gradhe hardest part of writing this story uate in December, and the school has a new presis that even though ident who didn’t know me from Adam’s house cat.

I can remember it My fraternity was playing an intramural football like yesterday, it happened game, and I decided to cheer them on by making a 38 years ago. Well, at least couple of low passes over the intramural field. BIG the first part of it did. This MISTAKE! My fraternity brothers loved it, but recounting will attempt one of the fellows from the other team reported me to set straight a couple of to the FAA. I knew I’d been reported, but I didn’t events that, over time and exactly know how to break the news at home. So telling by folks other than like any good college kid, I just acted like nothing myself, turned into a grand had happened until I was proved wrong. And I Rick myth that’s better than the was. Since I didn’t change my home of record with Rice truth. The story is that I the FAA when I went to college, its notification of got kicked out of Arkansas an investigation and a list of all the violations of State University and lost my pilot’s license for fly- which I’d been accused were sent to my parent’s ing through the football stadium during ASU’s first home address.

Oh yeah; one more thing. I have the same name televised game. Like all good myths, it contains an as my Dad, so when the element of truth, but certified letter from the that’s not exactly what “Daddy called me at school to FAA was delivered to happened.

My Dad was one say the FAA was looking for me.” the airport where we got all our mail, it had HIS of the old-time crop name on it. (What probdusters, which meant I grew up around airplanes like everyone else in ably kept him from killing me was his feeling of the Missouri Bootheel grew up around tractors. So relief when it dawned on him that HE wasn’t the when I went off to college in 1977, I flew there in a one being investigated.)

I won’t go into the conversation that took place plane that I bought from Earl Dean Taylor. Since confession is good for the soul, I’ll admit to flying when Daddy called me at school to let me know through Indian stadium on occasion. But in the that the FAA was looking for me. The list of things fall of 1978, I had the misfortune to fly through they were mad about took up nearly two pages, the stadium a few days prior to a game that was and I thought all I’d done was buzz the intramugoing to be televised to more than just the local ral field. Turns out that if you make a crop-duster northeast Arkansas community. The university turn after the first pass, they can cite you for doing president decided to visit the stadium while the low-level aerobatics over a crowd without a waiver.

Well, I called and turned myself in, and the FAA television cameras were being set in place. The president, not the cameras, was what got me in man cut to the chase and asked me just how low I trouble. He took great offense to me flying through really got. I told him that I wasn’t sure, but since HIS stadium. He told me (and I believed him), that nobody on the field even lay down, it couldn’t have when he got through with me, I’d never want to get been too low. THAT’S when I lost my license!

So the truth is out. I never got kicked out of colclose to that stadium again.

He didn’t put the fear of God in me, (I knew lege, and losing my license didn’t have anything God would forgive me), but I was awfully afraid of to do with flying through the football stadium and calling home and telling my folks that I’d gotten getting caught by the TV cameras. That’s just a kicked out of college. Fortunately, the dean of men vicious rumor that needed to be set straight, once (they actually had such a thing back then) inter- and for all. vened on my behalf. I repented and promised to – Rick Rice, Collierville, Tenn. never do it again, and they let me stay in school. I RickR@amvac-chemical.com never told my folks what happened. Hallelujah!

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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COTTON FARMING JULY 2016

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