December 2014 Cotton Farming

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Cotton Farming

速

ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC

PROFITABLE PRODUCTION STRATEGIES

DECEMBER 2014

www.cottonfarming.com

DAVIS BROTHERS OF GEORGIA

CASH IN ON THE CROP

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There’s nothing like the feeling of heading out to your field in your favorite jeans. The ones that just fit right.

That’s what it’s like to grow PhytoGen® cotton. It’s about the reassuring sight of our early vigor. It’s about relying on our consistent yield. It’s about feeling comfortable knowing you’ve made the right choice.

800-258-3033 PhytoGen.com ® PhytoGen and the PhytoGen Logo are trademarks of PhytoGen Seed Company, LLC. ®DOW Diamond and the WideStrike Logo are trademarks of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow. PhytoGen Seed Company is a joint venture between Mycogen Corporation, an affiliate of Dow AgroSciences LLC, and the J.G. Boswell Company. L38-076-119 (09/13) BR 010-34414 DAAGPHYG3072

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Vol. 58 No 12

Cotton Farming PROFITABLE PRODUCTION STRATEGIES

DECEMBER 2014

www.cottonfarming.com

F E A T U R E S

18 GINNING MARKETPLACE

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE GINNING INDUSTRY.

Kelley Green of the Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association has contributed a timely article on how the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is conducting its inspection of gins. He says most of the inspections are being done in a similar way to previous ones. However, he warns that many inspectors have never been inside a gin and are making suggestions that can’t possibly be met.

D E P A R T M E N T S

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Dynamic Duo

When it comes to combining talents to run a farm, you’d be hard pressed to find a better family operation than that of Allen and Kenny Ray Davis of south central Georgia. They are fourth-generation farmers who are committed to producing high quality cotton – even when prices are low. They have high hopes for another profitable crop in 2014.

4 Editor’s Note 10 Specialists Speaking 14 Cotton’s Agenda

WEB POLL RESULTS

&

C O L U M N S

16 Industry News 22 My Turn

Did you attend one of the Farm Bill meetings in your area and, if so, did you find it helpful in your decision-making process? Go to www.cottonfarming.com for the results.

WEB EXCLUSIVE

S U P P L E M E N T S

CornSouth

Cotton has had its fair share of challenges in recent years – especially as it pertains to competition from polyester and man-made fibers. Bob Antoshak, managing director of the Olah Agency, and a veteran observer of the cotton market, says a positive trend is imminent. Go to www.cottonfarming.com for his report.

Look for the Corn South supplement following page 12 in the Mid-South and Southeast editions of Cotton Farming.

Ag Technology supplement follows page 20 in the Mid-South and Southeast editions of Cotton Farming.

ON THE COVER: The Davis brothers of south central Georgia have harvested another excellent cotton crop this year. Photo By Tommy Horton.

COTTON FARMING (ISSN 0746-8385) is published monthly January through December for $40 per year by One Grower Publishing LLC, 1010 June Road, Suite 102, Memphis, TN 38119. Periodicals Postage paid at Memphis, TN. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sunbelt Fulfillment Services, 307 Southgate Court, Brentwood, Tenn. 37027-7987 (Phone: 615-377-3322) (Fax: 615850-5319). International rates are $55.00 in Canada/Mexico, $90.00 in all other countries for air-speeded delivery. Surface Delivery not available due to problems in reliability.

COTTON FARMING DECEMBER 2014

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Editor’s Note Tommy Horton

Cotton Farming

®

EDITORIAL/PRODUCTION Editor/Editorial Director Tommy Horton thorton@onegrower.com Senior Writer Carroll Smith csmith@onegrower.com

December’s Theme?

Keep Looking Ahead

I

s it possible that this 2014 crop season is now in the record books, and farmers already are making plans for 2015? It’s hard to believe. I know we find ourselves repeating this thought every December, but the time seems to fly by faster as we get older. It is the only explanation I can come up with. I do know that each season is different, and it’s an understatement when talking about 2014. The cotton industry was worried about a lot of things when this season began, but somehow the crop survived, and now we are hearing reports of excellent yields in nearly every region.

We were dealing with higher prices in the 80- to 85-cent range a year ago, and that has changed in a matter of months. The drought situation in Texas also improved with timely rainfall during the year. In fact, in parts of that state, projected soil moisture levels for 2015 are excellent.

Elsewhere, some Arkansas producers weren’t as lucky. They were hit by damaging hailstorms in the fall, destroying a sizable number of acres.

But, in general, nearly every region survived weather problems. I visited North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi during harvest season and talked to producers who were calling the current crop the best they had ever delivered. The yield and quality numbers were outstanding. And, surprisingly, although these same producers weren’t happy about prices now in the mid 60-cent range, they seem ready to adjust.

While it’s nice to dwell on what was accomplished across the Belt this past year, the clock is already ticking on the start of the new season. It’s time to study variety data and make decisions on what to plant. You’ll find a perfect example of this proactive attitude in our cover story on pages 6, 8 and 9. Allen and Kenny Ray Davis of Ben Hill County in south central Georgia are fourth-generation cotton farmers. They have weathered many volatile price swings in cotton prices during the past two decades. And they are ready to deal with another one.

What is their strategy? It’s very simple. Deliver record-breaking yields and be smart in how much money is spent on the crop. As ambitious as that sounds, it is what they do every year. It was actually refreshing to hear them talk about how “nothing is going to scare us away from cotton.”

You already know my favorite phrase when it comes to how the cotton industry deals with major challenges. It certainly seems appropriate as we look ahead to 2015. When the industry finds itself with its back against the wall, that’s usually its finest hour.

Here’s hoping that holds true in the new year.

Southeast Editor Amanda Huber ahuber@onegrower.com Art Director Carol Watson

ADMINISTRATION Publisher/Vice President Lia Guthrie (901) 497-3689 lguthrie@onegrower.com Associate Publisher Carroll Smith (901) 767-4020 Sales Manager Scott Emerson (386) 462-1532 semerson@onegrower.com Production Manager Kathy Killingsworth (800) 888-9784 kkillingsworth@onegrower.com Circulation Manager Janet Owens (229) 386-8809

For circulation changes or change of address, call (800) 888-9784

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 2014 ASSOCIATED PUBLICATIONS – One Grower Publishing, LLC also publishes RICE FARMING, THE PEANUT GROWER, SOYBEAN SOUTH and CORN SOUTH.

One Grower Publishing, LLC

If you have comments, send them to: Editor, Cotton Farming Magazine, 1010 June Road, Suite 102, Memphis, Tenn., 38119. Or send e-mail to: thorton@onegrower.com.

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COTTON FARMING DECEMBER 2014

1010 June Road, Suite 102, Memphis, Tennessee, 38119 Phone: 901-767-4020

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WHAT CUSTOMERS WANT Global Denim Awards Showcase Need For Quality

By Andrew Olah CEO/Olah Incorporated Founder of Kingpins Show New York, N.Y.

