Cotton Farming November 2018

Cotton Farming ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC

PROFITABLE PRODUCTION STRATEGIES

NOVEMBER 2018

www.cottonfarming.com

2019

SEED VARIETY GUIDE

®

S:7”

TOUGH TO BEAT

AVAILABLE SOON

EXCEPTIONAL WEED CONTROL Enlist E3™ soybeans offer tolerance to 2,4-D choline, glyphosate and glufosinate — giving you more options to control the toughest weeds.

EXCELLENT YIELD Our unique trait technology enables Enlist One™ and S:9.75”

Enlist Duo® herbicides 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 to your seed dealer or learn more at Enlist.com.

Trademarks of Dow AgroSciences, DuPont or Pioneer, and their affiliated companies or their respective owners. ™The MS Technologies Logo is a trademark of MS Technologies. Enlist E3 soybeans were jointly developed by Dow AgroSciences and MS Technologies. Enlist soybeans are approved for cultivation in the U.S. and have also received import approval in a number of importing countries. Dow AgroSciences continues to pursue import approvals in additional countries, including in China, for Enlist E3 soybean products, in accordance with Excellence Through Stewardship® product launch guidance. ®Excellence Through Stewardship is a registered trademark of Excellence Through Stewardship. 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 on Enlist crops. Consult Enlist herbicide labels for weed species controlled. Always read and follow label directions. ©2018 Dow AgroSciences LLC E38-401-032 (10/18) BR 010-91336 DAAG8NLST073

™®

Vol. 62 No. 11

Cotton Farming PROFITABLE PRODUCTION STRATEGIES

NOVEMBER 2018

www.cottonfarming.com

F E AT U R E S

16

2019 BELTWIDE MEETING

18

SOIL COMPACTION

24

GINNING MARKETPLACE

2019

SEED VARIETY GUIDE

A Consultants’ Conference that features an extensive lineup of timely topics will be held during the 2019 Beltwide Cotton Conferences.

LSU AgCenter experts discuss how to identify fields where soil compaction could be an issue and steps you can take to avoid it.

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE GINNING INDUSTRY

Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association interns report on the time spent with their sponsors this summer.

8

WEB EXCLUSIVE

Quality Selections

The menu of cotton varieties from which to choose in 2019 includes a host of high-yielding, good quality selections.

Check out the roster in Cotton Farming’s Seed Variety Guide. Before placing your order, do your homework and discuss priorities with your consultant and seed representative to match your operation’s needs with outstanding cotton characteristics and traits.

DEPARTMENTS & COLUMNS

4 Editor’s Note 6 Cotton’s Agenda 20 Mid-South Report

22 Specialists Speaking 28 Industry News 30 My Turn

ON THE COVER: Panola Co. harvests a good cotton crop this year near Newellton, Louisiana.

Cover photo by Hank Jones.

Blake Crabtree, UGA Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Worth County, and Georgia cotton specialist Jared Whitaker discuss how Hurricane Michael impacts “promising” cotton crop. Go to www.cottonfarming.com for this Web Exclusive report.

DIGITAL OFFERINGS Keep up with the latest from Cotton Farming by signing up for the monthly E-News at www.cottonfarming.com.

Look for the Cotton Farming E-News sign-up box in the upper right corner of the home page.

Corn Hybrid Preview

CornSouth ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC

Southern Production & Marketing Strategies

A Supplement to Cotton Farming and The Peanut Grower Magazines

November 2018

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, 875 W. Poplar Ave., Suite 23, Box 305, Collierville, TN 38017. Periodicals postage paid at Memphis, Tenn. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Omeda Communications, Customer Service Department, P.O. Box 1388, Northbrook, IL 60065-1388 (Phone: 847-559-7578) (Fax: 847-564-9453). Annual subscriptions are $40. International rates are $55 in Canada/Mexico, $90 in all other countries for air-speeded delivery. Surface delivery not available due to problems in reliability.

TWITTER: @COTTONFARMING

NOVEMBER 2018 COTTON FARMING

3

Editor’s Note

Cotton Farming

Carroll Smith

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

Come Hell Or High Water

I

n the days before Hurricane Michael ripped across the Southeast, social media was blowing up with photos of some of the most beautiful cotton ever. Stunning fields of solid white gold. And then the weather forecast turned ugly. Meteorologists confirmed that Hurricane Michael was gaining strength and headed toward the Florida Panhandle.

Southeast cotton farmers were racing the clock to harvest as much cotton as they could before the huge storm tore across their fields. The gorgeous images that filled social media feeds were replaced by anxious inquiries and words of encouragement from family and friends in other areas. Before reality had fully sunk in, Hurricane Michael roared through and replaced months of hard work and promising rewards with monumental losses.

As the storm clouds gathered early in the evening Oct. 9, a cotton farmer in south Georgia stopped for a moment to post a short video on Facebook, delivered in a soft, Southern drawl. Here is an excerpt from his monologue.

“A farmer never gives up. I’m sitting here knowing this cotton is fixing to be blowed to the ground. The pivot won’t walk, so I am manually walking it out of here with a screwdriver in it — back and forth, back and forth.

“Why do we do this? We do it because we love it. We do it because we enjoy it. We do it because of what’s in us. We do it for our family. We do it for our country. We do it for our fellow man.

“Not only that, it’s hard to hold this seed in your hand, plant it and walk through these fields all day, every day and then see it all get destroyed in just a minute. It makes you wonder and question, but it makes you stronger. Not everybody is cut out for this. Sometimes I wonder if I am. But we will live through it. We will survive. In Jesus’ name I pray, and I pledge allegiance. Thank you.”

In the aftermath of Hurricane Michael’s destruction, so many farmers face devastation and many will have to start over. But their spirits remain intact….come hell or high water.

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.

4

COTTON FARMING NOVEMBER 2018

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 2018 © ASSOCIATED PUBLICATIONS – One Grower Publishing, LLC also publishes RICE FARMING, THE PEANUT GROWER, SOYBEAN SOUTH and CORN SOUTH.

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

COTTONFARMING.COM

S:7”

Visit PhytoGen.com to learn more. Or talk to a PhytoGen expert to find the right variety for every acre.

The PhytoGen Logo is a trademark of PhytoGen Seed Company, LLC. ™Trademark of Dow AgroSciences, DuPont or Pioneer, and their affiliated companies or their respective owners. PhytoGen Seed Company is a joint venture between Mycogen Corporation, an affiliate of Dow AgroSciences LLC, and the J.G. Boswell Company. ©2018 Dow AgroSciences LLC L38-076-160 (09/18) BR DAAG8PHYG056

®

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Start the season off right with cottonseed that thrives from the moment you plant it. PhytoGen offers varieties bred for your area and growing conditions. They deliver industry-leading emergence and vigor.

So you can establish a strong stand — and the foundation for consistent yield and quality.

Cotton’s Agenda Gary Adams

Ensuring Ease Of Entry From NAFTA re-negotiation to China tariffs, the National Cotton Council is communicating with government officials and legislators regarding trade policy issues to ensure the U.S. cotton industry has continued access to key markets.

Is the NAFTA re-negotiation acceptable? n The NCC is pleased the modernization of the North American Free Trade Agreement preserved market access for U.S. cotton exports and established a new chapter for textile and apparel products. This new U.S.-MexicoCanada Agreement, which President Trump is expected to sign by month’s end, would then go to Congress for consideration. It will ensure continued duty-free access for U.S. cotton and cotton products to Mexico and Canada. This is significant as Mexico represents a top five export market for U.S. raw cotton, and both countries are among the top five markets for U.S. cotton textile and apparel exports.

In addition to maintaining the yarn-forward rule of origin, the USMCA alters some of NAFTA’s tariff-preference levels, cutting some with low A Chinese textile and apparel delegation learned utilization rates about NCC efforts to ensure U.S. cotton’s quality w h i l e r a i s i n g others with high is preserved. utilization rates, including cotton and manmade apparel exported from the United States to Canada. The USMCA also includes a provision to discourage Mexico and Canada from negotiating free trade agreements with non-market economies, which is aimed primarily at China.

What about China? n The United States recently imposed new tariffs on an additional $200 billion in Chinese exports, following two previous rounds of tariffs in July and August against a total of $50 billion

in Chinese goods. Tariffs for this third tranche — known as “List 3” — are set at 10 percent, and will rise to 25 percent in January 2019, if no deal to resolve the impasse has been reached by the two countries. China, which immediately retaliated with tariffs against $60 billion in U.S. goods (including some U.S. textile products), now has imposed retaliatory tariffs against $110 billion in U.S. goods, including cotton and a wide assortment of textile products.

In the face of sales cancellations by Chinese mills, the NCC continues to communicate with the U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding the impacts of these retaliatory tariffs. We were pleased with USDA’s initiation of the tariff mitigating Market Facilitation Program but hope our trading relationship with China can be restored and even improved.

Meanwhile, President Trump has indicated his administration is considering tariffs on an additional $267 billion of Chinese exports, which would essentially cover all Chinese goods being exported to the United States.

Bilateral negotiations between senior officials to resolve the impasse have largely broken off, but U.S. officials indicated a meeting could take place between Trump and Chinese President Xi at the G20 Summit.

NCC Chairman Ron Craft and I traveled in June to China where we participated in meetings with U.S. and Chinese officials as part of our ongoing effort to maintain access to China.

We emphasized that U.S. cotton is their most reliable and trusted supplier of high quality fiber.

The NCC also recently hosted a China National Textile and Apparel Council delegation. We updated these important U.S. raw cotton customers on efforts to maintain our fiber’s premium status through improved bale packaging and enhanced contamination prevention and sustainability programs.

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

6

COTTON FARMING NOVEMBER 2018

COTTONFARMING.COM

T:7.875” S:7”

Visit PhytoGen.com to learn more. Or talk to a PhytoGen expert to find the right variety for every acre.

