Cotton farming november 2017

Cotton Farming ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC

PROFITABLE PRODUCTION STRATEGIES

®

NOVEMBER 2017

www.cottonfarming.com

Maturity: mid-full Micronaire: 4.2-4.6

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Staple length: 1.16 G/Tex: 30-33

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2018

Leaf type: semi-smooth

SEED VARIETY GUIDE

CF1117 Layout_CF 11/13 template 10/19/17 10:35 AM Page 2

THE WINNING COMBINATION FOR EXCEPTIONAL WEED CONTROL.

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PhytoGenCottonseed.c com/A /Agronomy.

PhytoGenŽ cottonseed with the Enlist™ cotton trait gives you control three ways, with tolerance to Enlist DuoŽ herbicide (2,4-D choline and glyphosate), tolerance to Enlist One™ herbicide (2,4-D choline) and robust tolerance to glufosinate.

Learn more at PhytoGenYields.com.

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Outstanding yield potential. Excellent fiber quality. Exceptional weed control.

Now it’s all within reach. PhytoGen® brand varieties with the Enlist™ cotton trait help you defeat hard-to-control and resistant weeds — turning your toughest weed challenges into your best season yet.

See how we can help you thrive.

Visit PhytoGenYields.com or call 844-259-2900. ®

PhytoGen and the PhytoGen Logo are trademarks of PhytoGen Seed Company, LLC. ®™DOW Diamond, Enlist, Enlist Duo, Enlist One, the Enlist Logo,WideStrike and the WideStrike Logo are trademarks of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow. The Enlist weed control system is owned and developed

by Dow AgroSciences LLC. Enlist Duo and Enlist One herbicides are not registered for sale or use in all states or counties. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your area. Enlist Duo and Enlist One herbicides are the only 2,4-D products authorized for use in Enlist crops.

PhytoGen Seed Company is a joint venture between Mycogen Corporation, an affiliate of Dow AgroSciences LLC, and the J.G. Boswell Company.

L38-076-149 (10/17) BR DAAGPHYG7066

Vol. 61 No. 11

Cotton Farming PROFITABLE PRODUCTION STRATEGIES

NOVEMBER 2017

www.cottonfarming.com

F E AT U R E S

15

MORE CROPS COVERED

17

2018 BELTWIDE MEETING

20

WESTERN REPORT

26

GINNING MARKETPLACE

2018

SEED VARIETY GUIDE

10 Excellent Lineup The menu of cotton varieties from which to choose in 2018 includes a host of high-yielding, good quality selections.

Check out the roster in Cotton Farming’s Seed Variety Guide. More offerings will be announced at the 2018 Beltwide Cotton Conferences. Match your operation’s needs with outstanding cotton characteristics and traits, and then place your order for the upcoming season.

DEPARTMENTS & COLUMNS

5 Editor’s Note 8 Cotton’s Agenda 18 Industry News

22 Specialists Speaking 30 My Turn

The Alabama Row Crops Short Course has added cotton, peanut, soybean and sesame topics to its agenda this year.

Nematodes and thrips control will be featured at the Consultants’ Conference set for Jan. 3 during the 2018 BWCC in San Antonio, Texas.

Fusarium Race 4 — a California cotton fungal disease — is now in Texas. Efforts are underway to breed tolerance into upland cotton.

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE GINNING INDUSTRY

The Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association provides information about the Department of Labor’s overtime rule related to salary test being overturned.

WEB EXCLUSIVE The Georgia Cotton Commission is urging farmers to keep their crop “clean and pure” during harvest. Over the past few years, the reputation that the American cotton producer has worked hard to earn has been challenged by crop contamination from a variety of foreign materials, including plastic. Go to www.cotton farming.com for this Web Exclusive report.

Corn Hybrid Preview

CornSouth ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC

Southern Production & Marketing Strategies

ON THE COVER: As the 2017 harvest wraps up, it’s time to begin choosing cotton varieties to plant next season.

A Supplement to Cotton Farming and The Peanut Grower Magazines

Cover photo by Freida Horton; illustration by Ashley Kumpe

November 2017

SUPPLEMENT Look for Corn South following page 28 in the Mid-South and Southeast editions of Cotton Farming. To have industry news and content delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for the monthly e-newsletter at www.cornsouth.com.

COTTON FARMING (ISSN 0746-8385) is published monthly January through December by One Grower Publishing LLC, 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.

4

COTTON FARMING NOVEMBER 2017

COTTONFARMING.COM

Cotton Farming

Editor’s Note

®

Carroll Smith

EDITORIAL/PRODUCTION Editor Carroll Smith csmith@onegrower.com Managing Editor Vicky Boyd vlboyd@onegrower.com 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 847-559-7324 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 2017 © ASSOCIATED PUBLICATIONS – One Grower Publishing, LLC also publishes RICE FARMING, THE PEANUT GROWER, SOYBEAN SOUTH and CORN SOUTH.

One Grower Publishing, LLC 6515 Goodman Rd., Box 360, Olive Branch, MS 38654 Phone: 901-767-4020

Twitter: @CottonFarming

Keep Optimism In The Forefront For 2018

T

he 2017 cotton season was bittersweet, considering the havoc wreaked on some areas by extreme weather and the bountiful harvest in others where conditions were favorable. Good or bad, the end results are almost in the rearview mirror. Now it’s time to start planning for next year.

Oklahoma native Will Rogers once said, “The farmer has to be an optimist or he wouldn’t still be a farmer.”

To me, this comment makes perfect sense. After all, when farmers look across their fields in the spring, they don’t see bare dirt; they see the promise of good things to come. Farmers don’t dwell on what the weather might do because they have no control over it. They faithfully plant their seed and nurture the crop, all the while envisioning snowy white fields at harvest time.

Perhaps the most important decision farmers will make going into the 2018 season involves variety selection. To aid in this process, Cotton Farming presents its annual Seed Variety Guide found on pages 10, 11, 12, 13 and 16. Seed companies from across the Cotton Belt provided information about their headliners, including new varieties, for farmers to consider during the planning season. For a complete listing, please visit the company websites or discuss specific needs with your seed representative.

Another helpful resource for cotton farmers is their consultants. These men and women take pride in staying up to date on new technology and how it can contribute to boosting their clients’ bottom line. Multiple opportunities are scheduled during the winter to provide education not only on technology itself but also on how to manage any issues surrounding that technology. One example is the Beltwide Cotton Conferences set for Jan. 3-5 in San Antonio, Texas.

Louisiana cotton consultant Hank Jones, chairman of the Beltwide consultant committee, says, “We put a lot of hard work into the Consultants Conference program, and I encourage my colleagues from all areas of the Cotton Belt to consider attending. I think it’s money well spent.”

For more information about the Beltwide, which also includes presentations from university and U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers, Extension personnel/agents and industry sales/support personnel, see the article, “Elevating Efficiency In 2018,” on page 17.

And remember, as 2017 comes to a close, the take-home message is to stay optimistic about the upcoming season. Nobody does that better than cotton folks.

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.

NOVEMBER 2017 COTTON FARMING

5

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WHO’S TOUGH NOW? STOP WEEDS. REDUCE DRIFT AND VOLATILITY. Weeds started this fight. Time to finish it with the Enlist™ weed control system. New Enlist One™ herbicide stops tough weeds to help maximize your yield potential.

Additional tank-mix flexibility makes it easier to customize your weed control. And our Colex-D® technology reduces drift and volatility. So much for so-called “tough” weeds.

NOW N OW A AVAILABLE VAIL AB LE FOR FOR U USE SE O ON NP PHYTOGEN HYTOGEN® E ENLIST NLIST™ COTTON COTTON

CF1117 Layout_CF 11/13 template 10/5/17 12:32 PM Page 7

Unrivaled weed control with NEW 2,4-D CHOLINE

NEAR-ZERO volatility

MINIMIZED POTENTIAL for physical drift

TANK-MIX WITH GLUFOSINATE and other products listed on EnlistTankMix.com

T Take ake c control ontrol a att En Enlist.com list.com o orr visit visit your your local local retailer. retailer.

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by Dow Dow AgroSciences AgroSciences LLC. LLC. Enlist Enlist Duo E nlist w eed ccontrol ontrol ssystem ystem iiss owned owned and Enlist weed Duo® and and Enlist Enlist One One h herbicides erbicides are are not not rregistered egistered ffor or sale sale or or use use in in all all states states or or counties. counties. C Contact ontact y your our sstate tate p pesticide esticide rregulatory egulatory agency agency to to determine determine if if a product product is is rregistered egistered ffor or sale sale or or use use in in your your area. area. Enlist Enlist Duo Duo and and Enlist Enlist One One herbicides herbicides are are tthe he o only nly 2 2,4-D ,4-D p products roducts a authorized uthorized ffor or use use on on Enlist Enlist ccrops. rops. A Always lways rread ead a and nd follow follow label label directions. directions. ©2017 ©2017 Dow Dow AgroSciences AgroSciences LLC LLC E38-401-028 E38-401-028 (10/17) (10/17) BR BR 010-91311 010-91311 DAAGNLST7089 DAAGNLST7089 ®™

Cotton’s Agenda Gary Adams

Low Cottonseed Prices Bring New Challenges As the 2017 harvest and ginning season proceeds, many cotton producers and ginners are facing a difficult business climate.

What is the overall economic situation? n Almost 100 percent of U.S. cotton production is exported as either raw fiber or textiles. As such, our industry is heavily influenced by various global market factors, among them: 1) India’s increased cotton production and potential growing presence in the export market, 2) China’s stocks policy and import quotas and 3) competition from heavily subsidized, foreign-produced manmade fiber.

U.S. Department of Agriculture data indicate that since 2014, market returns from cotton and cottonseed have fallen significantly short of total production costs. These sustained losses are unlike any The NCC is seeking a ginning cost share pro- in recent history, gram to offset a portion of a cotton producer’s and the Food and Agricultural Policy 2016 crop ginning costs.

Research Institute sees lower cotton market revenue in 2017 and 2018 relative to the 2016 crop.

Does any profit potential exist for cotton? n Cotton still finds itself at a disadvantage relative to the major row crops that are covered by the 2014 farm law’s Title I safety net. Compounding the problem is USDA data show that average ginning costs, which for the 2008-2013 crop years were $103 per acre, have climbed to $120 per acre during the period of the current farm bill (2014-2016) — a 17 percent increase. In many cases, cotton producers are not getting sufficient revenue from their cottonseed to cover their ginning costs with

current prices ranging from $130 – $150 per ton across the Cotton Belt. For example, with a cottonseed price of $130 per ton (and assuming a five-year average lint yield), a producer likely would see a $45 per acre revenue shortfall relative to ginning costs. When cottonseed prices were higher, such as the average price of $246 per ton received in 2013-14 or even the five-year average of $223 per ton (2012-2016), a producer not only could cover ginning costs but also realize additional revenue.