Quest For Quality Cotton I have just returned home from the first Global Denim Awards event, which was conducted on Oct. 30 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and I’m more confident than ever that quality cotton continues to be in demand from mills and apparel brands around the world.

Bayer’s e3 cotton program sponsored this prestigious event – the first of its kind in the world of denim. It was a competition of six emerging designers with no previous denim experience and included six of the leading denim mills in the world.

In conjunction with the Amsterdam-based fashion recruitment agency HTNK and Kingpins, our denim trade show, the Global Denim Awards culminated in a fashion runway show displaying the original denim creations of the six aspiring designers.

Winners were selected by a panel of international denim experts that included Adriano Goldschmied, Jason Denham (founder of Denham de Jeanmaker), Rene Strolenberg (cofounder of Tenue de Nimes, Amsterdam), and Norma Quinto, journalist at Women’s Wear Daily.

Dutch designer Jonathan Christopher, a freelance designer from Rotterdam, won the first Global Denim Award. His prize was a check for 10,000 euros, which was presented on behalf of e3 cotton by Jeff Brehmer of Bayer CropScience.

Jeff Brehmer (left) of Bayer CropScience presented the Global Denim Award to Jonathan Christopher (right) during ceremonies in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Also offering congratulations was Adriano Goldschmied (middle).

Exciting Event The panel also recognized the Turkish denim mill Bossa as having produced the best fabric during the competition.

It was an exciting event, for sure. But, for me, the success of this event only underscored the importance of cotton to the denim world. In fact, more than 40 percent of the world’s cotton is consumed by the denim industry. And quality cotton is necessary for mills to produce the best fabrics that are used by today’s cutting-edge designers. Denim, as we know it today, would not be possible to make without cotton.

Bayer CropScience, with its e3 sustainable cotton program, Certified FiberMax and Authentic Stoneville brands, not only helped to make the Global Denim Awards possible but also illustrated the versatility of quality cotton in today’s market to a global audience of fashionistas and denim makers.

For more information about the Global Denim Awards event and Bayer’s continuing commitment to cotton quality, go to www.olahinc.com or www.e3cotton.com.

From Fiber To Fabric • Global Denim Awards – a big success.

• Denim industry needs quality cotton.

• Cotton has proven versatility.

• Cotton & denim are obvious partners.

• Designers need reliable cotton supply.

“Quality cotton is necessary for mills to produce the best fabrics that are used by today’s cutting-edge designers.”

– Andrew Olah

Sponsored By

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COVER STORY

The Davis Brothers Of Georgia Produce A Cotton

Cash Crop

BY TOMMY HORTON EDITOR

H

ow important is cotton production in Georgia? And is it still a viable commodity when prices dip into the 60cent range? Those are legitimate questions to ask any farmer growing the crop in 2014. And you can count on the Davis brothers (Kenny Ray and Allen) in south central Georgia to answer

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DECEMBER 2014

those questions quickly and directly.

Yes, they are concerned about low prices. Yes, they are hoping for a bump in prices before planting begins in the spring of 2015. And, yes, they are staying with cotton for a very good reason.

It continues to be one of the most consistent crops produced in the state each year.

Even when prices have fluctuated to low levels in the past, cotton yields always delivered at high levels. This kind of performance can often offset low prices. And there is also the value of the cotton-peanut rotation for both crops.

That, in a nutshell, is why the Davis brothers will never quit growing

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Cotton Consultant’s Corner

Staying On Top Of Pests Is Key Andy Graves Graves Agronomy Service, Inc. Clarksdale, Miss.

My family was in the retail fertilizer application business, so I have been around agriculture all of my life. While I was in college, a local consultant in the Clarksdale area hired me and taught me how to scout crops. After graduating from Mississippi State in 1994, my dad was farming, so I started checking the fields on our farm and working for a chemical company at the same time. In 2003, I became a full-time consultant and established Graves Agronomy Service, Inc. Farmers in our area are already getting their fields ready for next year.

About 50 percent of the land that I check is ready to plant right now. We are putting out lime, potash and phosphate, plus some residual herbicides.

Varieties have improved, and we are making a lot more cotton than we have ever made, which puts greater stress on soil fertility. That is why we are now going in with higher rates of fall fertilizer to make up for the large amount of nitrogen that we have lost.

Applying residual herbicides in the fall is something new for us, but you have to spend money to make money. Putting out residuals at this time of the year gives us more time and flexibility in the spring, plus we don’t have to worry as much about drift. We’ve learned that it’s easier to kill weeds by not letting them get out of the ground. The fall residual herbicide applications have held up pretty well prior to planting. Then, at that time, we generally put out Gramoxone behind the planter, plus our second residual shot. We deal with several resistant weeds in our area, so there is a big focus on weed control in addition to insect control.

My biggest yield-limiting factor is nematodes. Therefore, I do a lot of soil work in the fall and in-season where we see problems in the field. For root-knot nematodes, our best crop rotation option is peanuts. For reniform nematodes, we try to rotate to corn.

No. 1 Insect Pest: Tarnished Plant Bug In the insect arena, the main pest in Coahoma and surrounding counties that I check is definitely the tarnished plant bug. Most of the plant bug pressure comes from adjoining crops. We’ve been able to achieve good plant bug control with Transform insecticide and Diamond insect growth regulator. I use both products, but at different times of the year. We try to rotate products to avoid creating resistance. I’ve noticed that Transform breaks up the plant bug cycles and fills in the gaps that we had with some other products. I’ve seen the pressure fall off at the end of the year and have been extremely pleased with it.

This year, our cotton crop, for the most part, was very good. We had a good growing season. Our cotton infrastructure is still intact – several operational gins and a cotton compress – although many of our farmers have become more diversified.

As far as variety selection and crop mix for the 2015 season, we are still in the evaluation stage. After the first of the year, we will begin making those decisions.

• B.S. degree in agricultural economics – Mississippi State University, 1994 • Established Graves Agronomy Service, Inc. in 2003 • Certified Crop Advisor • Consults on cotton, corn, soybeans, wheat, peanuts and grain sorghum • Member of the Mississippi Agricultural Consultants Association (MACA) • Married to wife, Kristen. Three children: Drew, 13; Claire, 11; and Griffin, 18 months • Enjoys tournament bass fishing

Recap: Staying On Top Of Pests Is Key

▼

1. About 50 percent of the land that I check is ready to plant right now. We are putting out lime, potash and phosphate, plus some residual herbicides.

2. We’ve learned that it’s easier to kill weeds by not letting them get out of the ground. The fall residual herbicide applications have held up pretty well prior to planting.

3. My biggest yield-limiting factor is nematodes. For root-knot nematodes, our best crop rotation option is peanuts. For reniform nematodes, we try to rotate to corn.