® PhytoGen and the PhytoGen Logo are trademarks of PhytoGen Seed Company, LLC. ™®Trademarks of Dow AgroSciences, DuPont or Pioneer, and their affiliated companies or their respective owners. 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. ©2018 Dow AgroSciences LLC L38-076-160 (09/18) BR DAAG8PHYG056

T:10.75”

S:10”

Protect yield and quality with cottonseed that gives you the most advanced trait options. PhytoGen ® brand varieties with WideStrike® 3 Insect Protection and the Enlist™ trait allow you to take control against tough insects and weeds. And built-in PhytoGen Breeding Traits™ help your crop fight off diseases and root-knot nematodes all season long.

2019

SEED VARIETY GUIDE

Yield, Quality And Traits

T

he menu of cotton varieties from which to choose in 2019 includes a host of high-yielding, good quality selections.

To help you get started, seed companies from across the Cotton Belt provided information about their headliners on pages 8, 10, 11, 12, 13

Variety

Maturity

Micronaire Leaf Type

and 14 in 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 2019 season with confidence.

Staple Length G/Tex

Comments

PHYTOGEN Upland PHY 300 W3FE

early-mid

4.5

semi-smooth

1.15/37

31.4

High-yielding variety featuring the Enlist cotton trait and WideStrike 3 Insect Protection. Early to mid-maturity with excellent seedling vigor.

PHY 320 W3FE

early-mid

4.4

semi-smooth

1.17/37

34.6

Early to mid-maturing variety featuring the Enlist cotton trait, WideStrike 3 Insect Protection, and 2-gene root-knot nematode resistance. Superior yield with excellent fiber quality, including lower micronaire and exceptional strength.

PHY 330 W3FE

early-mid

4.4

light-hairy

1.18/38

31.9

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

PHY 340 W3FE

early-mid

4.5

light-hairy

1.17/37

31.5

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

PHY 350 W3FE

early-mid

4.6

semi-smooth

1.18/38

31.9

Superior yield potential with excellent fiber quality. Early to mid-maturing variety featuring the Enlist cotton trait and WideStrike 3 Insect Protection. PhytoGen Breeding Traits include 2-gene root-knot nematode and bacterial blight resistance. Broadly adapted across the entire Upland production region.

PHY 430 W3FE

mid

4.5

light-hairy

1.14/36

32.6

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

PHY 440 W3FE

mid-full

4.1

smooth

1.22/39

34.6

Mid-maturing variety with the Enlist cotton trait and WideStrike 3 Insect Protection. Industry leading fiber quality package with high-yield potential.

PhytoGen Breeding Traits for resistance to bacterial blight and resistance to root-knot nematode.

PHY 480 W3FE

mid

4.4

semi-smooth

1.16/37

32.3

Superior yield potential with excellent fiber quality. Mid-maturing variety featuring the Enlist cotton trait and WideStrike 3 Insect Protection. PhytoGen Breeding Traits include 2-gene root-knot nematode and bacterial blight resistance.

Broadly adapted across the Mid-South/Southeast.

PHY 312 WRF

early-mid

4.4

light-hairy

1.18/38

31.8

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

PHY 333 WRF

early-mid

4.4

light-hairy

1/.17/37

31.2

Early to mid-maturing variety with outstanding yield potential. Selected for yield consistency and excellent fiber properties.

PHY 444 WRF

mid-full

4.1

smooth

1.24/40

32.7

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

PHY 530 W3FE

full

4.6

semi-smooth

1.14/36

31

Aggressive growing full-season variety adapted to the lower Southeast. Features the Enlist cotton trait and WideStrike 3 Insect Protection. PhytoGen Breeding Traits include 2-gene root-knot nematode and bacterial blight resistance.

New varieties for 2019 in blue

8

COTTON FARMING NOVEMBER 2018

COTTONFARMING.COM

S:7”

Visit PhytoGen.com to learn more. Or talk to a PhytoGen expert to find the right variety for every acre.

® PhytoGen and the PhytoGen Logo are trademarks of PhytoGen Seed Company, LLC. ™Trademark of Dow AgroSciences, DuPont or Pioneer, and their affiliated companies or their respective owners. PhytoGen Seed Company is a joint venture between Mycogen Corporation, an affiliate of Dow AgroSciences LLC, and the J.G. Boswell Company. ©2018 Dow AgroSciences LLC L38-076-160 (09/18) BR DAAG8PHYG056

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Look forward to a successful harvest with cottonseed proven to deliver. PhytoGen maxes out your bottom line — by matching high yield potential with premium fiber quality. PhytoGen ® W3FE varieties consistently produce higher-thanaverage yield and loan values in university trials across the Cotton Belt.

Variety

Maturity

PHYTOGEN

(continued)

Micronaire Leaf Type

Staple Length G/Tex

Comments

Southwestern Upland PHY 250 W3FE

early

4.0

smooth

37.1

30.9

High yield potential, early maturing W3FE variety selected for the Northern High Plains for its storm tolerance, earliness and consistency. Stable micronaire.

Excellent Verticillium wilt tolerance and smooth leaves.

PHY 320 W3FE

early

4.1

semi-smooth

36.2

31.2

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

PHY 350 W3FE

early-mid

4.0

semi-smooth

36.2

29.8

Early mid-maturing, highly root-knot nematode resistant variety with broad adaptation and excellent Verticillium wilt tolerance.

PHY 430 W3FE

mid

4.1

hairy

35.2

30.0

Mid-maturing W3FE with very high yield stability and broad adaptation.

PHY 440 W3FE

mid

3.7

smooth

37.4

31.5

Mid-maturing W3FE with excellent fiber quality and high resistance to root-knot nematode.

PHY 480 W3FE

mid

3.8

semi-smooth

36.8

30.2

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

PHY 230 W3FE

early

3.9

smooth

37.4

31.5

Early maturing W3FE variety selected for Northern High Plains for its storm tolerance, earliness, consistency, and high yield potential. Excellent fiber quality.

Excellent Verticillium wilt tolerance and smooth leaves.

PHY 300 W3FE

early-mid

4.0

semi-smooth

36.5

30.3

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

PHY 330 W3FE

early-mid

4.1

hairy

36.8

29.9

Broadly adapted, early to mid-maturing W3FE variety with outstanding yield potential from dryland to good irrigation capacities.

PHY 333 WRF

early-mid

3.9

hairy

37.1

29.2

Broadly adapted, early to mid-maturing variety with outstanding yield potential.

Selected for yield consistency and excellent fiber properties.

PHY 340 W3FE

early-mid

4.1

hairy

36.5

29.7

Broadly adapted, early to mid-maturing W3FE variety with outstanding yield potential from dryland to good irrigation capacities.

PHY 444 WRF

mid

3.6

smooth

37.4

30.2

Exceptional fiber quality package, including very long staple length coupled with high yield potential in a mid-maturing, smooth-leaf variety.

PHY 450 W3FE

mid

4.2

semi-smooth

35.5

31.8

Broadly adapted, mid-maturing W3FE variety with outstanding yield potential from dryland to good irrigation capacities. Performed very well south of Lubbock and into the Rolling Plains and Oklahoma.

PHY 490 W3FE

mid

4.0

semi-smooth

36.5

31.6

Mid-maturing variety selected for high yield potential and seedling vigor.

Adapted to Oklahoma, Rolling Plains, and dryland to light irrigation capacity fields on the Southern High Plains.

Pima/Acala/Western Upland PHY 841 RF

mid

4.5

semi-smooth

1.44/48

45.9

High yielding, medium to full-statured Pima variety for medium soil types.

Responds well to high inputs and strong growing environments. Tolerant to Fusarium Race 4.

PHY 881 RF

early-mid

4.5

semi-smooth

1.49/48

46.2

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

PHY 888 RF

full

4.8

semi-smooth

1.49/48

46.5

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

PHY 764 WRF

mid

4.2

semi-smooth

1.21/38

36.5

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

PHY 320 W3FE

mid

4.1

smooth

1.16/37

34

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

PHY 350 W3FE

mid

4.4

semi-smooth

1.15/37

31.9

Broadly adapted, early mid-maturing, highly root-knot nematode resistant variety with broad adaptation and excellent Verticillium wilt tolerance.

PHY 430 W3FE

mid

4.4

semi-hairy

1.14/36

33.2

Mid-maturing W3FE with very high yield stability and broad adaptation.

PHY 440 W3FE

mid

4.1

smooth

1.18/38

35

Mid-maturing W3FE with excellent fiber quality and high resistance to root-knot nematode.

PHY 444 WRF

mid

4.5

hairy

1.16/37

32

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

PHY 480 W3FE

mid

4.3

semi-smooth

1.18/37

33.1

Superior yield potential with excellent fiber quality. Mid-maturing variety featuring the Enlist cotton trait and Widestrike 3 Insect Protection. PhytoGen Breeding Traits include 2-gene root-knot nematode.

HAZERA

10

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.

COTTON FARMING NOVEMBER 2018

COTTONFARMING.COM

Variety

Maturity

Micronaire Leaf Type

Staple Length G/Tex

Comments

Variety data is based on Beltwide testing except for Pima varieties, which are based on testing in California and Arizona.

Ratings are based on 2015 to 2017 Deltapine research.

DELTAPINE XtendFlex Cotton DP 1822 XF

early-mid

4.0-4.4

semi-smooth

37.8-38.3

31.0-32.1

Good tough-acre performance with excellent fiber properties and resistance to bacterial blight. Best fit in Texas.

Bollgard 3 XtendFlex Cotton DP 1820 B3XF

early-mid

4.2-4.8

semi-smooth

38.1-39.2

30.9-32.5

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

DP 1835 B3XF

mid

4.5-4.6

semi-smooth

36.2-37.6

29.4-30.6

Potential fiber length improvement over DP 1725 B2XF. Best fit in South Texas, Lower Mid-South, Carolinas and Lower Southeast.