U.S. cotton producers and ginners in some growing areas also have faced significant production challenges due to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. In South Texas, producers’ bumper crop expectations were dashed by Harvey.

Several gin facilities and many modules were damaged. In Georgia, Irma reduced the prospects for a near-record state yield. In early fall, West Texas received some untimely rains, which could affect lint production and quality.

Any remedies available? n The bottom line is that over these past three years, many producers have lost equity and been forced to liquidate equipment and land to satisfy loans. Over the past decade, the number of businesses involved in cotton ginning and warehousing has declined by 33 and 21 percent, respectively. This ripple effect across rural communities and small towns will continue to be significant.

That’s why the National Cotton Council continues to press the Trump Administration to provide a Cotton Ginning Cost Share Program to offset a portion of a cotton producer’s ginning costs incurred with the 2016 crop. After it was initiated last year to offset 2015 ginning costs, the USDA-operated program provided crucial relief to America’s nearly 18,000 cotton farming families.

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

8

COTTON FARMING NOVEMBER 2017

COTTONFARMING.COM

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TOUGH TO BEAT

AVAILABLE A VA AILABLE SOON SOON

EXCEPTIONAL WEED CONTROL Tolerances to new 2,4-D choline and glyphosate allow Enlist Duo® herbicide to control the toughest weeds.

Additional glufosinate tolerance gives you more options.

EXCELLENT YIELD Our unique trait technology enables Enlist Duo to get tough weeds out of the way, so each Enlist E3™ soybean can achieve full genetic potential.

EASE OF USE It’s all part of the complete Enlist™ weed control system.

Talk Talk to to your your seed seed dealer dealer or or learn learn m more ore a att En Enlist.com. list.com.

DOW DOW Diamond, D ia m o n d , E Enlist, n l is t , E Enlist n l is t D Duo, u o, E Enlist n l is t E E3 3a and nd tthe he E Enlist n l is t L Logos o g os a are re ttrademarks ra d e m a r k s o off T The he D Dow ow C Chemical h emic al C Company ompany ((“Dow”) “Dow”) o orr a an na affiliated ffiliated company company of of Dow. Dow. ™The The MS MS Technologies Technologies Logo Logo is is a trademark trademark o off M MS S Technologies.

Technologies. Enlist Enlist E3 E 3 soybeans soybeans were were jointly jointly developed developed by

by Dow Dow AgroSciences AgroSciences and and MS MS Technologies.

Technologies. Enlist Enlist Duo Duo herbicide herbicide is is not not registered registered for for sale sale or or use use in in a all ll sstates tates o orr ccounties. ounties. C Contact o nt a c t y your our sstate tate p pesticide esticide rregulatory egulatory agency agency to to determine determine if if a product product is is registered registered for for sale sale or or use use in in your your area. area. Enlist Enlist herbicides h e r b i ci d e s a are re tthe he o only n ly 2 2,4-D , 4- D p products roducts authorized authorized for for use use on on Enlist Enlist ccrops. rops. Always Always read read and and follow follow label label directions. directions. ©2017 ©2017 Dow Dow AgroSciences AgroSciences LLC LLC E38-401-029 E 38-401- 029 (10/17) (10/17) BR BR 010-91312 010 -9 1312 DAAGNLST7088 DAAGNLST 7088 ®™

2018

SEED VARIETY GUIDE

Yield, Quality And Traits

T

he menu of cotton varieties from which to choose in 2018 includes a host of high-yielding, good quality selections.

To help you get started, seed companies from across the Cotton Belt provided information about their headliners on pages 10, 11, 12, 13 and 16 in

Variety

Maturity

PHYTOGEN

Micronaire Leaf Type

the annual Seed Variety Guide published by Cotton Farming. Discuss priorities with your consultant and seed representative to match your operation’s needs with these outstanding characteristics and traits. And then place your order for the upcoming 2018 season with confidence.

Staple Length G/Tex

Comments

For a complete list of PhytoGen brand PIMA and ACALA varieties, go to PhytoGen.com.

WideStrike 3 Flex Enlist Cotton PHY 300 W3FE

early-mid

4.3

semi-smooth

1.12/35

31.7

High-yielding variety featuring Enlist cotton trait and WideStrike 3 Insect Protection. Excellent fiber quality. Broadly adapted with excellent storm tolerance, good Verticillium wilt tolerance, and bacterial blight resistance. Performs best in dryland to good irrigation.

PHY 330 W3FE

early-mid

4.3

light-hairy

1.13/36

32.1

High-yielding, broadly adapted. Features the Enlist cotton trait and WideStrike 3 Insect Protection. Superior yields, excellent fiber quality, very good storm tolerance, bacterial blight resistant. Performs best in dryland to good irrigation.

PHY 340 W3FE

early-mid

4.3

hairy

1.13/36

32.1

Features the Enlist cotton trait and WideStrike 3 Insect Protection. Superior yields with excellent fiber quality. Broadly adapted with very good storm tolerance, good Verticillium wilt tolerance, bacterial blight resistance. Performs well in dryland to good irrigation.

PHY 450 W3FE

mid

4.4

semi-smooth

1.11/35.5

32.7

High fiber strength, excellent quality package. High yield potential with industry leading traits, including the Enlist cotton trait and WideStrike 3 Insect Protection.

Broadly adapted with very good storm tolerance, good Verticillium wilt tolerance, bacterial blight resistance. Performs well in dryland to good irrigation.

PHY 490 W3FE

mid

4.2

semi-smooth

1.14/36

32.5

Enlist cotton trait and WideStrike 3 Insect Protection. High yield potential, excellent seedling vigor. Very good fiber quality. Resistant to bacterial blight. Very good storm and Verticillium wilt tolerance.

Upland Preferred Cotton PHY 312 WRF

early-mid

4.2

light-hairy

1.15/36

32.4

Superior yield potential and seedling vigor with excellent fiber quality. Long staple and lower micronaire. Partially resistant to bacterial blight.

PHY 333 WRF

early-mid

4.1

light-hairy

1.16/37*

31.4

High yielding, broadly adapted variety featuring the Enlist cotton trait and Widestrike 3 Insect Protection. Excellent fiber quality. *In the Southwest, this variety has shown 1.14/36.4

PHY 444 WRF

mid

3.8

smooth

1.17/37

32.4

Exceptional fiber quality package, including “Acala-like” staple and lower micronaire. High yield potential in a widely adapted variety. Partially resistant to bacterial blight.

New varieties for 2018 in blue

10

COTTON FARMING NOVEMBER 2017

COTTONFARMING.COM COTTONFARMING.COM

2018

SEED VARIETY GUIDE

Variety

Maturity

DELTAPINE

Micronaire Leaf Type

Staple Length G/Tex

Comments

Variety data based on Beltwide testing except for Pima varieties, which are based on testing in CA and AZ. Ratings are based on 2016/2017 Monsanto research.

Bollgard II XtendFlex Cotton DP 1725 B2XF

early-mid

4.13-4.50

semi-smooth

35.5-37.0

29.1-31.0

Early-mid maturity with broad fit in Mid-South, Southeast and South Texas.

Easy to manage with plant growth regulators. Lower micronaire to avoid high micronaire discounts.

DP 1747NR B2XF

full

4.00-4.75

semi-smooth

35.7-36.3

29.8-32.0

First NR variety with XtendFlex trait. Mid-full maturity, excellent yield potential.

DP 1612 B2XF

early

4.26-4.62

light-hairy

36.3-37.5

30.3-33.1

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

Best fit in short-season environments.

DP 1614 B2XF

early

4.81-5.05

semi-smooth

36.3-39.7

29.7-31.8

Early-maturing variety that fits management practices of early season, highyielding environments. Has excellent yield and fiber quality potential.

DP 1639 B2XF

mid

4.39-4.90

semi-smooth

35.5-37.2

30.0-33.7

Mid-maturity variety with excellent fiber properties and improved fiber length compared to DP 1538 B2XF.

DP 1646 B2XF

mid-full

4.12-4.48

smooth

37.7-39.4

29.2-31.1

Mid-full maturity variety with broad fit across full-season environments, excellent yield potential and fiber properties.

DP 1518 B2XF

early

4.04-4.33

light-hairy

36.0-37.1

28.6-30.6

Early-maturity variety adapted to high-yield, short-season environments.

Responds to irrigation, high-end management and PGR applications.

DP 1522 B2XF

early-mid

4.28-4.89

semi-smooth

35.6-37.2

29.8-32.2

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

DP 1538 B2XF

mid

4.64-4.65

smooth

35.7-36.0

28.8-30.5

Mid-maturity with good performance on dryland fields. Good fit for mid- to full-season markets. Aggressive growth will require timely PGR management.

DP 1549 B2XF

full

3.92-4.44

semi-smooth

35.1-36.7

29.5-31.4

Full-season variety with good performance potential, especially on dryland and fields with limited water for irrigation.

DP 1553 B2XF

full

4.49-4.50

smooth

36.2-38.2

29.5-32.7

Full-season maturity with a great combination of yield and fiber quality potential. May require timely PGR management under vigorous growing conditions.

Genuity Bollgard II with Roundup Ready Flex Cotton DP 1555 B2RF

full

3.93-4.54

semi-smooth

35.7-37.5

30.2-32.4

Full-maturity variety with excellent yield potential, especially in high-yield environments. Has improved fiber length, micronaire and fiber strength compared to DP 1252 B2RF.

DP 1558NR B2RF

full

4.22-5.05

semi-smooth

37.1-37.3

31.1-32.1

Full-season root-knot nematode-resistant variety with excellent yield and fiber quality potential with proven early vigor.

DP 1359 B2RF

full

3.75-4.44

smooth

35.7-36.9

30.3-30.7

Full-season variety that has shown to be very responsive to high-yield environments and has outstanding yield potential. Needs aggressive PGR management during pre-bloom stage under vigorous growing conditions.

Genuity Roundup Ready Flex Cotton DP 1441 RF

mid-full

4.53

semi-smooth

34.7

30.0

Genuity Roundup Ready Flex variety that can handle tough growing conditions.

DP 358 RF Pima

mid-full

4.20

hairy

48.0

42.8

New Genuity Roundup Ready Flex Pima variety with great combination of yield potential, Pima quality and has shown excellent tolerance to Fusarium Race 4.

DP 348 RF Pima

mid-full

4.20

hairy

48.0

42.8

New Genuity Roundup Ready Flex Pima variety with great combination of yield potential, Pima quality and has shown excellent tolerance to Fusarium Race 4.

CROPLAN 3475B2XF early-mid

4.1-4.6

semi-smooth

36-38

31-33

Broad fit across Upper Southeast, Mid-South and High Plains. Tolerance to dicamba, glyphosate and glufosinate. Excellent yield and fiber quality potential. Excellent early season vigor. Seed size: 4,300-4,400 seed/lb.

CROPLAN 3527B2XF early-mid

4.5-4.8

semi-smooth

36-37

29-31

Fits early season cotton markets. Tolerance to dicamba, glyphosate and glufosinate. Late-season tolerance to Verticillium wilt. Best positioned on highly managed, highly productive fields.

