Cotton Farming September 2022

PROFITABLE PRODUCTION STRATEGIES www.cottonfarming.com ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC SEPTEMBER 2022 A North Carolina Cotton Family Bringing Cotton Back To Eastern Carolina

SEPTEMBER

Scott Stiles, Extension economist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, discusses USDA’s Aug. 12 report.

DEPARTMENTS & COLUMNS

20 GINNERS MARKETPLACE

TWITTER: @COTTONFARMING SEPTEMBER 2022 COTTON FARMING 3 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. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cottonfarming Twitter: @CottonFarming Instagram: @CottonFarmingMagazine 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, Tennessee, and at additional mailing o ices. 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.

PROFITABLE PRODUCTION STRATEGIES

4 Editor’s Note 5 Cotton’s Agenda 15 Southwest Report 16 Specialists Speaking 19 Industry News 22 My Turn FEATURES

10 LOW LEVEL COTTON HARVEST

12 COTTON TRUST PROTOCOL

“Over the past couple of years, we’ve done considerable work with drones and have begun exploring the use of spray drones for applications in cropping systems,” said Dr. Steve Li, Extension weed specialist, Auburn University. In this segment, Li fields FAQ about drones for pesticide applications. Go to www.cottonfarming.com for this Web Exclusive report.

ON THE COVER: A North Carolina family has worked to put cotton back on the map in Eastern North Carolina. Left to right are Gary Respess, Greyson Tetterton, Mollie Tetterton, Derick Tetterton, Hope Tetterton and Elaine Respess. Cover photo by Cassidy Nemec. Vol. 66 No. 9 When the boll weevil hit North Carolina in the 1920s, the cotton crop was decimated. Once the Boll Weevil Eradication Program, chemicals and technology made strides, Gary Respess began farming cotton in 1995. Today, Tetterton Family Farms is a successful multigenerational operation. Cotton

WEB EXCLUSIVE

8 Bringing Back

14 INFLATION REDUCTION ACT

e IRA infused funding to several ag conservation programs. Texas A&M economists compiled a brie ng paper evaluating the bill’s e ects on agriculture. 2022 www.cottonfarming.com

Dr. Rogers Leonard recently sat down with Cotton Farming magazine to discuss the important role consultants play in Trust Protocol enrollment.

the official publication of the ginning industry Harrison Ashley honored as the recipient of the 2022 May eld Cotton Engineering award. TCGA interns provide late summer reports.

However, once the Boll Weevil Eradication Program made strides in the area, along with chemical and technological innovations, Respess began farming cotton in 1995. He and several others also joined up to build a cotton gin in 1996. Today, he and his family have grown the business into a thriving, multigenerationalAnotheroperation.bitof good news is that the Inflation Reduction Act increased funding to several agricultural conservation programs. The four existing programs that will benefit include:

Although it’s no secret that cotton farmers still face challenges going into harvest and trying to plan for the 2023 season, I have faith that in the end, they will endure.

 Environmental Quality Incentives Program, EQIP.

If you have comments, please send them to: Cotton Farming Magazine, 7201 Eastern Ave., Germantown, TN 38138.

Editor’s Note Carroll Smith Carroll Cotton Farming EDITORIAL/PRODUCTION Editor-In-Chief Carroll Smith csmith@onegrower.comSoutheastEditor Amanda Huber ahuber@onegrower.comAssociateEditor Cassidy Nemec cnemec@onegrower.comDigitalContentEditor Katie Guthrie Art Director Ashley ADMINISTRATIONKumpe Publisher/Vice President LiaGuthrie (901) Associatelguthrie@onegrower.com497-3689Publisher/Editor-In-Chief CarrollSmith (901) 326-4443 Associate Publisher/Sales Scott Emerson (386) semerson@onegrower.com462-1532ProductionManager David Boyd dboyd@onegrower.comAudienceServices Kate Thomas (847) 559-7514 For subscription changes or change of address, call (847) 559-7578 or email cottonfarming@omeda.com EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD David Burns – North Carolina David Lynch – South Carolina Bob McLendon – Georgia Larkin Martin – Alabama Mike Sturdivant Jr. – Mississippi Charles Parker – Missouri Jimmy Hargett – Tennessee Allen Helms – Arkansas Jay Hardwick – Louisiana Ronnie Hopper – Texas Ron Rayner – Arizona John Pucheu – California 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 2022 © 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 ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC Mike Lamensdorf PRESIDENT/TREASURER Lia Guthrie PUBLISHER/VICE PRESIDENT

It was a sobering moment when I read the article on page 10 in which it was reported that the United States is expected to harvest its lowest number of cotton acres since the 19th century, according to an estimate from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“USDA projected this year’s harvested acres at 7.13 million,” said Scott Stiles, Extension economist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “That would be the lowest since 1868.”