DP 1840 B3XF

mid-full

4.4-4.5

smooth

38.0-38.8

30.6-31.6

Comparable to DP 1538 B2XF with potential fiber quality advantage over DP 1725 B2XF and bacterial blight resistance. Best fit in Southeast and Carolinas.

DP 1845 B3XF

mid-full

3.8-4.2

semi-smooth

38.8-39.8

29.6-32.3

Yield potential similar to DP 1646 B2XF (in Texas), and fiber length equal to DP 1646 B2XF. Best fit for Texas and Lower Mid-South.

DP 1851 B3XF

full

4.3-4.4

smooth

36.8-37.8

31.5-32.5

Excellent combination of yield and fiber quality potential with best fit in Lower Mid-South, Carolinas and Southeast.

Bollgard II XtendFlex Cotton DP 1823NR B2XF

early-mid

3.7-4.2

semi-smooth

37.2-37.9

29.0-30.8

Root-knot nematode resistance, with excellent fiber quality with low micronaire, excellent staple and strength. Best fit for Upper Mid-South.

DP 1725 B2XF

early-mid

4.1-4.5

semi-smooth

35.5-37.0

29.1-31.0

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

Easy to manage with PGRs. Lower micronaire to avoid high micronaire discounts.

DP 1747NR B2XF

full

4.0-4.8

semi-smooth

35.7-36.3

29.8-32.0

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

DP 1612 B2XF

early

4.3-4.6

light-hairy

36.3-37.5

30.3-33.1

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

Best fit in short-season environments.

DP 1614 B2XF

early

4.8-5.0

semi-smooth

36.3-39.7

29.7-31.8

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

DP 1639 B2XF

mid

4.4-4.9

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

4.1-4.5

smooth

37.7-39.4

29.2-31.1

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

DP 1518 B2XF

early

4.0-4.3

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

4.3-4.9

semi-smooth

35.6-37.2

29.8-32.2

Early to mid-maturity variety with good yield and fiber quality potential.

Aggressive growth will require timely PGR management.

DP 1538 B2XF

mid

4.5-4.6

smooth

35.7-36.0

28.8-30.5

Mid-maturity variety that has shown good performance on dryland fields.

Good fit for mid- to full-season markets. Aggressive growth will require timely PGR management.

DP 1549 B2XF

full

3.9-4.4

semi-smooth

35.1-36.7

29.5-31.4

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

DP 1553 B2XF

full

4.4-4.5

smooth

36.2-38.2

29.5-32.7

Full-season maturity variety with great 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

3.9-4.5

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 358 RF Pima

mid-full

4.2

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

4.2

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.

Pima Cotton

SEED SOURCE GENETICS Conventional Cotton SSG UA 107

early

4.5-4.9

smooth

35-39

30-33

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

Tolerant to Verticillium wilt and tarnished plant bugs. Good supply in 2019.

SSG UA 114

early

4.5-4.9

medium-hairy

35-39

30-33

Widely adapted. Disease resistance: bacterial blight, Fusarium wilt. Tolerant to Verticillium wilt and tarnished plant bugs. Good supply in 2019.

SSG HQ210CT

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.

New varieties for 2019 in blue

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NOVEMBER 2018 COTTON FARMING

11

Variety

Maturity

Micronaire Leaf Type

Staple Length G/Tex

Comments

FM 1320GL

very early

3.9

semi-smooth

1.13

31.0

Fits in the Far Northern High Plains and other short-season areas. Good replant option. Typically delivers micronaire high enough to stay out of the discount range. Loads bolls over a short season. Good fiber potential, high gin turnout.

FM 2011GT

early

3.9

semi-smooth

1.14

31.1

One of the most popular varieties in the FiberMax herbicide lineup. Good tolerance to Fusarium wilt, very good tolerance to Verticillium wilt, resistance to bacterial blight and tolerance to root-knot nematodes. Excellent storm tolerance, very strong yield and fiber quality potential.

FM 1830GLT

early-med

4.0

smooth

1.20

31.9

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

FM 1888GL

early-med

3.9

semi-smooth

1.19

31.7

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

FM 1911GLT

early-med

3.9

semi-smooth

1.18

30.9

Surpasses parent FM 2011GT with a broad-spectrum disease package.

Bacterial blight resistance. Very good tolerance to root-knot nematode, Fusarium wilt and Verticillium wilt. Flexible in-season weed control and worm protection.

FM 1953GLTP

early-med

3.9

semi-smooth

1.19

30.3

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

FM 2007GLT

early-med

3.9

semi-smooth

1.18

30.7

Bred specifically for the harsh dryland environments of the Rolling Plains and South Texas. Excellent yield and high fiber quality. With excellent water-use efficiency and storm tolerance, this variety is bred to thrive under pressure.

FM 2322GL

medium

4.0

semi-smooth

1.17

32.0

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

FM 2334GLT

medium

4.1

smooth

1.19

31.4

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

FM 2498GLT

medium

4.1

semi-smooth

1.18

30.0

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

FM 2574GLT

mid-full

4.0

smooth

1.20

31.0

Fits dryland production on the Rolling Plains. Outstanding fiber potential, excellent yield potential, bacterial blight resistance and very good Verticillium wilt tolerance. Offers high gin turnout.

Acala Daytona RF

full

4.4

semi-smooth

1.20

35.7

Adapted to California’s San Joaquin Valley. Also has recorded 4-bale and higher yields in Arizona. Full-season, very good fiber quality and strength.

FIBERMAX FiberMax Cotton

STONEVILLE Stoneville Cotton

12

ST 4747GLB2

early-med

4.3

semi-smooth

1.18

29.3

Large-seeded, early-season variety. Early seedling vigor, exceptional yield potential. Fits best in irrigated fields. Plant early to harvest first or late following a winter crop.

ST 4848GLT

early-med

4.7

hairy

1.16

30.9

Fits dryland or irrigated fields. Comes out of the ground strong. Exceptional yield potential, high gin turnout, very good fiber quality. Easy to manage, moderately aggressive growth habits.

ST 4946GLB2

early-med

4.5

semi-smooth

1.15

31.7

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

ST 4949GLT

early-med

4.7

hairy

1.13

30.3

Performs strong on dryland or irrigated fields. Exceptional yield potential, good fiber quality and very high lint turnout. Growers familiar with ST 4946GLB2 can step into ST 4949GLT, which thrives under similar management.

ST 5020GLT

medium

4.6

hairy

1.21

33.1

Best fiber package in this lineup. Bred for the Eastern Cotton Belt. Early-season vigor and standability and bacterial blight resistance. Consistent strong yield.

ST 5122GLT

early-mid

4.2

smooth

1.16

31.1

Jumps out of the ground. Outstanding yield potential, fiber quality and very good tolerance to Verticillium wilt. Widely adapted to the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Delta, East Texas, Northern Rolling Plains and Oklahoma.

ST5471GLTP

medium

4.3

smooth

1.18

31.8

Outstanding yield, exceptional quality potential from South Texas to Virginia.

Three-gene protection of TwinLink Plus. Resistance to bacterial blight and very good tolerance to Verticillium wilt.

ST 5517GLTP

late-mid

4.4

smooth

1.15

31.2

Increases opportunity for exceptional yield. Decreases chance of having to overspray for worms. Starts strong with early-season vigor. Doesn’t let bacterial blight or worms get in its way on the road to a high-yielding harvest.

ST 5818GLT

mid-full

4.1

smooth

1.19

30.8

Excellent yield potential, exceptional quality. Very good early-season vigor.

Fits irrigated and dryland. Adapted to Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, South Delta and South Texas.

ST 6182GLT

full

4.6

smooth

1.15

29.4

Excellent performance in many situations. On dryland or under irrigation, it delivers excellent yield and good fiber quality potential in varied soil types.

COTTON FARMING NOVEMBER 2018

COTTONFARMING.COM

Variety

Maturity

Micronaire Leaf Type

Staple Length G/Tex

Comments

smooth

37-39

30-32

High yield and outstanding fiber quality variety in Bollgard 3 technology, with best-in-class disease package. Wide adaptability and easy to manage for a growthy plant.

AMERICOT NexGen Bollgard 3 XtendFlex Varieties NG 5711 B3XF

mid-full

4.3-4.6

NexGen Bollgard II XtendFlex Varieties NG 3406 B2XF

early-mid

4.4-4.6

semi-smooth

36-37

29-31

Excellent yield and fiber quality. Performs well all across the Cotton Belt. No. 1 Planted Variety in U.S. in 2016 and No. 2 in 2017 and 2018!

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 3729 B2XF

early-mid

4.4-4.6

semi-smooth

37-38

30-32

Early-medium picker-type variety very well-adapted to the Mid-South and Southeast. Responds very well to PGRs and has top-end yield potential.

NG 3780 B2XF

early-mid

4.0-4.7

smooth

37-39

32-33

High yield potential with great fiber quality. Slightly earlier than 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 2018! Excellent variety for all scenarios across 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.

NG 4689 B2XF

mid

4.4-4.8

smooth

36-37

32-33

Excellent yield potential and outstanding fiber quality. No. 3 planted variety in 2018. Top performer from Rolling Plains to High Plains of Texas.

NG 4777 B2XF

mid

4.0-4.7

smooth

37-38

32-34

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

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 why this variety was one of the top-planted varieties the past 2 years!

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

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

4.5-4.9

smooth

37-39

36-38

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

CROPLAN 9178B3XF early

4.3-4.7

smooth

37-39

31-34

Best adapted to Mid-South and Upper Southeast. Shorter-statured plant type that fruits earlier than average. May require light PGR management in some short-season environments. Open boll type. Average seed size: 4,700 seeds per pound.

CROPLAN 9598B3XF mid

4.5-4.6

smooth

36-38

29-32

Well adapted to West Texas and Oklahoma. Compact growth habit. Excellent late-season plant health. May require moderate PGR management in short-season environments. Well adapted from top-end to stress acres. Average seed size: 5,100 seeds per pound.