CROPLAN 3885B2XF mid

4.4-4.7

smooth

36-38

29-31

Excellent performance in the southern tier of the Cotton Belt from the Southeast to Arizona. Tolerance to dicamba, glyphosate and glufosinate. Excellent performance on all soil types and irrigation regimes. Seed size: 5,200-5,300 seed/lb.

36-38

29-31

Adapted for dryland and irrigated soils across the Cotton Belt. Requires early season growth management. Excellent yield potential and premium fiber quality. Excellent seedling vigor and early season emergence.

Pima Cotton

CROPLAN Bollgard II XtendFlex Cotton

Genuity Bollgard II with Roundup Ready Flex Cotton CROPLAN 3787B2RF mid

T TWITTER WITTER:: @C @COTTON OTTONF FARMING ARMING

4.4-4.7

semi-smooth

NOVEMBER 2017 COTTON FARMING

11

2018

SEED VARIETY GUIDE

Variety

Maturity

Micronaire Leaf Type

Staple Length G/Tex

Comments

FM 1953GLTP

early-med

3.9

semi-smooth

1.19

30.3

Industry-leading three-gene worm protection. Excellent yield potential and fiber quality regardless of the environment. Proven weed management. Good early season vigor, excellent heat tolerance, resistant to bacterial blight.

FM 1830GLT

early-med

4.0

smooth

1.20

31.9

Excellent yield potential, very good Verticillium wilt tolerance and bacterial blight resistance. Very high gin turnout. Manage worms and weeds with GLT traits.

FM 1900GLT

early-med

4.0

semi-smooth

1.18

32.2

Excellent yield potential and fiber quality with excellent storm tolerance in a GLT variety. Widely adapted to limited and full irrigation.

FM 1911GLT

early-med

3.9

semi-smooth

1.18

30.9

Very strong yield potential, root-knot nematode tolerance and Verticillium wilt tolerance in a GLT variety, excellent vigor and storm tolerance, high gin turnout.

FM 2007GLT

early-med

3.9

semi-smooth

1.18

30.7

Excellent yield potential bred for harsh South TX environment, excellent wateruse efficiency, storm tolerance, yield potential and fiber quality with GLT traits.

FM 2334GLT

medium

4.1

smooth

1.19

31.4

High gin turnout and excellent yield potential with very good Verticillium wilt tolerance and GLT traits.

FM 1944GLB2

early-med

4.2

semi-smooth

1.16

30.7

Broadly adapted for excellent yield potential and fiber quality across the Cotton Belt. In-season weed management with Liberty herbicide and glyphosate.

FM 1888GL

early-med

3.9

semi-smooth

1.19

31.7

Gets up and gets going. Strong performance with weed management flexibility.

Resistant to bacterial blight. Outstanding yield potential and high gin turnout.

FM 1320GL

very early

3.9

semi-smooth

1.13

31.0

Early maturing with high yield potential, excellent storm tolerance and high gin turnout. In-season weed management with Liberty herbicide and glyphosate.

FM 9250GL

early

3.7

semi-smooth

1.17

30.7

Excellent yield potential, fiber quality and storm tolerance. Adapted to the Southwest High and Rolling Plains. GlyTol and LibertyLink traits.

FM 2322GL

medium

4.0

semi-smooth

1.17

32.0

Excellent Verticillium wilt tolerance, excellent quality and high yield potential.

Adapted to the Southern High Plains, the Rolling Plains and Central California.

GlyTol and LibertyLink traits.

FM 2011GT

early

3.9

semi-smooth

1.14

31.1

Broad disease package with very strong yield potential, excellent storm tolerance and high gin turnout. GlyTol trait for the High Plains and Rolling Plains.

FM 2484B2F

medium

3.8

smooth

1.19

31.8

Outstanding yield potential, excellent fiber package and high gin turnout. Good disease package for the Southwest.

Acala Daytona RF

full

4.4

semi-smooth

1.20

35.7

San Joaquin Valley variety for excellent yield potential with good Verticillium wilt tolerance and proven, consistent performance.

FIBERMAX FiberMax Cotton

STONEVILLE Stoneville Cotton

12

ST 5517GLTP

late-mid

4.4

smooth

1.15

31.2

Three-gene worm protection not likely to need overspray. Resistant to bacterial blight. Excellent early season vigor that leads to excellent yield and quality potential. GLTP traits for proven weed and worm control. Widely adapted to the Eastern Cotton Belt and parts of Texas.

ST 4848GLT

early-med

4.7

hairy

1.16

30.9

Exceptional yield potential, broadly adapted to Eastern Cotton Belt, East Texas.

High lint turnout, very good fiber quality. GLT traits for weed, worm control.

ST 4949GLT

early-med

4.7

hairy

1.13

30.3

Very high lint turnout with exceptional yield potential and intermediate Verticillium wilt tolerance. GLT variety for the Eastern Cotton Belt.

ST 5020GLT

medium

4.6

hairy

1.21

33.1

Excellent fiber quality potential to increase earnings opportunity. Resistant to bacterial blight. Excellent early season vigor and strong yield potential. GLT traits for proven weed and worm control. Adapted to the Eastern Cotton Belt and the Delta.

ST 5115GLT

medium

4.4

smooth

1.14

30.9

Exceptional seedling vigor and exceptional yield potential with bacterial blight resistance and intermediate Verticillium wilt tolerance. GLT traits for weed and worm control.

ST 6182GLT

full

4.6

smooth

1.15

29.4

Excellent yield potential and very high gin turnout, well suited to dryland and irrigation, light and heavy soils. GLT traits for weed and worm control.

ST 4747GLB2

early-med

4.3

semi-smooth

1.18

29.3

Early seedling vigor with exceptional, consistent yield potential and Verticillium wilt tolerance. GlyTol and LibertyLink traits to manage weeds in season.

ST 4946GLB2

early-med

4.5

semi-smooth

1.15

31.7

Root-knot nematode tolerance. Exceptional yield potential, very good seedling vigor. Traits for in-season application of Liberty and glyphosate herbicides.

ST 6448GLB2

full

4.4

smooth

1.19

29.5

Exceptional yield potential and excellent seedling vigor with high lint percent.

Control resistant weeds in-season with Liberty and glyphosate herbicides.

COTTON FARMING NOVEMBER 2017

COTTONFARMING.COM COTTONFARMING.COM

2018

SEED VARIETY GUIDE

Variety

Maturity

Micronaire Leaf Type

Staple Length G/Tex

Comments

smooth

37-39

30-32

NEW in 2018! High yield and excellent fiber quality in NEW Bollgard 3 technology with best in class disease package. Ideally suited for Southeast and Southern Cotton Belt.

AMERICOT NexGen Bollgard 3 XtendFlex Cotton NG 5711 B3XF

mid-full

4.3-4.6

NexGen Bollgard II XtendFlex Cotton NG 3405 B2XF

early

4.4-4.6

smooth

35-36

27-28

Excellent yielder in short-season maturity scenarios.

NG 3406 B2XF

early-mid

4.4-4.6

semi-smooth

36-37

29-31

Excellent yield potential and fiber quality. Performs well all across the Cotton Belt. No. 1 planted variety in the United States in 2016 and No. 2 in 2017!

NG 3517 B2XF

early-mid

4.0-4.7

smooth

36-37

32-33

High yield potential and excellent fiber quality.

NG 3522 B2XF

early-mid

4.4-4.6

smooth

35-36

27-28

Proven performer in Southeast and Delta regions, extremely tough for maturity class.

NG 3699 B2XF

early-mid

4.0-4.7

smooth

37-38

32-33

Top performer in yield and fiber quality.

NG 3780 B2XF

early-mid

4.0-4.7

smooth

37-39

32-33

NEW in 2018! High yield potential with great fiber quality. Slightly earlier companion to NG 3517 B2XF with great disease tolerance to bacterial blight and Verticillium wilt.

NG 4545 B2XF

mid

4.0-4.7

smooth

36-37

32-33

Top choice in 2017! Excellent variety for all scenarios across the Cotton Belt in medium maturity environments. Excellent vigor and disease tolerance to Verticillium wilt and bacterial blight.

NG 4601 B2XF

mid

4.4-4.8

semi-smooth

36-37

30-31

Very high yielding picker-type variety suited for Southeast, Delta and South Texas regions.

NG 4689 B2XF

mid

4.4-4.8

smooth

36-37

32-33

Excellent yield potential and outstanding fiber quality. Great companion to NG 4545 B2XF.

NG 4777 B2XF

mid

4.0-4.7

smooth

37-38

32-34

NEW in 2018! Widely adapted, high yield and outstanding quality with excellent disease package. Great companion to NG 4545 B2XF and NG 4689 B2XF.

NG 5007 B2XF

mid-full

4.3-4.6

smooth

36-38

28-30

Excellent yield potential and fiber quality. Outstanding performer in the Southeast, Lower Delta and South Texas.

NG 3500 XF

early-mid

3.7-4.6

smooth

36-37

31-32

Widely adapted to Texas South Plains, Rolling Plains and Southwest Oklahoma.

Proven disease tolerance, yield and quality is a reason this was one of top planted varieties in 2017.

NG 3640 XF

early-mid

3.9-4.6

smooth

36-37

33-34

Excellent fiber quality in exceptional disease tolerance package in XF-only technology option.

NG 4792 XF

mid

3.7-4.6

smooth

36-37

32-33

NEW in 2018! Widely adapted to South Plains and Rolling Plains of Texas in an indeterminate growing variety with outstanding disease package.

XtendFlex Cotton

NexGen Bollgard II Roundup Ready Flex Cotton NG 1511 B2RF

early-mid

3.9-4.6

semi-smooth

35-37

30-31

Excellent yield and fiber quality with proven performance history.

NG 3306 B2RF

early-mid

4.0-4.7

semi-smooth

36-39

31-33

First-class fiber quality and excellent yield potential ideally suited for regions from the Southern High Plains to Rolling Plains of Texas.

NG 4012 B2RF

mid

3.9-4.6

smooth

36-37

30-32

Excellent yield and fiber quality.

3.7-4.6

smooth

36-37

31-32

Straight RR Flex variety with proven yield and quality history.

early

4.5-4.9

smooth

37-39

36-38

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

HA690

early-mid

3.8-4.1

semi-smooth

48

38-40

Very high yielding.

HA1432

mid

3.8-4.1

semi-smooth

46-48

38-40

Very high yielding.

Roundup Ready Flex Cotton NG 4111 RF

mid

Conventional Cotton AM UA48

HAZERA

Variety listings continued on page 16 New varieties for 2018 in blue

T TWITTER WITTER:: @C @COTTON OTTONF FARMING ARMING

NOVEMBER 2017 COTTON FARMING

13

CF1117 Layout_CF 11/13 template 10/23/17 9:47 AM Page 11

w No

wi ®

O e P O C

th

im r P

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It takes an inner strength to make it through the season.