4. In the insect arena, the main pest in Coahoma and surrounding counties that I check is definitely the tarnished plant bug. Most of the plant bug pressure comes from adjoining crops.

5. We’ve been able to achieve good plant bug control with Transform insecticide and Diamond insect growth regulator. I use both products, but at different times of the year. We try to rotate products to avoid creating resistance.

6. Transform breaks up the plant bug cycles and fills in the gaps that we had with some other products. I have been very pleased with it.

Sponsored By

®Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow. Transform WG is not registered for sale or use in all states.

Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Always read and follow label directions.

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cotton on their family farm in Ben Hill County.

The advantages far outweigh any perceived disadvantages.

“The driving factor will always be high yields,” says Kenny Ray, the older of the two brothers. “That’s how you overcome low prices. If you want to stay in this business, you have to make good yields.”

Diverse Crop Mix The Davis farm has 1,000 cotton acres, 500 acres of peanuts, 300 acres of watermelons and 100 acres of corn.

As mentioned earlier, the brothers’ strategy never changes. They are relentless in achieving maximum profits for the farm.

As they have done in previous years, they planted several varieties in 2014 – including Stoneville’s ST 6448GLB2, which has been the pleasant surprise of all their varieties in recent seasons.

Other varieties this year included: PHY 499 WRF DP 1137 B2RF DP 1050 B2RF FM 1944GLB2 The ST 6448GLB2 variety was

planted to some small acreage in 2013 and did well enough that the Davis brothers planted more of it in 2014.

“We had good luck with this variety last year, and it was our top yielder and did about 1,750 pounds per acre,” says Kenny Ray. “We think it will do even better this year.”

This variety apparently is a custom

Allen and Kenny Ray Davis have learned how to maximize cotton yields.

fit for the sandy soils of the Davis farm. It is a full-season variety with excellent vigor and good plant height.

Allen says the current price environment doesn’t discourage either brother. They can remember the persistence of their father and grandfather who dealt with hard times. Low prices are often part of the equation for cotton.

“Hitting these yields is our top priority, and we will do whatever it takes to achieve those yields,” he says.

Eliminate The Variables From a purely financial standpoint, the brothers seek to eliminate all variables that might affect their cotton.

They have fought the pigweed problem for nearly eight years, and their efforts have paid off.

By using a residual herbicide program, applying Liberty over the top and vigilantly monitoring fields, this nemesis is under control. But maintaining those clean fields comes at a high price. Even using this proven approach, the farm’s overall herbicide program will cost $70 to $80 per acre.

The Davis brothers also have a major investment in spraying for stinkbugs, thrips and nematodes,

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eejungmann@gmail.com www.seedsourcegenetics.com 8 COTTON FARMING

DECEMBER 2014

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“The driving factor will always be high yields. That’s how you overcome low prices.”

Trait Stewardship Responsibilities Notice to Farmers

– Kenny Ray Davis, producer

which are an annual problem in most parts of Georgia.

They have had success in using site-specific Telone applications to control nematodes. They also have used a Veris rig and soil samples to determine where nematode populations might exist.

Another major step for the farm was the use of grid sampling to gain a better understanding of soil variability in all of the fields.

Commitment To Cotton Both Kenny Ray and Allen are confident that Georgia will remain consistent in its cotton production. Currently, it ranks as the second-largest cotton-producting state in the Belt with nearly 1.2 million acres planted in 2014.

The brothers believe the state will continue in its commitment to cotton because farmers are willing to embrace technology to maintain high yields. For example, the Davis farm now uses the John Deere on-board module picker, and that has improved harvest efficiency and cut labor costs.

“The round module picker is an amazing piece of machinery,” says Allen. “It definitely makes us more efficient, and that, in turn, helps our bottom line.”

Allen’s brother echoes those comments in an emphatic way.

“I’ll put it this way,” says Kenny Ray. “I’m not going back to the old way of picking a crop. If it ever gets to the point where I can’t afford one of these machines, I’ll go get somebody to pick the crop for me.”

In the final analysis, the Davis brothers will be the first to suggest that being a financially profitable farm requires all facets of the operation to work well. It starts with a seed variety that performs. But it also involves excellent management.

“Don’t forget about hard work and long hours,” says Allen. “You have to be willing to put in the time. In the end, it pays off.”

Nobody knows that better than the Davis brothers’ consultant, Brandon Phillips, who has worked with them for 13 years.

“They watch every dollar they spend,” he says. “And they have gradually implemented precision agriculture to make sure they achieve those maximum yields.

“We’ve seen the highs and lows through the years but still are committed to cotton. This is the crop that brought us to where we are today. We have to embrace technology, or we’ll get left behind. It’s that simple.”

Contact Tommy Horton at (901) 7674020 or thorton@onegrower.com.

THE DAVIS BROTHERS’ FARM • Fourth-generation farming family.

• Farm located in south central Georgia.

• 1,000 acres of cotton.

• 500 acres of peanuts.

• Also smaller acres of corn/watermelons.

• Grid sampling used on soils.

• Top variety may surpass 1,750 pounds per acre.

Monsanto Company is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship ® (ETS).

Monsanto products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance with Monsanto’s Policy for Commercialization of Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in Commodity Crops.

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

B.t. products may not yet be registered in all states. Check with your Monsanto representative for the registration status in your state. and Individual results may vary, performance may vary from location to location and from year to year. This result may not be an indicator of results you may obtain as local growing, soil and weather conditions may vary. Growers should evaluate data from multiple locations and years whenever possible.

ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Roundup Ready ® crops contain genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides.

Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate.

Bollgard II®, Genuity Design®, Genuity Icons, Genuity®, Respect the Refuge and Cotton Design®, Roundup Ready® and Roundup® are trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. Dedicated to Cotton. Committed to You.® and Deltapine® are registered trademarks of Monsanto Company. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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Specialists Speaking Season Ends On A Positive Note FLORIDA David Wright Most producers have wrapped up cotton harvest with generally good yields. Now, attention is turning to, “How can we make a profit with 65-cent cotton?”

There are many options for producers, and one of the first one is to grow the best variety for their soil conditions. There are a lot of good cotton varieties from which to choose, but they perform differently under different conditions. With higher cattle prices, producers should consider winter grazing ahead of cotton as about five years of research in Florida shows that cotton yields are often increased by 200 pounds per acre.

Our data indicate that the root system of cotton strip tilled into oat/rye winter grazing in late April or early May is almost double that of planting into cover crops. This has led to about half the irrigation requirements of non-grazed areas for additional savings. Likewise, potassium levels have been about double the non-grazed areas.

Nitrates in the top foot of the soil are two to four times higher, which can lead to a savings of $70 per acre savings in N and K. Taken altogether, higher yields, less water and lower fertilizer applications can lead to $200 to $300 lower costs and more yield, which can be the difference between making a profit or losing on cotton.