CROPLAN 9608B3XF mid

4.3-4.5

semi-smooth

36-38

29-30

Can be a racehorse product in the Southeast, Mid-South and South Texas.

Intermediate plant type. Use moderate levels of PGR. Best suited to loams and heavier soils. Average seed size: 5,400 seeds per pound.

CROPLAN 3475B2XF early

4.1-4.6

semi-smooth

36-38

30-32

Broadly adapted to short-season environments dryland and irrigated. Excellent seedling emergence and early-season vigor. Better suited for acres without high levels of Verticillium wilt. May require PGRs in short-season environments.

Average seed size: 4,700 seeds per pound.

CROPLAN 3527B2XF early

4.5-4.8

semi-smooth

37-39

29-30

Best adapted to Northern Cotton Belt. Late-season tolerance to Verticillium wilt.

Best positioned on highly managed, highly productive fields. May require PGRs in short-season environments. Average seed size: 6,300 seeds per pound.

CROPLAN 3885B2XF mid-full

4.4-4.8

smooth

36-38

29-31

Broadly adapted to full-season environments. Vigorous in good growing conditions. May require relatively aggressive PGR management. Best fits lighter and mixed soils. Average seed size: 5,500 seeds per pound.

NexGen XtendFlex

Conventional Cotton AM UA48

early

CROPLAN Bollgard 3 XtendFlex Cotton

Bollgard II XtendFlex Cotton

New varieties for 2019 in blue

TWITTER: @COTTONFARMING

NOVEMBER 2018 COTTON FARMING

13

Variety

Maturity

Micronaire Leaf Type

Staple Length G/Tex

Comments

ALL-TEX/DYNA-GRO XtendFlex Cotton DG 2425 XF

early

3.9-4.1

semi-smooth

1.16-1.19

30-31

Large seed, great vigor. Bacterial blight resistance and very good Verticillium wilt tolerance.

DG 2505 XF

mid-early

3.9-4.1

smooth

1.21-1.23

30-32

Broadly adapted for Texas, Southeast. Good yields and high quality fiber.

Excellent storm tolerance for delayed harvest.

Bollgard 3 XtendFlex Cotton DG 3402 B3XF

early-mid

3.8-4.1

smooth

1.21-1.23

29.5-31

Bacterial blight resistance. Excellent fiber quality, seedling vigor and storm tolorance.

DG 3421 B3XF

early-mid

3.8-4.2

smooth

1.19-1.23

29-31

Above-average Verticillium wilt tolerance. Excellent fiber quality/storm tolerance.

DG 3530 B3XF

mid

4.2-4.4

semi-smooth

1.18-1.20

29-30

Adapted for Texas, Southwest, Mid-South, I-20 north, Upper Southeast and East Coast.

DG 3570 B3XF

mid

4.1-4.4

semi-smooth

1.17-1.19

28.5-29.5

B3XF version of DG 2570 B2RF. Recommended for dryland and irrigation.

Above-average quality and very good seeedling quality.

DG 3555 B3XF

mid

3.8-4.2

semi-smooth

1.28-1.33

30-32

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

DG 3615 B3XF

mid-full

3.9-4.2

smooth

1.22-1.26

31-33

Excellent Verticillium wilt tolerance and bacterial blight resistance. Excellent storm tolerance, fiber quality and seedling vigor.

Bollgard II XtendFlex Cotton 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 and early-season vigor. Very good irrigated or dryland. Best performance on sand to silt loams. Manage early with plant growth regulators.

DG 3445 B2XF

early-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 3214 B2XF

early-mid

4.2-4.8

semi-smooth

1.14-1.21

28-30

Best fit in Texas and Carolinas growing areas. Very good tolerance to Verticillium wilt and bacterial blight. Works well on irrigated and dryland.

DG 3433 B2XF

early-mid

4.3-4.9

semi-smooth

1.08-1.15

28-31

Adapted to the Mid-South, Delta and South. Use in irrigated and rainfed enviroments. Adapted to most soil types

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 3560 B2XF

mid

4.2-4.6

semi-smooth

Bacterial blight resistance. Adapted to Lower Southwest, West Texas and South Texas. Good fiber package with strong quality.

DG 3450 B2XF

mid

3.8-4.1

smooth

Bacterial blight resistance good fiber package with strong quality characteristics. Excellent storm tolerance for delayed harvest.

DG 3526 B2XF

mid

4.4-4.9

semi-smooth

DG 3544 B2XF

mid

3.9-4.1

smooth

DG 3605 B2XF

mid-full

4.1-4.6

smooth

1.18-1.26

29-32

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

DG 3635 B2XF

mid-full

4.2-4.6

smooth

1.12-1.16

31-35

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

DG 3645 B2XF

mid-full

4.3-4.7

smooth

1.13-1.17

31-35

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 3757 B2XF

full

4.6-4.8

smooth

1.16-1.20

27-31

Broadly adapted dryland or irrigated in the Lower Southeast, Lower Mid-South and Upper Gulf Coast. May require more PGR applications under high irrigation or strong growing conditions.

DG 3610 B2XF

full

4.2-4.6

smooth

1.13-1.19

30-32

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

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.

Very good tolerance to Verticillium wilt and bacterial blight. Broadly adapted to Texas and the Southeast.

GlyTol LibertyLink TwinLink 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 1702 GLT

mid

4.4-4.8

smooth

1.16-1.20

30-34

Excellent yield potential and seedling vigor. Use in dryland or ample irrigation production systems. Good fiber package.

New varieties for 2019 in blue

14

COTTON FARMING NOVEMBER 2018

COTTONFARMING.COM

S:6.5”

Now with COPeO Prime ®

seed treatment in the bag at no extra cost

A great cotton season calls for strength in you and your crop. It’s always been that way for growers who know the art of growing cotton. And when you plant Stoneville, our science keeps delivering early-season vigor, which leads to in-season strength and high yield potential at harvest. So combine our science with your art and get a strong start with Stoneville. Now with COPeO Prime seed treatment for nematode protection—included in the bag at no extra cost.

Learn more at Stoneville.com.

Stoneville. Our Science for Your Art. Always read and follow label directions.

Stoneville and COPeO are registered trademarks of BASF. © 2018 BASF Corporation. All rights reserved. APN 18-SC-0001

BSC201800150_Stoneville Inner Strength Print_COPEO_7x10.indd 1

10/3/18 11:30 AM

T:10”

S:9.5”

It takes an inner strength to make it through the season. Get a strong start with Stoneville.

BELTWIDE

COTTON CONFERENCES

2019 Beltwide Cotton Conferences Event Highlights Efficiency

T

he National Cotton Council will hold the 2019 Beltwide Cotton Conferences (BWCC), Jan. 8-10, 2019, at the New Orleans Marriott in New Orleans, Louisiana. The meeting is designed to provide insight on current research and emerging technology to help attendees improve production, processing and marketing efficiency.

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

Information about the 2019 BWCC, including registration and housing reservation instructions, is at www. cotton.org/beltwide/. The website also

includes a link to BWCC proceedings from 2005-2018.

Come Join Us In Savannah!

NAICC ANNUAL MEETING AND AG PRO EXPO January 16-19, 2019

Savannah International Trade and Convention Center Savannah, Georgia For information call: (901) 861-0511

16

•

www.naicc.org

COTTON FARMING NOVEMBER 2018

NAICC-Ad-OG.19.indd 1

Cotton Consultants’ Conference The 2019 BWCC will begin at noon, Jan. 8, with the half-day Cotton Consultants’ Conference that is open to all attendees. Among topics selected by the consultant community is an expert panel of entomologists to discuss bollworm and Bt resistance.

North Carolina State Extension entomologist Dominic Reisig, who will serve on the panel, says, “Because bollworm is now resistant to cotton varieties with two Bt toxins (Bollgard 2, WideStrike and TwinLink), production and resistance management practices should be altered. This will include the modification of thresholds for bollworm in certain cotton varieties and actions in corn to delay resistance to the current functioning Bt trait for bollworm — Vip3Aa.” Other entomologists joining Reisig are David Kerns, Texas A&M; Rogers Leonard, Louisiana State University AgCenter; and Jeff Gore, Mississippi State University. This “must-attend” discussion will shed light on a topic that has garnered attention out in the field in recent years.

Also during the conference, Auburn University’s Kathy Lawrence will make a presentation on the status of nematodes and the new products pertaining to them. Other topics include the objectives of cover crop initiaCOTTONFARMING.COM

9/17/18 11:19 AM

tives, the current state of integrated pest management in cotton and future considerations, the status of boll weevil eradication in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and a product registration update.

Technical Conferences The BWCC cotton technical conferences, which will provide updates on research and a look into the technology pipeline, will meet concurrently beginning on the morning of Jan. 9 and conclude by noon, Jan. 10.

The Ginning Conference, for example, will include several presentations critical to cotton quality and efficient processing. Included will be updates regarding ongoing ginning research, new equipment, cottonseed, and lint contamination research and prevention. Beginning on the afternoon of Jan. 8, the National Cotton Ginners Association will hold several committee and subcommittee meetings. A schedule of those meetings is at www. cotton.org/ncga/index.cfm.

The Cotton Engineering-Systems Conference will have a panel addressing sustainability issues. The Cotton Improvement Conference also will feature five-minute lightning talks from poster presentation authors.

They provide the main research points for stimulating more discussion later at the poster session.

Registration Fees Here are the registration costs for the 2019 BWCC before Dec.17.  $200 for NCC/Cotton Foundation members, university and USDA researchers, Extension personnel, associations and consultants  $500 for non-U.S. researchers, Extension, associations and consultants  $400 for non-NCC/Foundation members  $80 for students On-site conference self-registration kiosks will be open 24 hours a day starting on the evening of Jan. 7.