Get a strong start with Stoneville . ®

A great cotton n sseason calls for strength in n yyou and your crop. It’s alwayss b been that way for growers who know the artt of g growing i cotttt tton.. And A d when wh you plant l t Sto Stoneville ill ®, our science i e keeps k sd delivering li i early-season l vigor, i ,w which hi h lleads d to in-season stren ngth and high yield potential at a harvest. So combine our sc cience with your art and get a strong start with Stoneville. Le earn more at Stoneville.com

Stoneville. Our Ou ur Science fo forr Yo Your our Art.

label ©2017 Bayer CropScience LP, 2 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Trianglle Park, NC 27709. Always read and follow la bel instructions. Bayer, the Bayer Cross, COPeO, COP PeO, Stoneville and Stoneville Design are regist registered tered trademarks off Bayer. For additional product prod duct information call toll-free 1-866-99-BAY 1-866-99-BAYER AYER (1-866-992-2937) or visit our website at ww www.Stoneville.com ww.Stoneville.com CR0817STONEVA274V00R0 A-29356-2 CR0817STONEVA VA274V00R R0

RESEARCH & EDUCATION

• Neonicotinoid Pesticides and Bees: More Questions Than Answers (Geoffrey Williams)

Alabama Short Course Adds Cotton Topics

T

he Alabama Cooperative Extension System is working with Auburn University’s Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences to bring Alabama farmers the Row Crops Short Course. It will be held at the Auburn University Hotel and Dixon Conference Center in Auburn, Alabama, Dec. 12-13. The general session begins each morning at 8:30.

More Crops On The Roster Previously, Alabama Extension faculty and agents brought producers the corn and wheat short course. However, this year, faculty and specialists are working across production lines to provide farmers with the latest research and information.

Dr. Brenda Ortiz, an Alabama Extension precision agriculture specialist, says the short course will be packed with information producers can implement on their operations.

“In past years, Alabama Extension put on the corn and wheat short course,” she says. “In an effort to better serve the producers in Alabama, we have added information on peanuts, soybeans, sesame and cotton.

There will also be an update on cotton policy and the Farm Bill.”

Ortiz says sessions will run concurrently, so farmers can attend presentations that best fit their operations.

Wide Variety Of Speakers The Row Crop Short Course will feature speakers from the University of Georgia, Mississippi State University, Auburn University, the University of Florida, North Carolina State University and Clemson University. Other speakers include representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, the United Soybean Board, Cotton Incorporated, Bunge North America, the National Cotton Council and the Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee.

Alabama Extension cotton specialist Dr. Trey Cutts, says he and his colleagues have worked hard to bring in speakers who are leaders in their fields from around the region and country.

“Much of the work that our colleagues in other states conduct is also very valuable to Alabama growers, and this short course is the opportunity to hear from and

Weed Management/Fertilization/Water Use • Weed Management Systems in the Age of Auxin Technology (Stanley Culpepper) • Strategies to Improve Water-Use Efficiency for Southeastern Crops (Diane Rowland) • Economics of Cover Crops in Alabama (Leah Duzy)

interact with these professionals right here in Auburn,” says Cutts, an assistant professor in Auburn University’s Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences.

“This course also creates an environment for peers in the row crop industry to learn from one another to benefit farming in Alabama.”

Short Course Topics The Row Crops Short Course will include presentations on policy and environment, peanuts, weed management/fertilization/ water use, cotton, soybeans, corn, wheat and sesame. Here is a sampling of some specific topics that will be discussed.

Policy and Environment • Alabama Water Policy (William Puckett) • Cotton Policy and the Next Farm Bill (Reece Langley) • The Uneven Journey of Supply and Demand (Jody Lefcourt)

Cotton • Update on the Cotton Industry Efforts for Increasing Sustainability (Ed Barnes) • Managing Cotton Production Inputs for the Bottom Line (Darrin Dodds) • Fertilizing Cotton by Yield Goal – Fact or Fiction (Glenn Harris) • Mitigating Bollworm Resistance in Cotton: New Traits or New Management? (Dominic Reisig)

Registration Required Continuing education units and pesticide points will be available for all attendees. Go to http://bit.ly/2w861Ah to register for the Row Crops Short Course. There is no fee, but registration by Nov. 30 is required. To learn more, email Brenda Ortiz at bortiz@auburn.edu or Trey Cutts at Trey.Cutts@auburn.edu.

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System provided information for this article.

Get a strong start and high yield potential with these Stoneville varieties. ®

ST 5020GLT ST 5517GLTP ST 4949GLT

Talk with your Bayer sales representative or agronomist to learn more about these varieties, or visit Stoneville.com Stoneville . Our Science for Your Art. ®

©2017 Bayer CropScience LP, 2 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. Always read and follow label instructions. Bayer, the Bayer Cross, Stoneville and Stoneville Design are registered trademarks of Bayer. For additional product information call toll-free 1-866-99-BAYER (1-866-992-2937) or visit our website at www.Stoneville.com CR0917STONEVA283V00R0 A-29353-2

Twitter: @CottonFarming

NOVEMBER 2017 COTTON FARMING

INITIAL MECHANICAL

15

2018

SEED VARIETY GUIDE

Continued from page 13

Variety

Maturity

Micronaire Leaf Type

Staple Length G/Tex

Comments

SEED SOURCE GENETICS Conventional Cotton SSG UA 107

early

4.5-4.9

smooth

35-39

30-33

Tall plant, widely adapted. Disease resistance: bacterial blight, Fusarium wilt.

Tolerant to Verticillium wilt and tarnished plant bugs. Limited supply.

SSG UA 114

early

4.5-4.9

mediumhairy

35-39

30-33

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

SSG HQ210CT

mid-early

4.5-4.8

smooth

35-37

28-30

Smooth-leaf picker type.

SSG HQ212CT

mid-early

4.5-4.8

smooth

35-37

28-30

Smooth-leaf picker type.

SSG UA 103

early

4.0-4.5

smooth

36-39

31-33

Okra-leaf picker type

SSG UA 222

mid-early

4.0-4.5

semi-smooth

36-39

29-33

Picker type.

ALL-TEX/DYNA-GRO XtendFlex Cotton CPS 1205A XF

mid

4.0-4.8

smooth

1.15-1.24

28-33

Medium maturity, smooth leaf suited for West Texas. Great stormproof variety.

CPS 1205D XF

early-mid

4.0-4.8

smooth

1.15-1.24

29-33

Early-mid, smooth leaf fits West Texas. Moderate stormproof boll.

CPS 17125 XF

early-mid

4.2-4.8

semi-smooth

1.14-1.20

29-32

Suited for West Texas low-water and dryland acres. Bacterial blight resistant and very good Verticillium wilt tolerance.

Bollgard II XtendFlex Cotton CPS 17157-B B2XF

early-mid

4.2-4.8

smooth

1.16-1.24

29-33

Best fit in Texas, Georgia and the Mid-South. Excellent storm tolerance. Very good Verticillium wilt tolerance.

CPS 17228NR B2XF

early-mid

4.0-4.2

semi-smooth

1.16-1.22

28-31

Early-mid root-knot nematode tolerance suited to Mid-South and West Texas.

DG 3605 B2XF

mid-full

4.1-4.6

smooth

1.18-1.26

29-32

Best fit in irrigated river valleys of Texas and Mid-South/Delta. Good staple length.

DG 3109 B2XF

very early

4.2-4.7

semi-smooth

1.16-1.19

31-32

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

DG 3385 B2XF

early-mid

4.3-4.6

semi-smooth

1.16-1.19

29-31

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

DG 3445 B2XF

mid-early

4.4-4.8

smooth

1.13-1.24

32-35

Best fit in Texas, Georgia and the Mid-South. Excellent storm tolerance. Very good Verticillium wilt tolerance.

ATX Zeus B2XF

mid-early

4.4-4.9

semi-smooth

1.11-1.19

29-32

Best fit in the Texas High Plains. Irrigated or dryland.

ATX Concho B2XF

mid-early to mid

4.4-4.8

smooth

1.12-1.22

32-34

Best fit in Texas, Georgia and the Mid-South. Excellent storm tolerance. Very good Verticillium wilt tolerance.

DG 3445 B2XF

mid

4.4-4.8

smooth

1.12-1.24

32-35

Best fit in Texas, Georgia and the Mid-South. Excellent storm tolerance. Very good Verticillium wilt tolerance.

DG 3757 B2XF

mid-full

4.6-4.8

smooth

1.16-1.20

29-31

Broadly adapted from dryland to irrigated acres in the lower Southeast, lower Mid-South and upper Gulf Coast. May require additional PGR applications under high irrigation or strong growing conditions.

DG 3635 B2XF

mid-full

4.3-4.5

smooth

1.12-1.16

29-31

Broadly adapted from dryland to irrigated acres in the lower Southeast, lower Mid-South and upper Gulf Coast. Also adapted to the Southern Texas High Plains/Rolling Plains irrigated or dryland. May require additional PGR applications under high irrigation or strong growing conditions.

DG 3645 B2XF

mid-full

4.2-4.6

smooth

1.12-1.17

30-33

Adapted to the Southern Texas High Plains and Rolling Plains, irrigated or dryland. Tall plant type. May require additional PGR applications under high irrigation or strong growing conditions.

DG 3526 B2XF

mid-full

4.4-4.9

semi-smooth

1.11-1.17

29-31

Best fit in mid- to full-season environments in the Mid-South, Southeast and upper Gulf Coast. Good storm tolerance and high gin turnout.

DG 3610 B2XF

full

4.2-4.6

smooth

1.13-1.19

30-32

Best fit in full-season environments in Southeast. Medium to tall plant type.

GlyTol LibertyLink TwinLink and Bollgard II Roundup Ready Flex Cotton DG 1602 GLT

mid-full

4.4-4.8

semi-smooth

1.14-1.18

30-34

Best fit in the Delta and Georgia through the Carolinas. Semi-smooth medium to medium-tall plant type.

DG 2615 B2RF

mid

4.0-4.7

semi-smooth

1.10-1.23

29-33

Travels well throughout the Cotton Belt. Strong early season vigor. Medium to medium-tall plant type. Good Verticillium and Fusarium wilt tolerance.

New varieties for 2018 in blue

16

COTTON FARMING NOVEMBER 2017

COTTONFARMING.COM COTTONFARMING.COM

BELTWIDE

COTTON CONFERENCES

Elevating Efficiency In 2018

T

he Beltwide Cotton Conferences (BWCC), set for Jan. 3-5 at the Marriott Rivercenter in San Antonio, Texas, will provide insight into current research and emerging technology to help attendees improve production, processing and marketing efficiency.

The BWCC, coordinated by the National Cotton Council (NCC), brings together university and U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers, Extension personnel/agents, consultants and industry sales/support personnel.

Cotton Consultants Conference The 2018 BWCC will begin at noon Jan. 3 with the half-day Cotton Consultants Conference — open to all attendees.