Many farmers say they don’t have cattle but have neighbors who do. I have encouraged producers to work together because winter grazing yields are often highest on crop land.

It has been fertilized yearly and often yields the most winter grazing, and if farmers can have cattle out by mid-April, they can take advantage of extra yield, fertilizer and irrigation savings – making money in the process. wright@ufl.edu

MISSOURI Mike Milam As of Nov. 3, the Crop Progress and Condition Report shows that harvest is at 60 percent complete.

This is not far from our five-year average of 65 percent. While we have been behind our five-year average all season, we were consistently earlier than last year. Although we had about 10 days of rain to slow down harvest early on, this was followed with about two weeks of dry conditions that allowed producers to make a lot of progress. This week, we have had enough rain to keep producers out of the field, but we have a lot of wind that helps to dry both the cotton and soil.

We had two nights this week at freezing or below, but almost all of the cotton had been defoliated. As usual, some fields are producing better than the producer had expected. Unfortunately, the opposite is true in other fields. The amount of rainfall and distance between rains will make a difference as we go forward. We are hoping for good conditions to finish the harvest season. milammr@missouri.edu

LOUISIANA Dan Fromme Harvest was completed the first week of November in Louisiana. As we approach the middle of November, USDA-AMS reports that 312,274 bales or 80 percent of the crop has been classed. Twenty-five percent of the bales have measured a micronaire of five or greater. These numbers are considerably better when compared to the 2013 crop as more than 50

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percent of the bales classed were five or greater. Leaf grade discounts were a concern this year. More than 53 percent of the bales classed so far are yielding a value of four or greater. Final lint yields for Louisiana will be around 1,100 pounds of lint per acre.

Twelve on-farm cotton variety trials were planted throughout the state this year with the assistance of cotton producers and county agents.

Each trial included 11 commercial cotton varieties from four commercial cotton seed companies. Lint yield, gin turnout and fiber quality were collected from these trials. Trial results will be available in December. dfromme@agcenter.lsu.edu

GEORGIA Guy Collins As I write this on Nov. 6, approximately 60 percent of Georgia cotton has been harvested, according to USDA-NASS, which is about 15 percent ahead of normal. This is indicative of the earliness of the 2014 crop, primarily the dryland acres. Yields remain variable, depending largely on rainfall during the summer and irrigation capabilities. However, many reports have indicated that yields were somewhat higher than first expected.

Harvest weather was mostly good for 2014. Frost came earlier than normal this year for south Georgia (during the weekend of Nov. 1), which is about a week to 10 days earlier than our normal first frost date. This event marked the end of any further development of the remaining crop. Therefore, harvest progress may accelerate from this point on. guyc@uga.edu

ARKANSAS Bill Robertson The latest USDA yield report estimates Arkansas’ crop at 1,137 pounds of lint per acre. This set a record, surpassing our previous record of 1,133 pounds of lint per acre set last year. As this report is being prepared, we should be 90 percent-plus harvested. Significant changes to yield estimates at this point in the season are rare. Another favorable fall that provided the opportunity to mature our potentially later-thanaverage crop has brought us to another record yield.

We are thankful for this, but we should not come to expect it on a regular basis. A large portion of the crop has been classed. Arkansas cotton classed at the Dumas classing office to this point indicates the quality is exceeding that of last year’s crop.

The most significant improvement is that less than half the percentage of bales are receiving discounts from high micronaire compared to last year. Almost 65 percent of our crop received a color grade of 31 or better, and 75 percent has a leaf grade of four or less. brobertson@uaex.edu

NORTH CAROLINA Keith Edmisten We had an outstanding cotton crop for the most part this year in North Carolina. Even so, some producers may be scratching their heads about next year with cotton prices where they are. This is a good time of year to list all the inputs you spent money on in cotton. When cotton prices are high, we tend to be a little more generous with inputs than might be prudent in periods of low prices. This is a time to concentrate on the basics: good weed control, a sound fertility program and insect

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control based on sound scouting.

Most of our fertility needs can be met most economically at or near planting or at side-dressing. Relying on foliar applications generally costs more and is less effective than at planting and sidedressed applications. Many of the foliar applications I saw were probably unwarranted based on research, and, while they might have been warranted, the actual application rates were often too low to justify the expenditure. Applying foliar fertilizer for deficiency symptoms past peak bloom has not resulted in yield increases. keith_edmisten@ncsu.edu

TENNESSEE Tyson Raper The cotton harvest is winding down here in West Tennessee. Most fields have been picked, and it has become much more difficult to find stalks (or modules) in the field. The National Cotton Council estimate for percent harvest for the week ending Nov. 9 had Tennessee at 60 percent. Luckily, this is much greater than the noted 33 percent from last year, but it is slightly behind our five-year average of 70 percent. Late cotton was forced to deal with a frost in the first few days of November.

Unfortunately, temperatures were generally low enough to halt most remaining closed bolls from opening. Reports of yields in these later fields are not as great as those coming from earlier fields, but our state average still looks very good.

Concerning our variety testing program, only a few on-farm trials remain in the field. The data collected suggests we will have the ability to select from several very strong varieties of differing traits for the 2015 season.

As soon as we finish ginning, reports on these trials will be available through Tennessee County Extension offices and on our UT website at utcrops.com. Best of luck to all West Tennessee farmers as we review 2014 and prepare for the new crop season. traper@utl.edu

MISSISSIPPI Darrin Dodds It is difficult to believe that December has arrived, and that 2014 is nearly behind us. This has been one of the longest, short years in my memory. Mississippi farmers produced another bountiful cotton crop in 2014; however, there seems to be a mixed bag of optimism regarding 2015 acreage. Prices are down substantially over the past few months, which will have many folks re-evaluating cropping plans for 2015. While we have produced a tremendous crop over the past several years, potential profit margins will dictate our cropping mix in 2015. Cotton acreage will likely be down in 2015; however, the extent of the decrease is unknown at this point.

As we head into the holidays and new year, spend some of your down time evaluating variety performance. I am of the opinion that while we have a tremendous amount of variety performance data, we lack variety management data. Placing the right variety in the right environment is the first of many steps toward producing an excellent crop in 2015. Here’s wishing everyone Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. darrind@ext.msstate.edu

TEXAS Mark Kelley The first hard freeze of the season has finally arrived in the Texas High Plains and Panhandle regions. With lows reaching into the teens this morning (11-12-14), the cotton crop has finally been terminated! This will allow those producers that were having difficulties “killing� their cotton crops to get in and get it harvested.

The soil moisture resulting from the late rainfall events was making crop termination more difficult than usual in some areas with regrowth being the biggest issue. Although there may be pockets of cotton that could have some maturity issues, I feel that the crop was relatively mature based on my travels, conversations with producers,

COTTON FARMING DECEMBER 2014

11

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Specialists Speaking and boll slicing in several fields.