Beginning on the morning of Jan. 8, NCC staff will be available for attendees needing assistance with registration and name badge printing.

The Big Easy Beckons On its website, the NCC shares “More About New Orleans” to give potential BWCC attendees a glimpse inside the historic venue.

“A timeless city with a unique way of life, New Orleans is a journey and a TWITTER: @COTTONFARMING

celebration. Steeped in European traditions and Caribbean influences, the Big Easy calls curious minds to sweet sounds and savory aromas fueled by three hundred years of history. From the moment you arrive, New Orleans will beckon your ears, allure your eyes and enchant your heart.

“Indulge your senses and explore.

We invite you to follow the scent of gumbo floating out the kitchen window, foster a path that leads to the sounds of drums and a Blues guitar, create the route that welcomes you to a historic mansion or a hidden court-

yard… We believe that our lagniappe — a little something extra — will stay with you, calling you back to discover the mystery behind our magical city. New Orleans is and will always be a picturesque metropolitan, a culturally rich haven and an authentic experience.”

Be sure to attend this long-standing cotton meeting that brings the industry together for education, networking opportunities and fun.

For more information, call 901-2749030 or email: beltwide@cotton.org.

THRIVING IN COTTON Ramey Stiles grows PhytoGen® brand varieties on mostly irrigated land in Lee County, Arkansas. Here, he recounts his experience with the vigor, yield and quality of PhytoGen brand PHY 330 W3FE, PHY 340 W3FE, PHY 320 W3FE, PHY 350 W3FE and PHY 430 W3FE. He depends on the Enlist™ weed control system to eliminate glyphosate-resistant Palmer pigweed and WideStrike® 3 Insect Protection to keep bollworms out of his fields.

Varieties Live Up to High Expectations

A

“

ll of our cotton came up with good seedling vigor this year. We have come to expect that with the PhytoGen varieties. I’m really excited about PHY 430 W3FE. This variety performs well on good dirt as well as thinner ground. It seems to fit everywhere. It’s not all ginned and classed yet, but it looks very good from the round module counts in fields planted to that variety.

“Overall, we’ve harvested and ginned about one-third of our crop, and so far we’ve had no high mic discounts. Fiber length, uniformity and strength are good, and we are really pleased with more than 40 percent gin turnout. We received twice our normal rainfall in September, which resulted in instances of boll rot and hard lock. Despite these issues, we are headed for close to a 2½ bale crop, and we are happy with that.

“We apply residuals and a tankmix of Enlist One and Liberty herbicides, which has been very effective against glyphosate-resistant Palmer pigweed, especially if you catch them early. Enlist One has very low volatility, and I am mindful of the wind to avoid physical drift. Being able to spray Enlist One without having to worry about off-target movement makes our weed control program very easy and effective.

“We also have confidence in WideStrike 3 to control worms. We had a big moth flight and heavy egg lay this year and didn’t have to spray for worms at all. WideStrike 3 saved us from having to make that expensive application.

“Based on what I have seen so far, I intend to plant PHY 350 W3FE as well as more PHY 430 W3FE in 2019. It’s going to be a good one.”

RAMEY STILES Cotton farmer Marianna, Arkansas

PhytoGen and the PhytoGen Logo are trademarks of PhytoGen Seed Company, LLC. ®™Trademarks of Dow AgroSciences, DuPont or Pioneer, and their affiliated companies or their respective owners. 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 2018 COTTON FARMING

17

CHECK SOIL FOR

Compaction Layers Compaction Layers Compaction Layers

Spotting Detrimental Effects Soil compaction reduces crop rooting ability, restricts water infiltration rate, reduces the volume of soil that plant roots will be able to mine for essential nutrients and ultimately can reduce yield.

Machinery size is steadily increasing and will only lead to more frequent soil compaction issues.

Silt loam soils are typically prone to compaction. There is perhaps a misconception that shrink-and-swell-type clay soils are not prone to compaction layers due to being “deep broke� as they crack open during periods of drought. Regardless, soil compaction layers have been observed in cracking clay soils.

Fields where compaction could be an issue show reduced crop growth

18

COTTON FARMING NOVEMBER 2018

DAN FROMME

I

n the past couple of growing seasons, soil compaction has been a hindrance in many fields across Louisiana. Soil compaction is evident by reduced crop growth and development in fields and confirmed by inserting a penetrometer into the soil.

Soil compaction is the compression of soil particles that reduces pore space, thus creating a dense layer of soil that can impede plant root growth. It can be caused by heavy machinery traffic and horizontal tillage operations when the soil is too saturated.

There have been instances where a deep vertical till implement was used to alleviate a soil compaction layer only to create a new one less than 4 inches deep in the row middle when the rows were re-bedded. This was probably because the soil was too wet.

Soil compaction can result in J-rooted cotton, which may ultimately reduce yields. rate, early season nutrient deficiency symptoms, and crop wilting in certain areas of the field and not in others.

Compacted areas can be identified especially during periods of cool weather early in the growing season when the crop develops at a reduced rate compared with the rest of the field with a similar soil type.

Ways To Elude Compaction You can test for compaction layers by probing the soil (tops of beds or rows) in several areas of a field using a soil penetrometer. To mark the depth of the compaction zone, push the penetrometer down to the compacted zone and place a finger where the probe meets the soil surface.

As a guideline, use the penetrometer when there is sufficient soil moisture for planting. Also, make sure that deeper compaction layers are

not present. To avoid soil compaction, limit field operations when soils are too wet. This can be difficult in Louisiana, but creating hardpans will reduce yield. Deep vertical tillage is the fastest method to alleviate soil compaction layers.

Deep- or tap-rooted winter cover crops can also help loosen compacted soil over time and may help prevent a compaction layer from occurring by increasing soil organic matter and maintaining soil structure.

Fields with soil compaction layers should be identified and deep broke this fall when soil moisture conditions are favorable to lift the soil so the hardpan can be disrupted.

This article is courtesy of the LSU AgCenter and authored by Josh Copes, Dennis Burns, R.L. Frazier and Dan Fromme.

COTTONFARMING.COM

MID-SOUTH REPORT

Water-Use Efficiency Supports Sustainability

T

hroughout the Mid-South, Cotton Incorporated-funded water research is making huge impacts on how cotton farmers manage their irrigated crop.

Over the past 30 years, producers have improved irrigation efficiency in cotton 82 percent, according to Field to Market, an alliance of stakeholders that emphasizes sustainable resources across the agricultural supply chain. The Cotton Sustainability Task Force — made up of representatives from Cotton Incorporated, The Cotton Board and the National Cotton Council — has set an industry goal to increase that irrigation water-use efficiency an additional 18 percent by 2025.

Water-use efficiency has been a high priority for research since the cotton industry began discussions about sustainability. Understanding that saving water means cost savings to growers makes it an easy area on which to focus as Cotton Incorporated continues to find ways to lessen cotton’s environmental impact.

Cotton planted into cereal rye in Gould, Arkansas, is helping farmers reduce soil and nutrient loss while increasing soil structure, improving irrigation efficiency and adding to the producer’s bottom line.

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COTTON FARMING NOVEMBER 2018

BY BRENT MURPHREE MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE

Louisiana Farmers Participate With the help of Field to Market, Cotton Incorporated has been tracking water-use improvements made by cotton producers in the Delta and across the Cotton Belt.

Dr. Andy Jordan and Rachel Lee of Jordan & Associates, are making on-site visits to about 50 cotton producers in Louisiana. On a farmby-farm basis, Jordan and Lee are establishing what water-use enhancements have been made and uploading that data to Field to Market.

Improvements can include runoff control, nutrient retainment, irrigation tracking and precision scheduling.

“Producers realize the need for tracking their water-use improvements,” says Lee, the soil health research implementation manager at Jordan Associates. “They know that consumers are questioning our impact on the environment and need to show the positive steps producers have been taking to improve sustainability.”

Lee says those growers who have implemented conservation plans or best management practices (BMPs) have been able to see the improvements in their fields. Where on-site improvements are needed, recommendations by conservation scientists and Extension specialists can be used to increase efficiency in those areas.

Cotton Incorporated funds a portion of the water-use research, which has led to increased water savings.

And, in the Mid-South, as producers continue to address old water issues, such as soil loss, drought mitigation and nutrient runoff, new issues like aquifer depletion and precise supplemental irrigation application are becoming a higher priority.

Arkansas Discovery Farm O utside of D u mas, A rka nsas, cotton producer Steve Stevens has partnered with several University of Arkansas researchers and the Cotton Incorporated State Support Program funding to measure water use on the university’s Discovery Farm in Tillar.

He is tracking rainfall and water use to determine his operation’s efficiency, run off and soil retainment.

“We’ve determined that with cover crops and precision irrigation, we are able to improve the building blocks of the soil, keep the soil and nutrients from washing out of the field, and improve the efficiency of irrigation,” Stevens says.

He says he has achieved better than 90 percent irrigation efficiency and reduced nutrient runoff to 4 percent of nitrogen and 2 percent of phosphate.

Several factors have contributed to Stevens’ success at the Discovery Farm. For example, computerized hole selection is a computer application that optimizes the water f low from the collapsible poly tubing used to irrigate by determining the best size hole to punch in the pipe. The calculations are based on field size, soil type and soil moisture.

Soil moisture probes in Stevens’ fields have shown that cereal rye is helping to get moisture deeper into the cotton root zone by opening the soil. Rainfall is able to penetrate deeper so that less supplemental irrigation is needed.

He also has noted that new irrigation techniques have saved him about 6 cents per acre.

In addition to the research at the Steven’s farm and the data collection in Louisiana, at least eight other water efficiency research projects are being supplemented by Cotton Incorporated in the Mid-South region.

Brent Murphree is the Cotton’s Board’s regional communication manager for the Mid-South. E-mail him at bmurphree@ cottonboard.org.