Among scheduled topics selected by the consultant community are looking ahead to Bollgard III and WideStrike 3, a review of year one of dicamba use, thrips control, bacterial blight, nematodes, cotton root rot and fungicide seed treatments. Also included will be a regulatory update, contamination prevention and presentations on growing cotton economically.

Louisiana cotton consultant Hank Jones, chairman of the Beltwide Cotton Consultant Committee, says, “Our meeting is not research oriented. It will present topics consultants deal with every day on the ground.

The goal is to educate everyone, so when we are faced with these issues, we will know how to manage them.

“The consultants committee put a lot of hard work into this program, and I encourage my colleagues from all areas of the Cotton Belt to consider attending. I think it’s money well spent.”

Unmanned Aircraft Systems The 2018 Beltwide also will feature a special workshop, “Risk & Reward: Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for Agricultural Producers.”

Dr. James Robbins, the workshop TWITTER: @COTTONFARMING

coordinator and an Extension specialist at the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, says agriculture is expected to use 80 percent of commercial UAS systems.

Robbins, who also is a workshop presenter, says the goal is for participants to improve understanding of flight regulations, types of platforms and sensors, data processing, potential agricultural uses and liability issues related to UAS. The workshop also will provide information to help attendees improve decision making to match the best UAS with their needs.

Insect Research And Control The BWCC Cotton Technical Conferences, which will provide updates on research and the technology pipeline, will meet concurrently beginning on the morning of Jan. 4 and conclude at noon, Jan. 5.

Jeff Gore, associate professor, Mississippi State University, is chairman of the Cotton Research and Control Conference.

“Some of the key topics include thrips management on seedling cotton and tarnished plant bug management from several regions of the United States,” Gore says. “One of the hot topics will be how to manage resistant bollworms in Bt cotton and the role of the next generation of Bt cottons that contain the Vip gene.”

He says the graduate student competition is the highlight of this conference. Additionally, the Cotton IPM Award will be presented to an outstanding research or Extension specialist from across the country at the annual business meeting on Thursday evening.

More Technical Updates The Ginning Conference includes several presentations critical to cotton quality and efficient processing.

Updates regarding ongoing ginning research, new equipment, and lint contamination research/prevention will be featured. Results of the 2016 Gin Cost Survey also will be presented. Beginning on the afternoon of Jan. 3, the National Cotton Ginners Association will hold several committee and subcommittee meetings. A schedule of those is at www.cotton. org/ncga/index.cfm.

A new type of agenda is planned for the Cotton Improvement Conference where poster presentation authors will give five-minute lightning talks.

They plan to provide the main points of their research to stimulate more discussion later at the poster session.

Registration costs for the 2018 BWCC before Dec. 15 are $200 for NCC/Cotton Foundation members, university and USDA researchers, Extension personnel, associations and consultants; $400 for non-NCC/ Foundation members; and $80 for students.

On-site conference self-registration kiosks will be available 24 hours a day beginning on the evening of Jan. 2.

NCC staff will be available Jan. 3 for attendees needing assistance with registration and name badge printing.

The NCC contributed information for this article.

Go to www.cotton.org/beltwide/ for more details, including registration and housing reservations. The site also includes a link to BWCC proceedings from 2005-2017.

NOVEMBER 2017 COTTON FARMING

17

CCOY Cotton Consultant of the Year established 1981

Tim White 2012 CCOY AWARD RECIPIENT

“I worked for my mentor, Roger Carter, at Agricultural Management Services as a intern in 1988 and then joined AMS full time the next year.

“I know a lot more now than I did then, but I still have a long way to go. In fact, I could stay in the business the rest of my life and still not learn everything I need to know.

“I believe dedication is the key to being successful as a consultant. I also like to repeat a statement Ray Young has always made about consultants and their value to the farmer: ‘As a consultant, the most precious thing I can put on your crop is my shadow.’

“I am always trying to put forward my best effort.”

Cotton Consultant of the Year sponsored by

Cotton Farming 18

COTTON FARMING NOVEMBER 2017

Industry News Monsanto Co. And Deltapine Cotton Donate Funds To Assist Texas Farmers And Ranchers To support the recovery efforts of Texas farmers and ranchers affected by the destruction and flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey, Monsanto Co. and Deltapine Cotton recently donated $200,000 to assist with ongoing disaster relief efforts in the region.

The funds will be distributed to the Texas Farm Bureau and the State of Texas Agriculture Relief Fund (STAR) enabling the organizations to provide assistance to farmers and ranchers in disaster areas or affected by the hurricane.

“For many farmers, this event couldn’t have come at a worse time, with many just beginning or about to begin harvest,” says Brian Naber, Monsanto’s U.S. commercial operations lead. “By supporting the Texas Farm Bureau and State of Texas Agriculture Relief Fund, we hope that we’re able to help many in the Texas ag community that have been affected by this unparalleled disaster.”

Monsanto employees will also be able to support relief efforts by making donations to the organizations, with the company matching employee contributions.

Texas Farm Bureau President Russell Boening says, “We appreciate the generosity of Monsanto in helping farmers and ranchers on the Texas Gulf Coast rebuild after Harvey. The storm was a devastating blow, but agriculture is a national community with a determination to help in times of crisis.”

Monsanto made an initial donation of $500,000 to the American Red Cross and Feeding America/Feeding Texas to help address the critical and immediate need to feed families affected by the storm, both in the days after landfall and throughout the rebuilding process.

Calculation-Driven Irrigation App With the launch of the new Valley Irrigation Run Time app, farmers can now easily figure their pivot irrigation cycle time and eliminate the need for hand-written computations.

This free app is compatible with both iOS and Android devices. It is a calculation-driven tool that allows

growers to see pivot irrigation cycle time completion, when each machine is running, and how long it will take to complete the irrigation interval.

Valley Irrigation Run Time is not limited to use with Valley brand center pivots; it can be used in conjunction with any brand of pivot.

“This app will reduce inefficiencies and eliminate miscalculations,” says Valley product manager Ashley Anderson. “Nearly every grower already carries a smartphone, so it just makes sense that they can use it to monitor and track all of their irrigation machines.”

The app does not communicate with the irrigation machines themselves; rather, the grower simply enters pertinent data, such as start time and percent timer, and the app will then complete the calculation to estimate the end time. Farmers can check on their run time at any moment, ensuring they get back to their pivots at the right time.

They can also keep a running log of pivot run time notes to refer back to.

Not everyone wants complete monitoring and control of their pivots from their phones, but they do want the ability to accurately track irrigation run time.

For more information, visit www. valleyirrigation.com.

Texas AgriLife Extension State Weed Specialist Named Almost faster than weeds can sprout, Dr. Scott Nolte is being called into service. Nolte was recently hired as the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service state weed specialist and as an assistant professor in the Texas A&M University soil and crop sciences department in College Station.

He says his schedule is already filling up with questions and appointments across Texas. Nolte will be responsible for providing integrated weed management leadership for row crops, pastures, home lawns, golf courses and sports fields in Texas.

“My background is in weed science and I grew up on a farm in southern Illinois, so although the principles of weed science will be the same, I’m excited for this new opportunity to learn new crops and weeds found here in Texas,” Nolte says.

Continued on page 29 COTTONFARMING.COM

CF1117 Layout_CF 11/13 template 10/23/17 9:52 AM Page 15

A photo taken on July 11 shows a variety resistant to FOV-4 on the left and a susceptible variety on the right.

WESTERN REPORT

JIM OLVEY/O&A ENTERPRISES

California Cotton Fungal Disease Moves Into Texas

BY BRENT MURPHREE REGIONAL COMMUNICATION MANAGER COTTON BOARD

F

usarium Race 4 (FOV-4), a serious soil and seedborne cotton fungal disease, has found its way to Texas and threatens upland cotton production with potentially significant yield losses. Cotton breeder Dr. Jim Olvey and others are determined to ensure its impact on U.S. upland cotton will be minimized.

With the help of farmers early in the 2016 season, Jim and his son, Mike Olvey, observed symptoms of FOV-4 in the Texas Upper Rio Grande Valley.

By 2017, after speaking with growers and visiting farms in the surrounding area, the Olveys estimate that more than 100 fields have exhibited symptoms of the disease.

FOV-4 first appeared in California

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COTTON FARMING NOVEMBER 2017

in the early 2000s and began affecting the crop in 2005 and 2006 when patches of young plants died, leaving large bare spots within the fields.

Most crops can support and host this disease with no effect; cotton cannot. At this time, there are no effective soil, seed or fumigant treatments. Crop rotations have little effect in slowing down its spread.

California’s Breeding Success Because of the work in long-staple cotton in California by breeders like Olvey and researchers including Bob Hutmacher and Mike Davis at the University of California, as well as Mauricio Ulloa and Rebecca Bennett at U.S. Department of Agriculture/

Agricultural Research Service, tolerance to FOV-4 has been successfully bred into long-staple cotton.

“To successfully combat and control the disease in upland, all seed companies, USDA and university breeding programs need to work aggressively to identify resistance and breed for tolerance,” Jim Olvey says.

Others in the industry are taking steps to ensure the disease can be controlled in upland cotton.

“We realize FOV-4 can have a huge impact on the industry,” says Kater Hake, Vice President, Agricultural and Environmental Research at Cotton Incorporated. “Having seen how the disease has spread in California, and into parts of Texas, we need to make sure we are prepared to handle its potential spread into other cotton-growing areas.”

Hake says the industry has been able to successfully incorporate tolerance and resistance into commercial long-staple varieties. He is confident that resistant upland varieties can also be advanced.

Cotton Incorporated Steps Up Hake says he believes the issue is critical for the entire industry and will be a focus for Cotton Incorporated’s ag research efforts.

The Regional Breeders Trial Network (RBTN) was established by Cotton I n c o r p o r a t e d ’s D r. D o n J o n e s , Director of Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology with additional coordination by Dr. Ted Wallace of Mississippi State University. It will be key to solving the FOV-4 problem, coordinating programs with USDA, state breeding and the private sector.

Considering the work done by Hutmacher, Ulloa and others in California, including the initial field investigations identifying and evaluating crop responses to FOV-4 in long-staple, the RBTN has a road map of success on which to build the efforts to breed tolerance into upland cotton.

Identification Takes Time The specific race of Fusarium in the San Joaquin Valley was identified in 2001, Hutmacher says. Confirmations COTTONFARMING.COM

of multiple infested fields began in 2003. Since it takes time for inoculum to build up to crop-damaging levels, it is likely the pathogen showed up in the 1990s.

The extremely small spores of FOV-4 are highly resilient. They can spread easily by cultural practices that move infested soil. This includes cultivation, wind, irrigation with suspended infested soil or plant tissue, equipment movement and seed. A field may initially be infested in only one spot, and under conventional management, it may take several years for farmers or other observers to recognize the disease.

Olvey, who is a partner in a cotton breeding company, O&A Enterprises, screened long-staple cotton for the disease more than 15 years ago. He tested thousands of lines to make the initial selections and then made follow-up evaluations of resistant lines.