 Conservation Stewardship Program, CSP. Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, ACEP. Regional Conservation Partnership Program, RCPP. Check out the article on page 14 to see details of other proposals in the works.

For ThereEverythingIsASeason

4 COTTON FARMING SEPTEMBER 2022 COTTONFARMING.COM



I suspect the main culprit for these startling numbers is the relentless drought that maintained a tight grip on many areas of the Cotton Belt.

We’ve all heard the phrase “for everything there is a season,” which comes from the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes. Unfortunately, not everything is good. Some things will challenge the human spirit’s ability to endure. There is no obvious answer and no quick fix, but we have to maintain a positive attitude and not give up.On the affirmative end of the spectrum, I was encouraged by the article on page 8 that describes one North Carolina family’s efforts to bring cotton back after the boll weevil decimated the crop in the 1920s. Beaufort County farmer, Gary Respess, said, “This county was the largest cottongrowing county in the state, and it went to zero with the boll weevil.”

Another valuable program benefit is the sharing of information among the P.I.E. participants within their own Cotton Belt region as they travel together during a tour. Comparing notes with the tour hosts and their fellow travel companions often results in the participants determining what may work or not work in their operation. That interaction continues after a tour with many of the participants and hosts making lifelong friendships and periodically calling each other to get feedback on some new technology, farming practice or new production challenge.

Gary Adams is president/CEO of the National Cotton Council of America.

Inside his barn, Lloyd Arthur, a Ralls, Texas producer, briefs Mid-South and Southeast producers on Texas High Plains’ water issues.

After this year’s two P.I.E. tours, more than 1,200 U.S. cotton producers now have been exposed to innovative production practices in Cotton Belt regions different than their own. I encourage our cotton producers to consider participating in a P.I.E. tour. Involvement is as easy as expressing an interest. Contact your local cotton producer organization or your local NCC Member Service representative.

What benefits are offered?

Gary Adams Seeing Is Believing

After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the National Cotton Council has resumed its Producer Information Exchange (P.I.E.) program — a very valuable educational initiative.

Cotton’s Agenda

TWITTER: @COTTONFARMING SEPTEMBER 2022 COTTON FARMING 5

P.I.E. participants, though, get a unique educational opportunity to not only see innovative farming practices firsthand but ask questions about those practices face-to-face with their peers. In past tours, for example, Mid-South producer participants implemented new irrigation practices to improve efficiency and water conservation after visiting the Texas High Plains. Some Southeast region producer participants adopted weed resistance strategies after seeing Mid-South farms.

■ During the program’s 30-year plus existence, the NCC’s Member Services staff, in conjunction with local producer interest organizations, has coordinated the P.I.E. program’s tours and participant selection. Priority is given to selecting participants who have demonstrated a desire to improve their farming operations. This year featured two tours and was the first time that producers from two Cotton Belt regions toured together in another region. In late August, Mid-South and Southeast producers visited Texas’ Lubbock and Lower Rio Grande Valley regions while Western and Southwest producers traveled to North Carolina a week later. The P.I.E. tours now are made possible by BASF Agricultural Solutions through a grant to The Cotton Foundation.

■ The P.I.E. program has a specific goal of helping U.S. cotton producers maximize production efficiency and improve yields and fiber quality by 1) gaining new perspectives in such fundamental practices as land preparation, planting, fertilization, insect/weed control, irrigation and harvesting; and 2) observing diverse farming practices and the unique ways in which other resourceful producers have adopted new and existing technology. These objectives are more important than ever as new technology continues to accelerate at a rapid pace. However, appropriate adaptation of these tools and techniques to individual farming operations is a must considering today’s challenges producers face that range from higher crop input costs and adverse weather to weed resistance and seed cotton contamination prevention.

How is the P.I.E. program conducted?

Having over 200 NPE growers from Virginia to California evaluating allows the Deltapine brand cotton team to identify ideal genetics to bring to market for speci c growing regions in a Cotton Belt-wide program. Growers across all regions are currently adopting new genetics at a fast pace.