COTTONFARMING.COM

MY STRONG COTTON | SPECIAL REPORT

Deltapine Cotton Finishes Strong In Alabama ®

This fall, Cotton Farming editor Carroll Smith captured stories from farmers planting Deltapine varieties, looking for high yield and good fiber quality potential. Following is her special report on Nick McMichen in Centre, Alabama.

G

rowing cotton is second nature to fourth-generation Alabama producer Nick McMichen. He grew up on the family farm where his favorite pastime was riding the cotton picker.

Today, McMichen farms 2,200 acres of no-till cotton, 500 of which are pivot-irrigated. He also plants a cover crop mixture of rye, tillage radishes and crimson clover on about one-third of his acres. This practice builds humus in the soil to help with water infiltration.

This year, 70 percent of McMichen’s crop was planted to DP 1646 B2XF and about 15 percent was planted to NICK MCMICHEN DP 1725 B2XF. He also Centre, Alabama had several varieties in his Deltapine New Product DP 1646 B2XF ® ® Evaluator (NPE) plots and • Bollgard II XtendFlex Auburn University’s offivariety cial variety trials.

• Broadly adapted with high yield potential “DP 1646 B2XF is a • Outstanding fiber properties full-season variety that has • Planted on more acres in turned out to be some of the Southeast than any the best cotton I have ever other variety grown,” McMichen says. “It DP 1725 B2XF has tremendous fiber qual• Bollgard II XtendFlex variety ity and the yields have just • Early to mid-maturity been phenomenal. I would • Exceptional yield potential say DP 1646 B2XF is the • Outstanding fiber properties No. 1 variety in this area.

“In the past two years, the quality of the Deltapine varieties has gone through the roof. Yields were making those jumps in the earlier varieties, but now we have the fiber quality to go along with the yield. Fiber length and micronaire have improved to the point that we are currently getting premiums.”

Gin And Marketing Services McMichen and his wife, Freida, are also involved with cotton beyond the field. In 2000, he and Freida’s family, who owns Jordan Cotton Inc., partnered with Lindsey Bros. Inc. to form Cherokee Gin and Cotton Co. — a full-service gin and marketing facility in Centre. Freida, a fifth-generation cotton merchant, buys several thousand bales per year with their daughter, Mindy, under Jordan Cotton Inc. “We have made a concerted effort and investment to provide not only a gin service but also a marketing service for our growers in seven counties and two states,” Twitter: @CottonFarming

Nick McMichen has been a Deltapine NPE grower since the program began 11 years ago.

McMichen says. “Last year, we ginned 64,000 bales — the most cotton in the state of Alabama. We are building a new gin a few miles away that will have the latest equipment and technology designed to preserve fiber quality.”

The gin also provides a quality and quantity of bales recap for its customers on all the varieties that are SPONSORED BY DELTAPINE ginned each season.

“When the merchants see that I have good DP 1646 B2XF, for example, they want our cotton and will pay extra for it,” McMichen says.

“I have gotten a multiple-cent premium on good quality, long-staple, premium micronaire cotton. And my loan average was 2½ cents better than the gin average across the board last year due to planting Deltapine cotton.”

Commitment To Quality As mills around the world continue to raise the bar with advanced spinning technology, McMichen says the demand for quality cotton is more important than ever.

“U.S. cotton is the gold standard because we have good quality,” he says. “The work Deltapine is doing in keeping U.S. cotton the No. 1 product in the world is very valuable since we depend heavily on the export market.

“I think improved breeding has made cotton quality better today. The breeders know that farmers need high-quality cotton to compete, and the folks at Deltapine make selections based not only on yields but also on good fiber packages. Deltapine is committed to helping us supply the merchants and mills with quality cotton.

“This year, from top to bottom, I believe we have the best crop we have ever had. No doubt about it. With Deltapine cotton, I have the whole package — yield and fiber quality. That’s a great combo for success.”

Although farmers are always challenged by the weather, such as the hurricane that devastated south Georgia this year, growing cotton is his passion, McMichen says.

“Cotton is our bread and butter and is embedded in our families, farms, churches and communities. We have made a commitment to it, and I love going to work every day.”

Go to cottonfarming.com to hear the “My Strong Cotton” special reports about how Deltapine varieties are providing strong solutions to cotton farmers.

NOVEMBER 2018 COTTON FARMING

21

Specialists Speaking A Roller Coaster Of A Season For Some FLORIDA David Wright Harvest season is especially busy and stressful for farmers as they often have two or more crops to gather in an eight- to 10-week period. There is also the potential for tropical storms and hurricanes that delay and reduce harvest and shorter days in November, which result in less harvest time.

Cotton yields have generally been good with many fields having excellent yield potential. About 50 percent of our cotton was planted late due to weather. It is being defoliated with higher defoliant rates because of cooler temperatures.

As fields are harvested, soil sample for nematodes and fertility, paying particular attention to areas that had problem spots. An accurate diagnosis can help keep the problem from spreading and increase future yields. wright@ufl.edu

MISSISSIPPI Darrin Dodds A large portion of our crop was ready for harvest during late September, but untimely rains kept pickers out of the field. Ten days of rain in September hurt a portion of the Mississippi crop; however, outstanding yields are coming in from a number of areas. Pickers were running wide open by Oct. 1, and many of our gins opened at about the same time.

A portion of our crop was planted late, but temperatures remained at or above 90 degrees for the first 10 days of October, which helped mature our later crop. Weather permitting, Mississippi growers appear set to harvest an above-average to tremendous crop in 2018.

A big post-harvest consideration should be soil sampling and soil fertility. Many of our crops have produced high yields not only in 2018 but also over the previous five years. Soil fertility is much like gasoline or diesel in your vehicle or equipment — you go a long way with it but nowhere without it.

Be sure to properly address fertility and pH needs and account for nutrient removal when soil sampling and determining a proper fertility/lime program. The best soil fertility program can be negated by low pH and a poor root system. dmd76@pss.msstate.edu

TENNESSEE Tyson Raper The 2018 season has been a roller coaster. In late July, we were about two weeks ahead on heat units with what appeared to be a record-breaking crop.

Unfortunately, drought hit many areas in August, and several sequential days of rain fell in late September.

These two events moved our otherwise record-breaking crop back into a more “average” year. Fortunately, very little additional rain has fallen between those September rains and today (Oct. 10), but that is forecast to change.

Our main harvest issue has been regrowth. The hard cutout experienced by the crop during August prevented it from using all applied resources. Scattered rains in early September kick-started regrowth, and the additional moisture in late September allowed the crop to take off.

No combination has worked extremely well to remove re-growth.

The best option has been nozzle selection, which results in better coverage, and using a minimum of 15 GPA in each application.

22

COTTON FARMING NOVEMBER 2018

Fortunately, cooler temperatures should halt additional regrowth and ease management as we move into the first part of November. traper@utk.edu

MISSOURI Calvin Meeks As I write this on Sept. 30, the cotton crop in Missouri is rolling along with nearly 30 percent of the crop harvested. Overall, the yield potential of the 2018 crop is good and predicted at 1,230 pounds per acre, which would best 2017. The weather has been warm with 75-plus F degree nights, allowing for good defoliation conditions. However, it looks like cooler weather is on the way with some rainfall forecast.

Yields seem to be lower than expected in areas that received higher late rainfall, and fields didn’t pick as clean. A weathered cotton crop tends to decline in harvest efficiency. While the rush to beat the weather is on, keep an eye out for worn and out-of-adjustment doffers to decrease picker wrap and help pick as clean as possible.

Harvest will be wrapping up soon, and it will be time to start planning for next year. Results from the Missouri official variety trials will be posted soon at http://agebb.missouri.edu/cotton/. All but two of the small-plot trials were harvested at the time of this writing. Following harvest, pulling soil samples would be advised to get an accurate handle on soil fertility needs for the 2019 crop. meeksc@missouri.edu

OKLAHOMA Seth Byrd Cotton harvest ramped up through October, although cool weather and excessive rainfall were prevalent on the majority of the cotton acres during the early and middle part of the month. By the time this issue of Cotton Farming reaches you, hopefully the weather has cleared up and harvest operations are back in full swing.

Compared to recent years, it’s been a much more challenging beginning and end of the season for Oklahoma cotton. A hot and dry start resulted in delayed emergence or slow early season growth. This resulted in a significant number of acres that could have used a couple more weeks of warm, sunny weather to open bolls.

However, favorable conditions were present throughout the middle of the season, and yield projections were high entering harvest.

As I write this in early October, no classing reports for Oklahoma cotton are available, so it will be interesting to see what effect some of the late-season challenges have on the quality of the crop. seth. byrd@okstate.edu

ARKANSAS Bill Robertson Cotton harvest as projected by the National Agricultural Statistics Service was approximately half completed into the second week of October. At this point, we are on track to achieve the most current NASS yield projection of 1,150 pounds per harvested acre for the state of Arkansas. There are still a great number of challenges we must be prepared to address as this crop season comes to an end. We all look forward to seeing how 2018 wraps up.

Most farmers are well into planning for 2019. Soil samples for COTTONFARMING.COM

Specialists Speaking fertility as well as nematodes will be pulled in great numbers after harvest and stalk destruction are complete. Get cover crops on your radar if they are not part of your current plan. Look to the University of Arkansas Variety Testing website for county and official variety trial results. The new address is https://arkansas-variety-testing.uark.edu/.

County production meetings are being scheduled at this time.

Contact your local county Extension agent for dates and locations near you. brobertson@uaex.edu

TEXAS Murilo Maeda Cotton harvest has begun in some parts of the Texas High Plains as of Oct. 1. Due to lack of adequate moisture early on and a rough start to the season, there is a wide range of cotton in the fields. Some is ready to harvest, some is just defoliated, and some is running a little behind.

Harvest activities have come to a halt due to widespread rainfall in the region during the first week of October. Rain totals ranged from 0.5 to more than 6 inches. Remnants of Hurricane Sergio are expected to bring additional, widespread rain from 1 to 3 inches to the region, further delaying harvest.