Researchers at UC and USDA also began field investigations in the early 2000s, identifying and evaluating crop responses to FOV-4. Their goals were similar to the breeders, trying to identify solutions to the emerging problem in long-staple cotton. It became evident to them in 2005 and 2006 that the FOV-4 pathogen could reproduce to damaging levels in upland/Acala cotton fields.

Long-Staple, Upland Differ Since the first evaluations, private breeders and UC/USDA-ARS have released long-staple varieties and germplasm with very good to excellent levels of FOV-4 resistance. But genetic evaluations suggest that variety and genetic responses to the disease may differ significantly between long-staple and upland varieties.

The rapid call to action and collaborative effort in California helped the long-staple industry continue to thrive despite the challenges of this disease and years of drought.

Consultants, producers and researchers have continued to learn a lot from field observations since then.

“It is important to examine the lessons learned from California with long-staple varieties as Texas and the U.S. now take on the challenge with upland varieties,” Olvey says.

Cooperation Is Key Hutmacher, Ulloa and breeders from seed companies have all used three main assessments in evaluating TWITTER witter: @COTTON ottonFARMING arming

field performance under FOV-4 pressure: stand loss, vascular root staining, and evaluation of vigor/growth.

The challenge is to identify tolerant and resistant sources, and then breed varieties that combine useful levels of resistance with excellent yield, growth habit and fiber quality.

Working in concert, UC and USDA have developed some upland advanced selections that show promise for improved FOV-4 resistance.

The California research will continue with the support of California

growers and grower organizations.

PhytoGen/Dow AgroSciences and Bayer Corp. have similar efforts underway, Hutmacher says.

Olvey emphasizes cooperation and coordination are necessary to combat the current situation with FOV-4. A session on the disease was held at the September Cotton Incorporated Breeders Tour in Chandler, Arizona, bringing together breeders and researchers to discuss the issue.

Email bmurphree@ cottonboard.org.

THRIVING IN COTTON Mark Yeager, along with his sons Mark Jr. and Joe, grows cotton and corn at Red Land Farms in north Alabama. He also is owner/operator of Yeager Gin and in partnership with his daughter Anna Yeager Brakefield in Red Land Cotton, a textile enterprise specializing in high-quality cotton home offerings. Yeager has very high standards for the cottonseed varieties he plants. Here Yeager recounts his experience with PhytoGen® brand PHY 444 WRF. PHY 444 WRF Equals ‘Amazing Grades’

I

“

n 2015, I planted four sacks of PHY 444 WRF, which covered about 20 acres. In 2016, I planted Cotton farmer 600 acres to this variety and then planted 1,600 Moulton, Alabama acres of PHY 444 WRF in 2017.

“PHY 444 WRF is the most amazing grading cotton I have ever seen in my life.

The staples are running 38, 39 and 40. The strength is up there around 32, and the uniformity is high. And if you are patient with defoliation, the micronaire will be fine.

The grades I am seeing with PHY 444 WRF are a good fit for my textile business, which requires a high level of quality.

“When I put 5,500 bales on a recap, I want buyers to say, ‘I want that lot of cotton.’ The excellent fiber quality with PHY 444 WRF gives me something I can negotiate with. You can’t negotiate with a bunch of light spots and 34 staple. But the long staple, good strength and good micronaire I get with PHY 444 WRF give me bargaining power. I also can get about 58-cent loan value with PHY 444 WRF, which is a 6-cent premium for this high-quality Upland cotton.

“When choosing a variety, I look at yield, too, and shoot for about 1,000 pounds per acre. I am not in 1,400-pounds-per-acre country. In 2016, I thought a stretch of dry weather had shut the cotton down. But after getting some rain, PHY 444 WRF caught a second wind and still picked well over 1,000 pounds.

“I hope the new lines from the 444 background that are coming out with the WideStrike 3 and Enlist traits have the same high quality as PHY 444 WRF. I’ve been happy with the PhytoGen cotton I’ve planted so far. That’s for sure.”

MARK YEAGER

®PhytoGen and the PhytoGen Logo are trademarks of PhytoGen Seed Company, LLC. ®™DOW Diamond, Enlist, and WideStrike are trademarks of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow. The Enlist weed control system is owned and developed by Dow AgroSciences LLC. PhytoGen Seed Company is a joint venture between Mycogen Corporation, an affiliate of Dow AgroSciences LLC, and the J.G. Boswell Company.

NOVEMBER 2017 COTTON FARMING

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Specialists Speaking Overall Performance Looks Good ARKANSAS Bill Robertson The National Agricultural Statistics Service October Crop Production Report estimated Arkansas cotton production at 1 million bales, unchanged from the September forecast but 160,000 bales more than last year. Yield is expected to average 1,096 pounds per harvested acre, unchanged from last month but up 21 pounds from 2016 and slightly less than our five-year average of 1,101 pounds per acre. Harvested acreage is estimated at 438,000 acres, up 63,000 acres from 2016.

In mid-October, our crop was slightly behind schedule as only 29 percent had been harvested. Our five-year average for the same date was just over 30 percent harvested and 44 percent harvested last year.

To date, we are hearing about good yields and some that aren’t very good. I think our average will be better than NASS’ prediction.

Some of the early cotton we picked didn’t do as well as hoped. It looked like it would pick 1,500 pounds per acre, but it picked 1,250 to 1,300 pounds. Thirteen hundred pounds isn’t bad, but when you’re expecting 1,500, it’s a bit disappointing.

Boll numbers were good, but there were a lot of small bolls on the plant. However, we are optimistic yields will improve. Nice, fullsized bolls from the bottom to the top of the plant are present in many fields we are about to harvest. Some of the better yields being reported are on fields averaging 1 round module per acre.

We have yet to harvest any of our county on-farm variety plots. But based on preliminary indications, we have a number of varieties that appear to consistently be performing well. We look forward to combining the county data with Dr. Fred Bourland’s Variety Performance Trial results. County production meetings are being scheduled at this time. Contact your local county Extension agent for dates and locations. brobertson@uaex.edu

LOUISIANA Dan Fromme As we approach mid-October, approximately 50 percent of our cotton acres have been harvested although conditions have been good throughout the state during the past six weeks. We hope to finish harvesting by the end of October. Louisiana will pick about 200,000 acres of cotton this year, compared to 136,000 acres in 2016.

Lint yields this year are extremely variable, ranging from 500 to 1,250 pounds of lint per acre. Yield estimates for the state are projected around 900 pounds of lint per acre. According to USDA-AMS figures on Oct. 5 out of Rayville, only 10 percent of the bales received have produced a micronaire value of 5.0 or greater. This year’s length, strength and uniformity are averaging 1.16, 31.2 and 81.6, respectively.

Following harvest, we will emphasize soil fertility needs for the 2018 crop. Basically, soil tests serve two functions: showing nutrient levels and indicating where to start in developing a fertilizer/lime program. To prescribe a sound program, combine this information with cropping history and the overall soil productivity potential of the field. Soil tests also can be used to monitor the production system and measure trends and changes, which helps maintain the overall fertility program on the same level with other production inputs.

In 2010, 87 percent of the soil samples in Louisiana tested below the critical level for phosphorus, and 76 percent were below the critical level for potassium (Soil Test Levels in North America, IPNI).

22

COTTON FARMING NOVEMBER 2017

The critical level is the soil test level below which nutrient inputs are required to meet soil fertility management objectives. If you continue to mine the soil, it could take several years of higher fertilizer rates to restore optimum productivity.

Fertilizer and lime inputs are purchases that represent a significant portion of production costs. Their efficient use is critical to farm level profits and environmental protection. Before you apply fertilizer this fall, soil test to see how much you have in the bank. dfromme@agcenter.lsu.edu

MISSISSIPPI Darrin Dodds Mississippi cotton harvest activities are lagging about two weeks behind normal. In addition, a number of growers who have picked a portion of their crop are reporting lower-than-anticipated yields.

Others and I have alluded to the challenging weather conditions faced by our growers throughout the year, and the results are showing up in yields from early harvested cotton. A number of folks, particularly in the Delta, are reporting 1,100 to 1,250 pounds of cotton whereas in past years yields have ranged from 1,300 to 1,600 pounds.

Controlling costs has long been a topic of discussion for those growing cotton, and 2017 did little to quell that conversation. Unexpected expenses to control worms in the 2017 crop as well as the continuous battle with pigweeds has made this crop an expensive one to produce. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to deduce that higher costs and lower yields results in less (if any) profit to the grower.

Heading into 2018, consider maximizing production while minimizing input cost. In addition, take stock of where dollars are spent and what the potential return on investment for that dollar may be. Some costs cannot be avoided; however, there are likely some that can.

Minimizing dollars spent that offer little potential return on investment will increase your overall bottom line. dmd76@pss.msstate.edu

OKLAHOMA Randy Boman The 2017 crop is racing toward the finish line.

Based on Mesonet Station data for Altus, August resulted in about 19 percent below normal for cotton heat unit accumulation. This cool trend continued into the first two weeks of September, and we finished that month about 4 percent below normal. As of mid-October, temperatures have been somewhat above normal. We’ve also encountered substantial rainfall in some areas in September, which resulted in late growth. Harvest aids have been applied to some fields, and a few have been harvested.

Based on the October U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Agricultural Statistics Service report, we are possibly going to see record-setting production — if we can get the crop harvested without significant weathering and ginning issues. The 980,000-bale estimate would be the highest bale volume produced in the state since about 1933 and the largest harvested acreage since 1981.

The 555,000 harvested acres is about twice the normal amount.

This crop will substantially challenge our harvesting and ginning infrastructure. Of course at this time, we are a long way from having this crop in the bale.

Producers need to put a lot of thought into module construction, module cover condition, site selection for module storage, and COTTONFARMING.COM

Specialists Speaking ground preparation for placing modules. Cotton Incorporated’s website has extensive information about these important end-of-season decisions. The likelihood of substantial field storage time for cotton modules exists this year due to the large number of acres, as well as anticipated good to excellent yields in many fields.

Many gins will be backed up for quite some time, so be smart about module placement — make sure the site won’t flood if extensive rainfall is encountered. It is imperative to keep watch on conventional module covers. They may need to be replaced if damaged by high winds or other environmental factors. Wet modules can significantly reduce bale processing rate at the gin, as well as reduce fiber and seed quality. randy.boman@okstate.edu

MISSOURI Mike Milam The Oct. 2 Crop Progress and Condition Report indicates dry conditions have allowed harvest to advance. It has certainly been warmer than usual with very dry conditions. The 15-day forecast shows very little chance of rain. We certainly need some rain to help settle the dust. Last year at this time, producers had harvested 13 percent compared with 6 percent this year and 8 percent for the five-year average. Cotton condition was rated 2 percent very poor, 9 percent poor, 34 percent fair, 49 percent good and 6 percent excellent.