Based on the latest USDA-AMS Daily Cotton Quality Summary, 126,042 bales were classed at Lamesa and 179,230 bales at Lubbock. The average micronaire at Lamesa is 4.3 and 4.2 at Lubbock. Color grades are mostly 21 at both locations with staple running 35.2 (Lamesa) and 35.7 (Lubbock). Average strength values are just under 30 grams per tex, and uniformity values are just over 80 percent at both locations.

If the weather holds and no significant amounts of precipitation are received, cotton harvesting in the High Plains and Panhandle should greatly increase in the near future. mkelley@ag.tamu.edu

TEXAS Gaylon Morgan Good rains were received over the past month in many of the cotton production regions in south and east Texas. These fall rains are especially important for the Rio Grande Valley and Coastal Bend where full profiles of soil moisture are critical to a decent crop in 2015. This wet fall has made stalk destruction difficult in some areas.

The Rolling Plains producers had the warm fall that was needed to finish maturing the late crop. Defoliation was a challenge this year for many producers, but the freeze in early November desiccated any remaining fields. Early November rains have slowed cotton harvest but were good for many farmers who also grow wheat. Irrigated cotton yields are reported as above average in much of the Rolling Plains.

Dryland cotton yields are highly variable, and lower loan values are being reported by the gins. gmorgan@ag.tamu.edu

For up to the minute cotton market information Experience means credibility.

Listen to two experienced farm broadcasters who keep their listeners updated on news that affects your farming operation.

And each week listen to the Cotton Insider Report from Tommy Horton, Editor of Cotton Farming magazine.

ARIZONA Randy Norton We have seen a dramatic shift in upland cotton prices in the United States since earlier this spring when prices were in the range of 80 to 85 cents per pound. Since then, prices have slid approximately 20 cents with current prices in the range of 60 to 65 cents. Realizing a profit at these prices – even when production is in the range of four bales per acre – becomes difficult.

New government farm programs from USDA introduce additional uncertainty into the cotton market, making decisions difficult for producers regarding planting intentions for the 2015 season. As I have visited with producers across the state during harvest season this year, a common response to the question of where their cotton acreage will be next year has been “we will be down significantly from 2014.”

Much of the displaced cotton acreage will be planted to small grains and new alfalfa. Another common response that I have heard from producers is: “I plan to plant more Pima cotton in 2015.”

For more information on general cotton production topics, go to cals.arizona.edu/crops. rnorton@cals.arizona.edu

OKLAHOMA Randy Boman According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor, severely dry conditions are unfortunately still lingering, with the bright red and blood red Extreme and Exceptional Drought categories still painting all of southwestern Oklahoma. As cotton harvest transitioned into full swing, many Oklahoma cotton producers have been handed a pleasant surprise by Mother Nature. Although the dry run in August manifested itself by lower yields in most dryland fields, good temperatures and early September rainfall laid the groundwork for a great finish for many areas.

The combined September and October cotton heat unit accumulation at Altus was 34 percent above normal. This was the second consecutive growing season with above-normal temperatures in both September and October.

This was really needed by late crops in many areas. Although the USDA-NASS November crop report reduced bale production considerably from the September estimate, if the current projection holds, we are still on track to have the largest crop since 2010. This is good news for an industry that has been plagued by drought since 2011. randy.boman@okstate.edu

VIRGINIA Hunter Frame

John Winfield

Don Molino

Tommy Horton

Farm Director Miss. AgriNews Network

Farm Director La. Agri-News Network

Editor Cotton Farming magazine

The Mississippi AgriNews Network Ag Voice of the Delta

Louisiana Agri-News Network Louisiana’s Source For Ag News

12 COTTON FARMING

DECEMBER 2014

I began my short career as Virginia’s cotton specialist in 2012, and I hoped I would get to see another year of 1,116 pounds of lint per-acre average for the state. As of right now, the USDA has Virginia projected to set another record of 1,200 pounds per acre in 2014. This is quite an accomplishment and testament to Virginia cotton producers, considering that less than five percent of our acreage is irrigated, and we only had 2,200 DD60s.

There is still a ways to go, and this projected average may drop a little, but overall 2014 will go down as one of the best cotton production years for Virginia. As we move into 2015, our cotton producers should be focusing on variety selection and soil testing/recommendations that need to be made.

I always recommend soil testing in the fall and as close to when the crop comes out of the field. Why? First is timeliness. Plus, the sooner farmers take samples, the sooner the results are back, and fertility recommendations can be determined. whframe@vt.edu

CF1214 Layout_CF 11/13 template 11/10/14 11:23 AM Page 7

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14_9 11/18/14 3:15 PM Page 14

Cotton’s Agenda Mark Lange

Devil’s In The Details From November 10 to December 10, the National Cotton Council has been conducting workshops to help cotton producers and others get a better grasp on the provisions of The Agricultural Act of 2014.

How does STAX fit with a producer’s existing insurance policy?

■ The Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX) is available in 2015 for upland cotton. At the producer’s choice, it may be purchased standalone or in combination with an underlying crop insurance product. STAX indemnities are triggered over a range of 90 to 70 percent of county revenue. STAX indemnities are triggered when county revenue falls below 90 percent of expected county revenue and continue to trigger until county revenue reaches 70 percent of expected county revenue. At that point, STAX indemnities have reached their maximum. The “stacked” concept envisions that producers have underlying coverage that will cover the deeper losses in individual revenue or yield. Producers also must be aware that the lower coverage level of STAX cannot overlap the coverage level of the underlying policy. For example, if a producer has a 75 percent revenue policy, STAX may be purchased at 75 to 90 percent. If STAX is purchased for the

percent, hopefully making it an affordable riskmanagement option for producers. For more information on expected county yields and premium rates, producers can go to USDA’s Risk Management Agency website. That information is at http://webapp.rma.usda.gov/apps/actuarialinformationbrowser2015/CropCriteria.aspx.

What are generic base acres and how do they work?

■ All upland cotton base acres on a farm as of Sept. 30, 2013, are converted to generic base acres under the 2014 farm law. There are no decisions or actions necessary by the producer for this relabeling of base. For 2014-2018, generic base offers flexibility to producers in terms of the payment acres associated with the programs for covered commodities, which includes grains, oilseeds and peanuts. On a farm with generic base, some or all of generic acres can be “attributed” annually to the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC)/Price Loss Coverage (PLC) payment acres if an ARC/PLC commodity is planted on that farm. All producers, including owners and operators, with a share of the base acres on a farm must – between Nov. 17, 2014 and March 31, 2015 – make a one-time, unanimous election of: PLC or Agriculture Risk Coverage-County Coverage (ARC-CO) on a covered commodity by covered commodity basis on a farm, or ARCIndividual Coverage (ARC-IC) for all covered commodities on a farm.

Are there other critical farm law deadlines?

STAX is a voluntary purchase and designed to complement a producer’s existing crop insurance coverage.