High elevations in the Texas Panhandle may get their first hard freeze by the time this issue reaches you, while the Southern High Plains will be flirting with a first freeze as well. Unfavorable weather is likely to delay harvest and impact fiber quality — to what extent remains to be seen.

We continue to keep everyone in the Southeast in our thoughts and prayers as they deal with the impacts of Hurricane Michael. mmaeda@ag.tamu.edu

TEXAS Gaylon Morgan The El Niño pattern continues across most of Texas and is causing harvest delays and decreasing cotton fiber quality at varying degrees. The Upper Gulf Coast and Brazos Bottom regions probably average about 40 percent of the crop remaining in the field and already having endured a month of rainfall.

Much of this area has received more than 20 inches

of rain since cotton harvest began. This is the third year in a row with a similar devastating harvest season.

For classed cotton at Corpus Christi, the overall quality has been good, but the detrimental impact of weathering is starting to work its way into the system. Most of the drought-stressed Blacklands was harvested early and showed low yields. Fortunately, the fiber quality was more stable than expected under the extreme drought conditions.

Northeast Texas has faced challenges as well. Harvesting the dryland cotton crop in the Rolling Plains is going slow due to intermittent rainfall. Irrigated cotton growers were hoping for more heat-unit accumulation this fall to finish some of the late bolls, but cloudy weather and cooler temperatures are not helping the crop progress very quickly. gdmorgan@tamu.edu

LOUISIANA Dan Fromme As we approach mid-October, approximately 5060 percent of the cotton acres have been harvested. This year, Louisiana will harvest about 180,000 acres of cotton. Good to excellent yields are being reported on 60-70 percent of the acres. Lint yields of more than 1,500 pounds per acre are not uncommon in some areas of the state.

Fiber quality for the 2018 crop is looking good. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Marketing Service figures as of Oct. 4 out of Rayville, only 18.5 percent of the bales received have produced a micronaire value of 5.0 or greater. This year’s length, strength and uniformity are averaging 1.18, 31.7 and 81.9, respectively.

Following harvest, concentrate on soil fertility needs for the 2019 crop. Basically, soil tests serve two functions. They indicate nutrient levels in the soil and where to start in developing a fertilizer/ lime program. A sound program can be prescribed by combining this information, cropping history and the overall soil productivity potential of the field.

Also, soil tests can be used on a regular basis to monitor the production system and measure trends and changes. These help to maintain the overall fertility program on the same level with other production inputs. dfromme@agcenter.lsu.edu

HANK JONES

Louisiana is reporting good to excellent yields on 60 to 70 percent of its acres.

TWITTER: @COTTONFARMING

NOVEMBER 2018 COTTON FARMING

23

COTTON

Ginners Marketplace

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COTTON FARMING IS THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE GINNING INDUSTRY.

Cotton Ginners Marketplace

TCGA Interns Reflect On Their Summer Experiences The Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association internship program has been a big success for many years. TCGA says it is pleased to see continued interest from college students and is always excited for these young people to experience the cotton industry.

The 2018 TCGA interns are Clay Braden, Texas Tech University; Mitchell Ratke, Oklahoma State University; and Dolan Vollmering, Texas A&M University. Here are the reports they submitted to TCGA about the time spent with their sponsors this summer.

Clay Braden Running a cotton gin is not for the weak as long hours, extreme weather conditions and unpredictable breakdowns are just a few of the situations that gin managers and workers face.

However, when you surround yourself with the right people, these situations can be tolerable and easily worked through.

Edcot Co-op Gin manager Sid Brough has done just that. With assistant manager Daniel Luehrs and gin superintendents Jesus and Hector Cruz by his side, Mr. Brough makes ginning cotton look easy.

I had the pleasure of spending three weeks at Edcot Co-op Gin in Odem, Texas, and it was an experience I will never forget. Upon arriving at the gin the first day, Mr. Brough shared with me a quote as he was introducing me to his office staff: “If mama ain’t happy, nobody is happy.” He was referring to the fact that he always does what he can to ensure that the ladies working in the office are happy and comfortable as they truly are the backbone of his operation.

Directly after meeting all of Mr. Brough’s office staff, I found myself in the gin meeting all of the employees, and we immediately got to work ginning cotton. They had just started up the gin the day before I arrived and were making some final adjustments before starting to operate 24/7.

I spent the majority of my time in the gin with day-shift superintendent Jesus Cruz as he showed me every piece of equipment and explained to me exactly how it worked. We performed repairs when necessary and checked every machine daily to see if anything needed to be adjusted. I spent time at every station in the gin from the module feeder to the press and became comfortable with every position. I learned how to operate the new press console as well as how to set the gin stands so the gin would run at its fastest, most efficient speed.

I also spent a lot of time outside of the gin. I toured the classing office in Corpus Christi, as well as Gulf Compress and Valley Cooperative Oil Mill in Harlingen. I even had the opportunity to travel around the area and meet with many farmers as they were getting ready to harvest their crops. We coordinated how many trucks they would need at each farm to ensure that all of their cotton was out of the field in a timely manner.

I also spent a large amount of time learning some of the innovative software that Edcot uses with the RFIDs (radio efficiency

24

COTTON FARMING NOVEMBER 2018

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identiďŹ cation reader) found on the round modules to help track and log them as they’re received and ginned.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in South Texas and really did not want to leave. I would like to thank Sid Brough and Daniel Luehrs for the wonderful learning experience at Edcot Co-op Gin and also for making me feel welcome and at home during my time in Odem. The cotton ginning industry is one big family and that was very evident from the beginning.

I would like to thank Aaron Nelson (with TCGA) for allowing me to work as an intern for the past two and half months and for coordinating this experience. This past summer proved to be an awesome experience that I believe will be an excellent stepping stone in my career path. It allowed me to make numerous connections that I believe will be very beneďŹ cial to me in life. I hope to keep in touch with as many people as possible! Thank you, TCGA. Mitchell Ratke For the ďŹ nal portion of this internship, I had the opportunity to work with Mr. Chris Breedlove at the Willacy Coop in Raymondville, Texas. My arrival was a few days before cotton started to be ginned.

During those few days, my tasks involved assisting the gin staff in the ďŹ nal preparations for the upcoming season. This included helping with repairs and un-choking lint cleaners, gin stands, cyclones and any other equipment that required attention.

One project I worked on for Mr. Breedlove was collecting ginned seed samples from each of his gin stands to see how the new Lummus 170 gin stands compare to the old Lummus 158 gin stands.

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NOVEMBER 2018 COTTON FARMING

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Toward the end of my stay, I was brought into the office to learn about the everyday workings of managing a gin. I learned how modules are tagged and tracked on the yard and had the opportunity to talk with Chris on how he became a successful gin manager and how he continues to improve his gin with new technologies. On the last day, I toured the Willacy Co-op Gin storage warehouse. I observed how cotton bales are stored and tracked after they are ginned and transported to the warehouse.

I would like to thank the Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association for the opportunity to intern with them this summer. I would also like to thank the staff at Parmer County Cotton Growers in Farwell, 3 template 3/7/14 3:26 PM Page 1 Texas, and the staff at Willacy Co-op Gin in Sebastian, Texas, for being so accommodating. This internship provided a great deal of information that I will be able to use after my time at Oklahoma State University.

Dolan Vollmering During my final few weeks of the TCGA internship, my time was spent working on the finishing touches of the United Ag Coop cotton gin in Danevang, Texas. First of all, I helped change the brushes on the gin stand. I also had the chance to see how Session Howell performed dynamic brush balancing and how the automated saw training machine operates.

Once the gin was complete after the large expansion project, it was time to start it up. For the first time ever, I got to see cotton flow from the module feeder through all stages of cleaning and finally get pressed into a finished bale. I was informed that the environment of an operating gin requires every employee’s attention and strict safety precautions to avoid major complications. It was also satisfying to see the gin start up and run fairly smoothly after all the upgrades were integrated.

I would like to thank the Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association, Aaron Nelsen, Jimmy Roppolo, Clay Whitley, Brett Nichols,

everyone at United Ag Co-op, and everyone at Seminole Service Gin for giving me this opportunity and treating me with great hospitality. Thank you for taking time to teach me unforgettable lessons about the cotton ginning industry. I had very little knowledge about the industry before starting this internship, and now I am equipped with more information than I ever imagined. In the future, I plan to learn even more so I can become an asset to the industry.

The Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association contributed this report.

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CCOY Cotton Consultant of the Year established 1981

Danny Pierce 2003 CCOY AWARD RECIPIENT

After helping coordinate the research for the boll weevil eradication program in North Carolina for several years, Pierce launched his consulting career in 1981.

“I believe in making person-toperson contact with my customers in the field. I think most farmers appreciate that. Then I make on-thespot recommendations before I ever leave their farms.”

Pierce was described by his producers and peers as a “steward of the land,” who “stays abreast of new techniques” with an “uncompromising work ethic.” He is a “good friend and hard worker,” a true professional who loves his work.

“Research any problem a producer may have and do a thorough job on it. When you’re being given this kind of responsibility, you want to provide the farmer the best possible advice.

Always do your homework and earn the trust of your producers.”

Cotton Consultant of the Year sponsored by

Cotton Farming 28

COTTON FARMING NOVEMBER 2018

Industry News Americot Expands Sales, Marketing Team To Support Regional Growth

The 2018 Farm Bill Moves Slowly As Leaders Try To Reach Agreements

Americot Inc. has added three new sales and marketing team members to its family: Lucy Carmichael, Daniel Nix and Dusty Parker.

“Continued growth in West Texas, as well as expansion into new areas, necessitates that we add additional resources to support our customers in the region,” says Chiree Fields, Americot general manager.