The first yield estimate in the Cotton and Wool Outlook had Missouri at 1,151 pounds per acre. This was much higher than our yield record of 1,117 set in 2014. The October yield estimate increased to 1,196 pounds per acre. Defoliation is picking up pace now, and

many unharvested fields look good. We had very good boll set this year although looks can be deceiving. In my experience with yield trials, some of our best-looking varieties often had lower yield. The fluffiness of the cotton may have deceived our eyes.

We have already seen an increase in soil testing as producers prepare for harvest. This is an excellent time to take soil samples. The field is visible, and problem areas can be sampled separately. In my humble opinion, with our dicamba issues this year, I think there will be more restrictions on its use next season. milammr@missouri.edu

FLORIDA David Wright In the cotton/peanut regions of Florida and the Deep South, peanut harvest has always taken precedence over cotton. And 2017 is no exception. Cotton harvest usually starts in full bore after Oct. 15 when most of the peanut crop is in the barn. However, during the early part of peanut harvest, Hurricane Irma came through, resulting in good moisture for digging peanuts but twisting up and laying some cotton on the ground. The twisted cotton has slowed harvest and exposed the remaining cotton to storms that have been passing through.

The cotton crop looks good for the most part even though it was twisted. However, yields may be reduced by 20-30 percent or more along with quality. Many bolls lying close to the soil are discolored, with some seed sprouting in the boll and general weathering. Even though the growing season was wet and timely management was difficult, this may still be an above-average crop. Time will tell as final yields and grades come in. wright@ufl.edu

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NOVEMBER 2017 COTTON FARMING

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Specialists Speaking NORTH CAROLINA Keith Edmisten Harvest season started off very well. We were lucky to avoid much of the hurricane-related weather that hit other areas and that we have had to deal with the past few years. The first week of October was ideal for growers who were ready to pick and were not busy with peanuts.

As I write this on Oct. 11, we have had several days of cloudy weather that have slowed us down with about 15-20 percent of the crop harvested. Hopefully, the warm weather will clear out before we get into issues, such as seed germination in the boll.

The early pickings are ranging from 800 to 1,200 pounds per acre in most places.

Environmental conditions for defoliation have been good for late September and the first half of October, and temperatures are predicted to stay fairly warm for the rest of October. This should help with any late-season defoliation, but will also be conducive to regrowth in fields with residual nitrogen. The long-term predictions are calling for periods of rain. It will be important to avoid picking cotton that is too wet to avoid heating in modules or bales. kledmist@ncsu.edu

TENNESSEE Tyson Raper On Oct. 12, we were close to 20 percent harvested. Several farmers had been running for more than a week, while some were just getting started. We had a fairly nice window for defoliation, and it looked like cold weather may come to stay Oct. 16.

Hurricane Nate was hit or miss for most of West Tennessee. We received another decent rain just a few days after Nate, followed by cloudy conditions. We were fortunate in 2015 and 2016; in both of those years, we received practically no rain on the crop after it opened.

This year has been more challenging with defoliation windows opening and closing frequently, and it appears harvest may be more typical than what we experienced in 2015 and 2016.

Still, we are harvesting an above-average crop that should grade well. Initial results from variety trials are surprising compared to 2015 and 2016. Keep an eye out for a preliminary release of trial results to be posted in the immediate future on news.utcrops.com. traper@utk.edu

TEXAS Seth Byrd The main concern in the Texas High Plains is still how far behind or immature the crop is. As I write this on Oct. 12, most of cotton in the region has yet to see a harvest-aid application, and a large portion could use several weeks of warm, dry weather. This is a culmination of a slow start to the season due to drought, hail and blowing sands, and a cooler than average and cloudy August, with similar conditions following in September.

These are critical months for developing fiber.

On the other hand, defoliants and boll openers have been applied to many fields in the southern part of the High Plains, and harvest will likely be well underway in those southern counties by the time this issue reaches you. This area was rain-starved for much of the first half of the season, but fields that survived those turbulent weeks have reached the end of the season in fairly good condition.

Although it is unlikely we’ll see an extended warm, dry period, favorable conditions are in the forecast for the second half of October.

However, the probability of opening the entire boll load is lower than

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COTTON FARMING NOVEMBER 2017

we would like to see given the sheer amount of maturing that needs to occur and the expected weather conditions as we enter November.

On an optimistic note, and perhaps more importantly, the conditions forecasted for late August were favorable for many of the popular harvest-aid products. Fields that had an application during that window likely had good defoliation and boll opening activity.

Although it may be tempting to take some of the high yield potential fields right up to a freeze before applying harvest-aids, we recommend making applications four to five days prior to a suspected freeze so boll openers and other products will have time to get the crop closer to harvest-ready. Further complicating things is the shortage of many products that make up standard ingredients of common harvest-aid recipes.

With the state of the crop and the amount of acres that are facing maturity issues, it will likely be a stressful and indecisive time for many producers, particularly those in the northern half of the High Plains.

They must attempt to balance maximum boll opening while optimizing fiber quality.

Only time will tell what the 2017 crop will look like in November as it comes out of the field. seth.byrd@ag.tamu.edu

TEXAS Gaylon Morgan In South Texas, early cotton was classed very good quality. Some of the cotton affected by Hurricane Harvey is starting to appear in the latest weekly U.S. Department of Agriculture classing report. However, fiber quality reported thus far is better than many people anticipated, considering all the cotton went through in the hurricane.

Most of the cotton in the Blacklands has been harvested with the best yields occurring in the northern Blacklands. The Rolling Plains began harvest aid applications on dryland fields in early October.

Some earlier maturing fields will not even receive a defoliant application due to a widespread occurrence of premature senescence that occurred through much of the area following a week of wet weather.

However, due to the timing, little yield loss, if any, is expected.

Most of the dryland and irrigated fields in the Rolling Plains have good to great yield potential as harvest approaches. The late-planted fields, replant fields and later maturing varieties still need some extended warm weather to reach full yield potential. Variety trial results from South and East Texas will soon be available at cotton.tamu.edu. gdmorgan@tamu.edu

VIRGINIA Hunter Frame In Virginia, we missed the big tropical systems this year, and cotton yields are ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 pounds lint per acre across the state. Some fields are yielding more, but as of now, the U.S. Department of Agriculture projection seems to be accurate. This is much needed for cotton in Virginia as 2015 and 2016 were two of the worst years on record.

As far as the introduction of new auxin herbicide formulations, the weed scientists have informed me there have been no formal complaints about the materials to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. However, I think everyone in the state is waiting to see what happens at the federal level with these technologies moving forward.

Overall, 2017 has provided a much-needed reprieve from adverse weather. Producers now have a little boost in morale when it comes to producing cotton in Virginia. whframe@vt.edu COTTONFARMING.COM

CF1117 Layout_CF 11/13 template 10/24/17 11:18 AM Page 29

GR GROWERS OPTIMIS TIMISTIC ABOUT OUT

WEED CONTR CONTROL OL IN 2018 2 Initial experienc xperience with Deltapine® Bollgardd II® XtendFlex® cotton in 2017 017 has many man growers experience feeling weed feeling optimistic op again about w eed control c when eyeing the ccoming oming seas sseason. on.

T

he battle with resistant weeds has been a frustrating and costly “At first, I was not a believer because I have seen what dicamba battle for several years. Growers have been using residual herbicide can do to non-dicamba-tolerant soybeans,” he said. “But herbicides and even enlisting chopping crews to clean up the worst with the new formulations, the tank-mix partners allowed and fields. But in 2017, the ability to apply labeled dicamba products abiding by the application requirements pertaining to wind, nozzles, in Deltapine Bollgard II XtendFlex cotton resulted in many more boom height and buffer zones, it can be used very effectively.” clean fields.

It is best to go through training and education first, Guimbellot In 2016, Todd Guimbellot and his brother David, of Franklin Parish, adds.

Louisiana, picked up a new piece of ground to farm that had “We went through our extension training program, and the folks issues with resistant Palmer amaranth. They planted Roundup from LSU were terrific in planning meetings in multiple locations Ready 2 Yield® soybeans in the field, and pigweed nearly choked and at multiple times so as many people as possible had the out the crop. In 2017, they brought cotton back into their crop opportunity to attend,” he said. “The information they gave was rotation and planted DP 1646 B2XF in the field, which allowed them very valuable. The keys are providing education and everyone to make applications of XtendiMax® herbicide with VaporGrip® following the guidelines.”

Technology on the crop.

“We used the recommended nozzle tips, took the application training and followed the label, and we received excellent control of the pigweed,” said Guimbellot. “Today, just a few weeks before we defoliate cotton, the field of DP 1646 B2XF looks really good, and it has very few, if any, pigweeds growing in it because of the Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System.”

The field was burned down three weeks prior to planting. Dual Magnum® herbicide was applied behind the planter for residual control. Rain and warm temperatures created conditions for pigweeds to begin emerging in the field when the cotton was at the three-leaf stage.

Soon after, the first application of XtendiMax herbicide with VaporGrip Technology was made to one- to two-inch tall pigweeds.

Although Guimbellot saw good control, more rain and warm weather sparked another flush of weeds, so a second shot was made a few weeks later.

Guimbellot says he had no issues with off-target herbicide movement and believes the technology can be applied safely and will provide a better weed management tool for growers.

Todd Guimbellot

More importantly, says Guimbellot, growers need the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System tools to stay ahead of nature, and he needs high-yielding Deltapine varieties to stay in business.

Deltapine cotton varieties offer strong genetics protected by strong technology, resulting in the potential for growers to produce more pounds of high-quality fiber per acre, season after season. They are the only cotton varieties tested and proven by New Product Evaluator (NPE) growers located across the Cotton Belt, helping to supply the industry with Strong Cotton choices that fit all regions and farms.

XTENDIMAX ® HERBICIDE WITH VAPOR APORGRIP ® TECHNOLOGY IS NOW A RESTRIC TRICTED USE PESTICIDE.

To learn more about weed control in Deltapine cotton varieties, visit DELTAPINE.COM/XTEND. Always read and follow IRM, where applicable, grain marketing and other stewardship practices and pesticide label directions. XtendiMax® herbicide with VaporGrip® Technology is a restricted use pesticide. It is a violation of Federal and state law to use any pesticide product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling. XtendiMax® herbicide with VaporGrip® Technology is not registered in all states and may be subject to use restrictions in some states. Check with your local Monsanto dealer or representative for the product registration status in your state. Details of these practices can be found in the Trait Stewardship Responsibilities Notice to Farmers for the “Growers Optimistic About Weed Control in 2018” advertisement for Deltapine printed in this publication. ©2017 Monsanto Company. All Rights Reserved. DP-18027-CF-NOV-ADV

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Ginners Marketplace COTTON

COTTON FARMING IS THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE GINNING INDUSTRY.