70 to 90 percent range, the coverage of the underlying policy must be reduced to 70 percent.

STAX also carries a premium subsidy of 80

■ Landowners have between Sept. 29, 2014, and Feb. 27, 2015, to retain or re-allocate covered commodity bases and update payment yields.

Annual required signup for the 2014 and 2015 crops is between mid-April 2015 and the summer of 2015. More information on PLC and ARC, on STAX and on other key farm law provisions is available from the Farm Bill icon on the NCC’s home page, www.cotton.org.

Mark Lange is the president and chief executive officer for the National Cotton Council of America.

He and other NCC leaders contribute columns on this Cotton Farming page.

14 COTTON FARMING

DECEMBER 2014

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WESTERN REPORT

What Is The Future For Roller Ginning?

R

oller ginning upland cotton has been a topic of discussion for several years in the Western cotton gin community. This season, as profit margins on short-staple cotton get even tighter, the discussion is gaining increased traction as producers consider options for their operation.

Roller ginning uses a rotary knife to separate the seed from the lint and is most effective on Pima cotton, from which separating the fiber from the seed is easier. Saw ginning is less gentle on cotton, using a row of saw blades to pull the cotton through the system.

Traditionally, saw ginning short-staple cotton has been the only option.

But, as strength and length increase in newer cotton varieties, roller ginning is becoming more of a possibility.

BY BRENT MURPHREE MARICOPA, ARIZ.

Ltd., in Arizona, agrees that in order to bring a better price, strength must be better than a 34 grade, and length must be longer than a 40 grade. And, it will be a hard task for Arizona producers to gain those grades on most of today’s conventional cotton varieties.

“What mills want is essentially a cheap Pima,” Bush says.

And, most likely, those grades come from anything on the market except for a very good Acala cotton.

In the past 20 years, most of the roller gins in Discussion among gin owners in recent years has Arizona and New Mexico have been decommiscentered on roller vs. saw ginning. sioned. In California, In California, where Acala varieties Pima acreage has kept many roller are consistently strong and long, roller gins operational despite an overall ginning short staple has become a reg- decrease in cotton acres.

This year, California plans to harular practice. In some cases, it can bring as much as a 15-cent premium. vest about 215,000 acres of cotton with Ron Nickels, director of sales admin- more than two-thirds of that being istration at Calcot, Ltd, says, “If cotton Pima. Of the remaining 60,000 acres of is long enough or strong enough, it can upland cotton, Bush believes that 90 bring a premium. But, it can’t be a nor- percent of those acres are Acala varieties – a great deal of which will be mal 36 staple length.”

At less than a 40 grade for length, roller ginned. the cost of roller ginning an upland A Timely Decision? variety eliminates any kind of obvious Greg Gilliard, general manager of price advantage.

Olam Cotton’s California Division, estimates that in the past several years 40 Fiber Strength Must Improve Paul Bush, vice president of Calcot, to 50 percent of upland ginned by

Olam Cotton has been roller ginned.

Olam Cotton made the decision to close its only California saw gin operation in Silver Creek, Calif., this year and will be roller ginning all of the upland Acala that comes to them.

According to Gilliard, Bayer CropScience’s FiberMax Acala Daytona and Hazera’s Pima/Acala hybrid are popular varieties in his area.

Melissa Campbell, manager at River Gin in Coolidge, Ariz., will be running a trial with Central Arizona upland cotton in its new roller stand.

Increased Pima acreage in the area was the reason that her gin board approved installation of a roller gin stand after decommissioning the original Pima gin more than 10 years ago.

Good upland length grades were an incentive to test about 100 harvested acres.

“We’re going to try about half of the cotton on the roller gin and the other half on the saw gin,” Campbell says.

The grades will be compared to see if it warrants running more through the Pima stand next season.

An Expensive Option Phil Hickman, gin manager at Valley Gin in Tornillo, Texas, south of El Paso, has no plans to roller gin any of his upland cotton. Producers in the El Paso Valley have grown varieties that perform well in California, but the results have not been favorable enough to justify the extra expense to roller gin them.

However, as the breeding program in the Mesilla Valley of New Mexico looks at increasing the yield and grades for low gossypol and gossypolfree varieties of Acala cotton, the Upper Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico and Texas may find a strong variety that warrants the cost of roller ginning.

Brent Murphree is the Cotton Board’s Regional Communication Manager for the West. Contact him via email at bmurphree@cottonboard.org.

COTTON FARMING DECEMBER 2014

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Industry News

CCOY Who is the 2014 Cotton Consultant of the Year?

One of the farmers who works with this year’s recipient says, “He helps to insure we’re doing our part to prevent resistance to different chemistries, while trying to preserve as many beneficial insects as possible.”

An Extension entomologist who works closely with him notes, “He never treads water but pushes the envelope to improve the quality of pest management practices that he employs on behalf of his clients.”

On a personal note, he has an “unyielding, uncompromising work ethic; is dedicated to his growers and leads by example.

‘My farmers,’ as he puts it, rely on his sound knowledge and recommendations.”

Who is this man so deserving of these accolades?

Look for the announcement in next month’s issue of Cotton Farming!

Cotton Consultant of the Year sponsored by

Cotton Farming 16 COTTON FARMING

DECEMBER 2014

Dow Ready To Launch Enlist Duo Herbicide in 2015

Ag Leader To Produce New Precision Ag Receivers

Dow AgroSciences has announced it will launch its innovative Enlist Duo herbicide for the 2015 crop season.

Enlist Duo is part of the Enlist Weed Control System, a herbicide-tolerant trait technology for corn and soybeans.

The herbicide will provide new advantages for the management of hard-tocontrol and resistant weeds. It will be launched in conjunction with a stewarded introduction of Enlist corn and seed production of Enlist soybeans in 2015.

As resistant weeds have increased, so has producer demand for new solutions. Acres with resistant weeds doubled in the United States between 2009 and 2013, now numbering 70 million. Enlist Duo, a proprietary blend of glyphosate and new 2,4-D choline, is expected to control the toughest weed species in a long application window.

To learn more about the Enlist Weed Control System, visit Dow’s YouTube channel, Twitter at @EnlistOnline or go to www.Enlist.com.

Ag Leader Technology, Inc., has announced a new line of GNSS receivers – GPS 6000, GPS 6500, RTK Relay and GPS 6500 base station – as well as the company’s latest automated steering controller, SteerCommand.

Combining industry-leading precision farming displays with superior GNSS technology, Ag Leader is positioned to offer an end-to-end solution for guidance and steering.

For additional information, go to www.agleader.com.

Taylor Family Honored With Special Texas Ag Award Dan and Linda Taylor – longtime supporters of Texas Tech’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) – have been selected to receive the Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership (TALL) Award. The honor was recently presented to the couple during a special program at the Bayer Museum of Agriculture in Lubbock.