“I’m pleased that Lucy, Daniel and Dusty have joined the team, further demonstrating our commitment to growers by providing the experienced, knowledgeable and dedicated support they have come to rely upon from Americot.”

Carmichael earned a bachelor of arts degree in advertising with a minor in agriculture communications from Texas Tech University in 2018.

Growing up in Haskell, Texas, Carmichael comes from an agricultural family, both on the cotton side, as well as cattle ranching.

Based in Lubbock, Texas, she joins Americot as a marketing coordinator, supporting the sales teams and customer marketing activities throughout the Cotton Belt.

Nix was raised in Tolar, Texas, growing up on a cattle and peanut farm. He graduated from Tarleton State University, earning a bachelor of science degree in plant and soil science in 1994.

Nix joins the company from Crop Production Services in Slaton, Texas, where he was in sales. Based in Gail, Texas, he will be a sales representative working the Lubbock County area as part of the South Plains regional team.

Parker grew up on a corn and cotton farm in Uvalde, Texas. He’s a graduate of Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University), where he earned a bachelor of science degree in agriculture in 2002. After spending the past 15 years as a sales rep and branch manager for Helena Chemical Co., Parker joins Americot as a sales representative based in Lubbock, where he will support growers and customers in the Dawson County area.

For more information about Americot and its NexGen brand cotton products, call 888-678-7333 or visit www.americot.com.

The 2014 Farm Bill expired on Sept. 30. Congressional leaders now face the task of finding a compromise that can be approved by both chambers in a lame-duck session after the mid-term election. President Donald Trump must sign the bill by the end of the calendar year.

Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) says the impasse is bigger than one person or even a single issue. He’s not ready to concede, and there is talk of a oneyear extension. However, time is running out for the negotiators. The House has adjourned for the rest of the campaign season, so a new Farm Bill can’t be passed until after the election, even if the negotiators could reach a quick agreement.

Conaway and Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), ag committee chairman, say their goal is to have a final bill ready

by November to move through the House and Senate. The House is out until after the general election Nov. 6.

In a show of unity recently, the chairmen and ranking Democrats on the House and Senate Agriculture committees emerged from a session together and posed arm in arm for reporters who were waiting outside. “I think we’re making progress,” Roberts says.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Conaway says. “Our staffs are meeting regularly, and that’s good.”

Roberts says they closed out three of the 12 titles — trade, credit and energy. Energy was the toughest since the House-passed bill would eliminate that section altogether.

One of the fiercest battles is a dispute between Conaway and Roberts over a provision in the House bill that would end payments on base acres that have not been planted to a program crop for the past 10 years. The provision would save $900 million, which would pay for revising yield averages for farmers enrolled in the Price Loss Coverage program whom have experienced extended periods of severe drought.

Roberts says cutting off payments for unplanted base would be unfair to farmers who get that money and run afoul of the planting flexibility introduced by the 1996 Farm Bill.

Conaway argues that making payments on land that has been in grass for a decade is no longer justified.

COTTONFARMING.COM

Industry News program should contact their crop insurance agent for issues regarding filing claims. Visit the RMA website, www.rma.usda.gov, for details.

For more information, contact your local USDA Service Center. To locate the office, go to offices.usda.gov.

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

California Ratepayers Left Holding The Bag For Wildfire Damages

Georgia cotton specialist Jared Whitaker had such high hopes for this year’s crop that he believed it would have broken the state yield record.

USDA Provides Relief And Recovery Aid For Hurricane Michael Victims To help residents, farmers and ranchers affected by the devastation caused by Hurricane Michael, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to aid people in their recovery efforts.

USDA staff in the regional, state and county offices are actively responding, providing emergency response staffing and offering a variety of program flexibilities and other assistance.

“The widespread devastation I saw in Georgia while surveying the damage this week makes clear that many agricultural producers were significantly impacted by this storm,” says Perdue, who traveled to storm-affected areas in Georgia with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.

Trump’s disaster declarations for Florida and Georgia mean eligible producers in those states can take advantage of a USDA emergency loan program. These low-interest loans help farmers and ranchers recover from production as well as physical losses.

USDA also offers additional programs tailored to the needs of specific agricultural sectors to help producers recover from losses and to help rebuild their operations.

USDA, through its new website Twitter: @CottonFarming

Farmers.gov, recently launched a disaster assistance discovery tool that walks producers through five questions to help them identify personalized results of which USDA disaster assistance programs can help them recover after a natural disaster.

Producers who suffer losses to or are prevented from planting agricultural commodities not covered by federal crop insurance may be eligible for assistance under USDA’s Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program if the losses were due to natural disasters.

Farmers and ranchers who suffered damage to working lands and livestock mortality due to Hurricane Michael are encouraged to contact their local USDA Service Center.

USDA has multiple programs to help producers manage their operations.

Farmers and ranchers needing to rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural disasters can apply for assistance through USDA’s Emergency Conservation Program.

Whether in a federally declared disaster area or not, technical and financial resources also are available through USDA’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program to help with immediate needs and provide long-term support to help recover from natural disasters and conserve water resources.

Producers with coverage through the Risk Management Agency administered by the federal crop insurance

In its October newsletter, the California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association published its reaction to state legislation Senate Bill 901. Here are its remarks.

“This past month, the California Legislature passed, and the governor has now signed, SB 901 (Dodd) that will without a doubt increase our members’ electric bills for those located in the Pacific Gas &Electric territory. Despite association pressure and the fact this adds thousands of dollars per month to electricity rates, the Legislature gave PG&E the blank check they were looking for.

“The Legislature put this legislation together in less than a week, with little notice and even less transparency, in typical ‘last week of session fashion.’ It was developed by a legislative conference committee tasked with addressing the wildfire and utility liability issue, and they jammed through a massive bailout for PG&E standing with their shareholders over ratepayers, including businesses and homeowners in California who will experience skyrocketing energy bills.

“The legislation SB 901 requires ratepayers to cover whatever damages are beyond the cap placed on PG&E, even if PG&E is found negligent in the massive 2017 fires. At $10 billion in liability, customers will pay an additional 0.5 cent per kWh for the next 20 years! The association fought the bill vigorously alongside many ag groups, such as Western Growers Association, Ag Energy Consumers Association, California Citrus Mutual and others.

“Association President/CEO Roger A. Isom stated, ‘Our members cannot afford any more rate increases to the already highest industrial electricity rates in the country. To put this on our backs is unequivocally unacceptable. We refuse to pay for their negligence and wholeheartedly oppose this legislation.’”

NOVEMBER 2018 COTTON FARMING

29

My Turn Growth Stages Of A Cotton Consultant

I

t’s been said that the under his advisement. The environment I was in first 40 days of a cotton at LSU proved to be the “fertilizer” I needed at plant’s life are the most that impressionable point in my life. I worked and important. That may be studied alongside two of the most talented and inteltrue, but it’s hard to remem- ligent people I’ll ever know — Jeff Gore and Don ber the first 40 days by the Cook. They were 10 years older than me and gratime you get to September ciously corrected many of my naïve mistakes.

These three men — Rogers, Jeff and Don — and Tropical Storm Gordon is shaped my views on integrated pest management, headed your way.

In a couple of weeks, I’ll which basically is the backbone of my career. I can make it to 40 years old — an remember learning as much from Rogers while lisHank age that seemed a lifetime tening to him talk on the phone to consultants as away when I was 20. But just any other time I was around him. Funny how that Jones as a good first 40 days in a worked out….

Transitioning into my pre-bloom period, I got cotton plant’s life sets it up for success, hopefully my first 40 years have done married and began crop consulting. Looking back, I lost a few of my squares to bad time management the same for me.

As an emerging seedling on the Macon Ridge in and poor communication skills. I was (am) very fortunate to work alongWest Carroll Parish, I grew up in the “land of “I’m comfortable writing that my side my father and two of my closest friends — cotton.” I developed an first 40 years have been great.”

Richard Costello and interest in cotton as a Ashley Peters. I’ve been kid walking fields with my father when he was a chemical rep. When I was able to spray and clean up most of the bugs in my in grade school, I took over half the garden one year professional life with their suggestions. It’s good growing cotton. In those days, I remember finding knowing you can go to folks with questions and conboll weevils in every bloom, budworms in every boll, cerns and expect an honest answer in return.

I’ve also been fortunate to have a patient wife. and watching airplanes fly every five to seven days.

Little did I know, but cotton was drawing me into its Melanie, to put it kindly, wasn’t astute about agriculture when we got married. She has her hands full grip before I was even 10 years old.

In time, I had a decent root system and put on a with me, and I’m proud that she has developed an few leaves. I accepted the call into full-time cotton understanding and appreciation for “my world.”

As my career unfolds, I’m learning that success ministry and studied agronomy at Louisiana Tech.

During this time, I was a proud intern with Delta & comes from being able to properly evaluate situPine Land, assisting field agronomists in Louisiana ations in fields and have the perspective to make and Arkansas for three summers. That was during the right judgments following those evaluations. In the transition into Bt and Roundup Ready cotton. regard to that notion, I’m comfortable writing that I met a lot of good people during those years — a my first 40 years have been great.

From my perspective, I’ve been fortunate to learn young Jay Mahaffey being one of them. A relationfrom and work with some of the best people in the ship I value to this day.

Still eager to learn about cotton and pest man- cotton industry. There are too many names to menagement during my “squaring” period, I accept- tion, but to all the people who have taken time to ed the opportunity to study for a master’s degree help me along the way, please let this brief article at Louisiana State University with Dr. Rogers pay tribute and express my gratitude to you. I wish Leonard. I knew Rogers for several years prior to everyone a happy Thanksgiving. working for him. The first time I met Rogers, he — Hank Jones gave me cotton seed to grow that had brown lint.

Pioneer, Louisiana I’ll never forget that moment. I was in eighth grade, hankcjag@gmail.com and it was the first of several experiments I’d run

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.

30

COTTON FARMING NOVEMBER 2018

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