Court Overturns Department Of Labor’s Overtime Rule To Salary Test

3 template 3/7/14 3:26 PM Page 1

On Aug. 31, a Texas federal judge invalidated the expansion of the federal overtime rule. As the rule was originally written, the salary threshold for employees to qualify as exempt from overtime pay requirements was increased from $23,660 per year to $47,476 per year.

District Court Judge Amos L. Mazzant found that the Department of Labor does not have the authority to use a salary level test that would effectively eliminate the duties test.

He also noted that the mechanism that would automatically adjust the threshold was unlawful.

This rule was originally scheduled to take effect on Dec. 1, 2016. A preliminary injunction was issued on Nov. 22, 2016. In other words, the rule was never actually in force.

This ruling addresses part 541 of the regulations defining executive, administrative and professional employees. If you have employees meeting this exception to the overtime rule,

Advertise in Cotton Ginners Marketplace • Place classified ads for equipment, sales and help wanted • Generate leads, drive sales and INCREASE PROFITS Contact Sales Manager Scott Emerson 386-462-1532 • semerson@onegrower.com

Gin season is here. We’ve extended parts shipping hours just for you.

For Parts or Service:

samjackson.com

806-795-5218

WWW.NORTHERNLUCUS.COM 1116 Slaton Hwy. Lubbock, TX

FOR SALE: 2 – 158 GIN STANDS WITH CONTROLS MANUFACTURER OF HI-CAPACITY LINT CLEANING SYSTEMS IN 86” to 110” WIDTHS NEW 60” & 72” OVERSHOT BATTERY CONDENSERS

Cotton Ginners Marketplace

96” TO 144” INCLINE CLEANERS, STICK MACHINES & AIRLINE SEPARATORS HIGH CAPACITY VACUUMS USED & FACTORY REBUILT GIN MACHINERY BALE HANDLING SYSTEMS COMPLETE LINE OF REPAIR PARTS FOR MURRAY, MITCHELL, H.E., CONSOLIDATED, CONTINENTAL, MOSS, LUMMUS, HORN & CMI 806-745-8156 1-800-776-8182 FAX 806-745-0564 E-MAIL: NORTHERNLUCUS@YAHOO.COM WWW.NORTHERNLUCUS.COM

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the salary threshold will remain at $23,600 per year.

There is a request for information out currently from the DOL to determine if there is a more appropriate salary threshold for this exemption. It is possible that the department will change the threshold at some point, and we will communicate any proposed changes.

For now, if you have workers making more than $23,660 per year who do meet the definition of executive, administrative or professional employee under part 541 of the rule, they are eligible for the overtime exemption.

The Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association contributed this information. Contact TCGA at 512-476-8388.

Cotton’s Calendar

MODULE FEEDERS

CHANNEL SAWS

COTTON GIN BRUSHES

BATS & BRUSHES

VERTICAL COMBO DRYER

ROUND MODULE MACHINERY

2017 ■ Nov. 15: PCCA Board Meeting, Lubbock, Texas ■ Dec. 5-7: Cotton Board/Cotton Incorporated Joint Meeting, St. Petersburg, Florida ■ Dec. 20: PCCA Board Meeting and Delegate Body Meeting, Lubbock, Texas

RAM MANUFACTURING COMPANY

2018

1333 E. 44th. ST. Lubbock, TX 79404 806-745-5552 Fax: 806-745-5582 rammfgco@rammfg.net www.rammfg.net

■ Jan. 3-5: Beltwide Cotton Conferences, Marriott Rivercenter Hotel, San Antonio, Texas ■ Feb. 9-11: NCC Annual Meeting, Omni Hotel, Fort Worth, Texas

Lummus Corporation has available the following quality, high-capacity used gin machinery.

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

“As is” machinery can be repaired/reconditioned for an additional charge.

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*

Cotton Ginners Marketplace

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

®

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)

Physical Address: 225 Bourne Boulevard • Savannah, Georgia 31408-9586 USA Mailing Address: 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) Web Site: www.lummus.com • E-mail: lummus.sales@lummus.com

© Copyright 2017 Lummus Corporation

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COTTONFARMING.COM

Industry News Continued from page 18

Nolte says herbicide-resistant weeds are an area where more grower education is needed to help them better understand available weed control options and to continue to promote good weed-resistance management practices.

“Palmer amaranth and common waterhemp are certainly weeds of concern, but weed resistance in general is of importance,” he says. “I don’t want growers to rely solely upon any one herbicide for weed control. If they do, it may reduce the effective life span of that technology.”

Nolte says he looks forward to helping growers understand how to use all weed control technologies and be good stewards, which will allow these technologies to remain useful and viable long term.

New Director Of Product Development Named Tide International USA Inc. has named Charles Guo its new director of product development. He will

be responsible for the company’s research and development activities. This will include identifying and developing products for agricultural, specialty and seed treatment markets.

Guo has more than 30 years of agricultural chemical experience in both international and U.S. markets. He earned a doctor’s degree in plant physiology from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He conducted post-doctoral research at the University of Arkansas, studying cotton growth regulators and defoliants.

Dennis Pfeiffer, vice president and general manager of Tide International USA Inc., says he is excited about adding this agricultural chemical veteran.

“Charles has a broad base of executive skills, including R & D management, registration, technical support and management of crop protection businesses in the U.S. and Asia,” Pfeiffer says. “He spent much of his career working for Chemtura Corp. in senior executive positions in Asia.”

Guo currently lives in Shanghai, China, but will relocate to California.

Contact him at guo@tide-usa.com or 408-963-3883.

Come Join Us In Tucson!

Trait Stewardship Responsibilities Notice to Farmers for “Growers Optimistic About Weed Control in 2018” Advertisement for Deltapine

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. 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 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 Monsanto dealer or refer to Monsanto’s Technology Use Guide for recommended weed control programs.

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. Only commercialized products have been approved for import into key export markets with functioning regulatory systems. Any crop or material produced from this product can only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries where all necessary regulatory approvals have been granted. It is a violation of national and international law to move material containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Growers should talk to their grain handler or product purchaser to confirm their buying position for this product.

B.t. products may not yet be registered in all states. Check with your Monsanto representative for the registration status in your state.

Individual results may vary, and performance may vary from location to location and from year to year. This result may not be an indicator of results you may obtain as local growing, soil and weather conditions may vary. Growers should evaluate data from multiple locations and years whenever possible.

NAICC ANNUAL MEETING AND AG PRO EXPO January 16-20, 2018

Marriott Starr Pass Resort Tucson, Arizona

For information call: (901) 861-0511 TWITTER: @COTTONFARMING

•

www.naicc.org

Always read and follow IRM, where applicable, grain marketing and all other stewardship practices and pesticide label directions. XtendiMax® herbicide with VaporGrip ® Technology is a restricted use pesticide.

It is a violation of Federal and state law to use any pesticide product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling.

XtendiMax® herbicide with VaporGrip® Technology is not registered in all states and may be subject to use restrictions in some states. Check with your local Monsanto dealer or representative for the product registration status in your state.

B ollgard II®, Respect the Refuge and Cotton Design®, VaporGrip®, XtendFlex® and XtendiMax® are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. Deltapine ® is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company. LibertyLink® and the Water Droplet Design® is a registered trademark of Bayer.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2017 Monsanto Company. All Rights Reserved.

DP-17010-CF-LC-NOV

NOVEMBER 2017 COTTON FARMING

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My Turn Cotton — The Fabric Of My Life

I

love cotton. I come father also worked for Avondale Mills in fabfrom three genera- ric testing and development. In the early ’80s, tions of cotton folks, I went to work with Rome Manufacturing in but not on the farm- Rome, Georgia, buying and classing cotton. In the ing side. Both sets of my late ’80s, I moved to Centre in Cherokee County, grandparents worked in Alabama, and went to work for a small merchant central Alabama cotton out of Memphis — Robert L. Weaver Cotton. mills — Avondale Mills to I bought and sold cotton for them, and Becky be exact. My father’s par- worked in the cotton warehouse office.

Becky and I tried our hand at running our own ents worked in the Pell City mill, and my moth- cotton company with my sister and her husband Monty er’s parents worked in the and moved to Goldsboro, North Carolina, for a year. Too many sleepless nights led us back to Sylacauga mill.

Bain The tradition of work- Centre in 1991, and I began working for Billy ing in cotton mills contin- Dunavant at Dunavant Enterprises. I worked for ued with my father. He worked for Avondale him for 17 years buying and selling cotton. Becky Mills from the time he was 12 years old until he went back to work at Plaza Warehouse, and also retired in the late ’90s. He worked in many areas invoiced the cotton I bought for Dunavant. There were a few times that of the mill from the Becky, my three kids, carding room to the weave room. He even- “I didn’t grow up on a farm, but a n d I w o u l d w o r k tually worked his way my roots in cotton run deep.” long hours at the cotton warehouse pullto classing cotton and ing loads of cotton for then to buying cotton.

So although I didn’t grow up on a cotton shipment in lay downs for cotton mills.

In November 2008, I started working for farm, my roots in cotton run deep. I worked for Avondale Mills when I was in high school and the Cotton Board as their Southeast Regional during the summers while I attended college. My Communications Manager (RCM). My territofirst job was in Avondale’s Catherine mill, run- ry includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South ning the carding machines. I also worked in the Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. My bigcotton warehouse unloading bales from trucks gest thrill as a Cotton Board RCM is giving proand rail cars and weighing them. After attending ducers the opportunity to see their ag promocollege for a while and not knowing what I want- tion dollars at work inside Cotton Incorporated’s ed to do, my dad suggested I try working in the World Headquarters and Research Facility in Cary, North Carolina, through our producer tour cotton business.

In December 1972, I went to work in Selma, program. I also participate in events that take Alabama, with Hohenberg Brothers, a large cot- decision makers from mills, brands and retailers ton merchant known today as Cargill. I worked on farm tours to see how cotton is produced.

Cotton truly is the fabric of my life. Working in for a cotton classer and would check in samples, raise them up for classing and put them in trays the cotton industry has provided a wonderful life for me and all my family. I am thankful for the as the classer would grade them.

In 1976, I went to work for Loeb & Co., a cotton friends and connections I’ve made from cotton. merchant in Montgomery, Alabama. It was then I’ve seen the industry change so much through all that Mr. Loeb sent me to Murdoch’s International my years, and I’m excited about cotton’s future.

Classing School in Memphis, Tennessee. I learned – Monty Bain how to not only grade cotton but to pull staple as Southeast Regional Communications Manager well. After I returned, Mr. Loeb had me call on Dadeville, Alabama the cotton mills in Alabama and Georgia. mbain@cottonboard.org In 1977, I married my wife, Becky, whose

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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Zeb Winslow NEW PRODUCT EVALUATOR (NPE) SINCE 2014

Text your ZIP code to 844.846.2018 to get local variety recommendations.

Individual results may vary. Always read and follow IRM, where applicable, grain marketing and all other stewardship practices and pesticide label directions.

DeltapineŽ is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Š2017 Monsanto Company. All Rights Reserved. DP-18005-CF-NOV-BC-MSSE