Dan Taylor, a former agriculture teacher and cotton ginner from Ropesville, is a graduate of the college’s agricultural education program and has served on CASNR’s advisory board. Taylor farms in Lubbock and Terry counties, in addition to owning several other agricultural properties in Hockley, Lynn, Castro, Lamb, Hill and Denton counties.

Linda Taylor is owner and operator of SP Taylor Insurance Agency, a Ropesville-based crop insurance agency. She was office manager, coowner and operator of Buster’s Gin between 1976 and 2009. She is a member of the Plains Cotton Growers Finance Committee, the Bayer Museum of Agriculture, and the Texas Farm Bureau, among others. For more details, go to www.ttu.edu.

Monsanto, Sumitomo & Valent Continuing Partnership Monsanto, Sumitomo Chemical, Ltd. (SCC), and SCC’s wholly owned subsidiary, Valent U.S.A. Corp., have announced an agreement to extend their strategic partnership in Monsanto’s Roundup Ready PLUS Crop Management Solutions platform for soybeans and cotton.

Monsanto’s Roundup Ready PLUS Crop Management Solutions platform empowers farmers to maximize the performance of their Roundup Ready crops by developing effective, economical and sustainable approaches to controlling tough-to-manage and glyphosate-resistant weeds.

For additional information, go to www.RoundupReadyPLUS.com.

Valent herbicides that will continue to be endorsed in Roundup Ready PLUS as a result of this extended partnership include preemergence herbicides, such as Valor, Valor XLT, Fierce, Fierce XLT and Chateau, as well as post herbicides Cobra, Phoenix and Select Max.

Mahindra Joins Intimidator To Produce Utility Vehicles Mahindra USA has announced it is teaming up with Intimidator Inc., to manufacturer an all-new line of utility vehicles, the Mahindra mPACT XTV. The mPACT XTV rollout will begin with six models available through Mahindra’s dealer network, beginning in early 2015. Mahindra dealers were given a sneak preview of the new utility vehicles at Mahindra’s Regional Dealer Meetings in October.

The Mahindra mPACT XTV are all designed to provide superior performance capabilities. Go to www.mahindraUSA.com for details.

CF1214 Layout_CF 11/13 template 11/10/14 11:25 AM Page 11

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COTTON FARMING IS THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE GINNING INDUSTRY.

Gins Should Prepare For OSHA Visits There are several Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspections in progress at cotton gins right now. We have spent some time discussing OSHA inspections at our local meetings and at the gin schools. There will be additional discussions in January at the Beltwide Cotton Conferences in San Antonio, so be sure and attend the Ginning Conferences this year.

In some ways, the inspections are very similar. We are seeing inspectors that have never been to a cotton gin before, and they make suggestions that are simply not possible to achieve. We are also seeing the normal emphasis in employee training, hazard communication programs and guarding.

One significant difference we are seeing during inspections recently is a tendency to have a safety inspection, followed by a separate health inspection.

We don’t know if this is the result of an emphasis in one particular region or something that is being emphasized across the United States.

The safety inspection is the part we have seen in the past. However, during the second inspection, an OSHA hygienist has shown up to measure things like dust levels and noise levels. These are measured by attaching sampling equipment to the employees themselves. As might be expected, most of our employees are not very interested in participating in this type of study, but OSHA does not seem to account for whether the employee actually wants to help or not.

This is another example of being very careful when reviewing OSHA inspections. The OSHA Hearing Conservation Standard does not apply to cotton gins, so it appears OSHA will attempt to use the general duty clause to cite employers for a standard that does not apply. It remains to be seen how any dust readings will work their way into the system. As has been seen in the past, it appears that OSHA continually tries to broaden its regulatory reach during the inspection and citation process.

18 COTTON FARMING

DECEMBER 2014

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We have to stay vigilant and not be afraid to speak up when citations are issued that are not properly constructed. These types of citations can be overturned, but you have to follow their protocol and do your homework in order to successfully negotiate a good settlement outcome during any OSHA enforcement action.

Kelley Green of the Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association contributed this article. Contact him at kelley@tcga.org.

Don’t Forget To Attend Gin Shows In 2015 Cotton ginners in the Mid-South and Texas should make their plans now to attend two of the biggest ag shows during 2015. The Mid-South Farm and Gin Show is scheduled for Feb. 27-28 at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tenn.

The Memphis event brings together more than 400 exhibitors and is one of the country’s largest indoor farm shows. For more information, contact the Southern Ginners Association office in Memphis at (901) 947-3104.

Meanwhile, the Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association (TCGA) Annual Meeting and Trade Show is set for April 9-10 at the Lubbock Civic Center in Lubbock, Texas. This two-day event also will be the site for the Plains Cotton Growers (PCG) Annual Meeting.

For information about the TCGA meeting, call the organization’s office in Austin, Texas, at (512) 476-8388. For updates on the PCG meeting, call (806) 792-4904.

Cotton’s Calendar 2014

Nov. 19 – PCCA Board meeting, Lubbock, Texas.

Dec. 2-3 – Boll Weevil Action Comm. – Little Rock, Ark. Dec. 9-11 – Cotton Board meeting – St. Petersburg, Fla. Dec. 17 – Staplcotn Board Meeting – Greenwood, Miss.

2015

Jan. 5-7 – BWCC, San Antonio, Texas.

Jan. 14 – PCG Quarterly Meeting, Lubbock, Texas.

Jan. 14-16 – Cotton/Rice Conference, Baton Rouge, La. Jan. 21-24 – Southern/SE Meeting, Hilton Head, S.C. Feb. 6-8 – NCC Annual Meeting, Memphis, Tenn.

Feb. 19-20 – USDA Ag Outlook, Washington, D.C. Feb. 27-28 – Mid-South Farm/Gin Show Memphis, TN. April 9-10 – TCGA Trade Show, Lubbock, Texas.

May 13-15 – ACSA Meeting, Santa Barbara, Calif.

Aug. 24-26 – NCC Board Meeting, Charleston, S.C. Sept. 16 – Staplcotn Annual Meeting, Greenwood, MS. Sept. 16 – PCCA Annual Meeting, Lubbock, Texas.

Oct. 21 – PCCA Board Meeting, Lubbock, Texas.

Nov. 18 – PCCA Board Meeting, Lubbock, Texas.

Dec. 16 – PCCA Board Meeting, Lubbock, Texas.

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

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20 COTTON FARMING

DECEMBER 2014

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SPECIAL REPORT

USDA Seeks Help For Farm Workers

U

nited States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that $29 million is being invested to provide affordable housing for the country’s farm laborers and their family members.

“Housing is often the first step on the road to more economic prosperity for farmworker families,” Vilsack says.

“These loans and grants will significantly improve the lives of farmworkers, who are vital to America’s agriculture sector. This program is one of many tools that USDA has to strengthen the rural economy, which will help bring a brighter future for children from farmworker families.”

USDA is providing assistance through the Farm Labor Housing Loan and Grant program. Financing is available to qualified organizations to develop housing for domestic farm laborers. USDA also provides rental assistance to help very low income families afford the monthly rent.

Through the announcement, USDA is awarding $20.7 million in loans and $8.3 million in grants for 10 projects in six states. When completed, the properties will provide 320 farmworker families with new homes. Rental assistance will be offered for 315 of the new housing units.

“I have witnessed firsthand the way these loans and grants help farmworkers and their communities,” says Tony Hernandez, Administrator of USDA’s Rural Housing Service.

USDA contributed this article.

Come Join Us In RENO!

Trait Stewardship Responsibilities: Notice to Growers Before opening a bag of seed, be sure to read, understand and accept the stewardship requirements, including applicable refuge requirements for Insect Resistance Management (IRM), for the biotechnology traits expressed in the seed as set forth in the Bayer Grower Technology Agreement (BGTA) that you sign. By opening and using a bag of seed, you are reaffirming your obligation to comply with the most recent stewardship and regulatory requirements.

Bayer CropScience is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship® (ETS).

Bayer products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance and in compliance with the Bayer Policy for Commercialization of Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in Commodity Crops.

The combination of biotechnology traits expressed in this cottonseed has achieved full regulatory authorization in the U.S. and several export markets. Processed fractions from this cottonseed, including linters, oil, meal and gin trash, must not be exported without all necessary approvals in the importing country. Bayer CropScience encourages growers to talk to their cotton merchant, broker, or product purchaser to confirm their buying position for commodity components of this product.

Information regarding the regulatory status of this cottonseed can be obtained at www.biotradestatus.com.

Bt products may not yet be registered in all states. Check with your Bayer CropScience Representative or refer to the most recent TwinLink ® Insect Resistance Management (IRM) Guide for restrictions in your state.

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

photo credit: VisitRenoTahoe.com

NAICC ANNUAL MEETING AND AG PRO EXPO January 21-24, 2015 Peppermill Resort Spa Casino • Reno, Nevada For information call: (901) 861-0511

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ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL I N S T R U C T I O N S . L i b e r t y L i n k ® c ro p s contain genes that confer tolerance to glufosinate, the active ingredient in Liberty® brand agricultural herbicide. Liberty herbicide will kill crops that are not tolerant to glufosinate. ©2014 Bayer CropScience LP, 2 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. Always read and follow label instructions. Bayer, the Bayer Cross, Liberty, LibertyLink, Stoneville, Stoneville Design and TwinLink are registered t r a d e m a r k s of Ba y e r. E x c e l l e n c e T h ro u g h Stewardship is a registered trademark of Excellence Through Stewardship. Liberty is not registered in all states. For additional product information call toll-free 1-866-99-BAYER (1-866-992-2937) or visit our website at www.BayerCropScience.us CR0714STONEVA094V00R0 B-27081-1

www.naicc.org COTTON FARMING DECEMBER 2014

21

22_Don Cameron My Turn #2 11/14/14 9:58 AM Page 22

My Turn Surviving Low Prices

P

Sure, China leaves us guessing what the marerhaps the most unwieldy element I kets will do in 2015, but do not become overly optiencounter as a pro- mistic about higher prices. We have a price strugducer is the mar- gle ahead of us, so let’s look at actions we can take ket. It might feel like it’s that best position us for success. First, we can the lack of rain, or the grow the longest staple, best grade possible while heat or even the surprise finding new ways to raise yields with fewer hailstorms, but really the inputs. This practice will always remain suprememost dynamic and unpre- ly advantageous. Next, make it a goal to become dictable part of growing better marketers by managing risk through cotton is the buying and options – beginning early in the year.

Kelli Finally, create demand for the fiber we produce trading, selling and hedging, marketing and pro- by telling our story and inspiring consumer interMerritt moting. Very few of these est. Cotton has a story, and the consumer would concepts were a part of the love to hear it. He wants to know the story of how culture of farming in which I grew up, and most of that cotton was grown, but, more importantly, he what I’ve learned has been through the rigorous wants to know you, the people involved in producing that cotton. school of hard knocks.

Consumers want to feel warm and fuzzy when A free market society and even capitalism are often presented as ideals. That’s because free mar- they make a purchase. Polyester does not have that story. Who ket economics are not wants to hear the practiced like they once ‘Cotton has a story, and the story of putting manwere – at least not in a pure form. Taxes and consumer would love to hear it.’ made materials together into a fabric? tariffs, subsides and B-O-R-I-N-G. Where government regulation are a way of life – both nationally and internation- is the humanity in that? Farming has become so ally. For our ancestors, the free market was reali- much more than coaxing a seedling out of the ty. It was simple. When there were no subsidies, ground. Those of us who have spent our lives farmers grew cotton if they could afford to do so working the dirt have become proficient at the and got whatever price someone was willing to skills of growing. We understand about pest conpay. This system can be viable when everyone trol, irrigation and variables it takes to produce a plays by the same rules. That’s not the world we crop. But farming in a post-modern society has increasingly become a business. live in today.

To compete on a global level, we must discipline So, I say, let’s all play by the same rules. As a WTO member, I would like to see China be com- ourselves in every facet of our operation. Our compliant with WTO requirements concerning the petitors have already made this change. China is amount of subsidies provided to its farmers. It proficient in long-range planning to a level we needs to be clear and transparent in its reporting. have difficulty comprehending.

I still believe that understanding the markets is If we are really after freer markets, global trade and equitable enforcement of regulations, now is a the most daunting part of farming, but I do know there are deliberate steps we can take such as good time to begin.

Since we are talking about basic economics in strategically selecting seed varieties, working a the context of China, let’s look at pure supply and plan using futures, options and branding that not demand. China has announced that in 2015 it will only will help but are essential to our survival. not import more than 894,000 tons. However, in – Kelli Merritt is a Texas farmer, licensed China, and other spinning countries, there is commodity broker and link between farmers and demand for high-quality, long-staple cotton where mills. Contact her at merrittkelli@gmail.com. there is not much demand for ordinary cotton.

Cotton Farming’s back page is devoted to telling unusual “farm tales” or timely stories from across the Belt. Now it’s your turn. If you’ve got an interesting story to tell, send a short summary to thorton@onegrower.com or fax to (901) 767-4026. We look forward to hearing from you.

22 COTTON FARMING

DECEMBER 2014

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CF1214 Layout_CF 11/13 template 11/14/14 8:55 AM Page 16

New Product Evaluator

Billy Elliott | Lake Village, AR

Always follow IRM, grain marketing and all other stewardship practices and pesticide label directions.

Details of these practices can be found in the Trait Stewardship Responsibilities Notice to Farmers printed in this publication. Š2014 Monsanto Company. DP15012-CF-DE-1321, 1133, 1034-Elliott 12/1