“With the NPE Program, we have managed to switch to improved biotech traits in cotton without suffering a yield drag, and when we switch to a new trait, the yield potential is stable and even improves on our farm,” said Johnny Grif n, NPE grower in North Carolina.

The Deltapine® brand’s New Product Evaluator (NPE) Program is celebrating its 15th season this year with NPE growers evaluating a diverse lineup of genetics and insect protection traits for the Class of ’23 cotton variety candidates.

SoutheastUpper SoutheastLower

GROWER-PROVEN

SouthTexas CentralTexas

“Our farm’s yield potential has increased signi cantly since 2008 — there is no doubt,” said Nick McMichen, Deltapine NPE grower in Alabama. “From DP 0912 B2RF to DP 1646 B2XF to DP 2012 B3XF to DP 2127 B3XF, the varieties released through the NPE Program just keep getting better.” Class of ’20 performance by DP 2012 B3XF, DP 2020 B3XF and DP 2038 B3XF equaled DP 1646 B2XF performance, according to Beltwide data collected by Bayer, but offered improved ber quality potential and products with resistance to bacterial blight and verticillium wilt.

(lb/acre)DifferenceYield100-20020406080

“The NPE Program has put growers at the table, allowing us to evaluate and identify cotton varieties that t our tough, dryland acre, as well as the highly productive irrigated acre,” said Ralph Kellermeier, NPE grower in the Texas Southern Rolling Plains. “We’re looking for consistent performance in tough conditions on many of our elds, and this program has helped us nd the right varieties for those acres.”

Beginning in 2017, DP 1646 B2XF started a run as the topplanted product in the U.S., according to the USDA varieties planted reports, due to the step up it brought in yield and ber quality potential. The Deltapine Classes of ’20, ’21 and ’22, however, brought signi cant improvements over DP 1646 B2XF to the market. In addition, the Classes of ’21 and ’22 launched Deltapine Bollgard® 3 ThryvOn™ with XtendFlex® Technology cotton varieties.

DP 2012 B3XF DP 2020 B3XF DP 2038 B3XF CLASS OF ’20 VS. DP 1646 B2XF by Region (2019-2021 YTD) MidsouthUpper MidsouthLower

15 Years of Raising the Bar

Deltapine ® Brand NPE Program Celebrates

Since the rst Deltapine Class of ’09 cotton varieties launched featuring the cotton variety, DP 0912 B2RF — which offered signi cantly improved yield, ber quality and growth management to the market — each subsequent Deltapine class of cotton varieties has raised the bar of what growers expect in the type of genetics and pest protection traits.

PERFORMANCE-PROVEN

Since its inception in 2008, the Deltapine NPE Program has become an industry standard for involving cotton growers in pre-commercial cotton variety evaluation and commercialization and has helped keep the Deltapine brand the No. 1 planted cotton brand on the market. The 15th season of the Deltapine NPE Program marks a milestone in helping raise yield potential and improving production across the Cotton Belt.

and offers more consistent-performing products. OBSERVATIONDP 2239 B3XFDP 1646 B3XFDifferenceN Comparisons LINT YIELD 1,312 1,280 32 110 LINT PERCENT 42.92 42.49 0.43 108 FIBER(IN.)LENGTH 1.21 1.23 -0.02 85 MICRONAIRE 4.35 4.24 0.11 85 STRENGTHFIBER(G/TEX) 29.53 29.83 0.30 85 UNIFORMITY(%) 83.20 83.32 0.12 84 Source: All commercial Bayer and external field trials 2019 to 2021; West Texas, Oklahoma Source: 2019 to 2021 Bayer field trials; Midsouth and Southeast U.S. Deltapine Checks: DP 1646 B2XF, DP 2012 B3XF, DP 2020 B3XF, DP 2038 B3XF, DP 2115 B3XF, DP 2127 B3XF DP 2115 B3XF DP 2127 B3XF 200150100500(lb/acre)DifferenceLint CLASS OF ’21 VS. DP 1646 B2XF by Region (2019-2021 YTD) 16101600159015801570156015501540 DP 2131 B3TXF DP 2211 B3TXF )(lb/acreMeansYieldLint 6050403020100(lb/acre)AdvantageYieldLint DP 2131 B3TXF & DP 2211 B3TXF VS. DELTAPINE CHECKS DRYTOUGH VARIETY (DP 2044 B3XF) VS. DP 1820 B3XF IN WEST TEXAS REGION SoutheastUpper SoutheastLower MidsouthUpper MidsouthLower SouthTexas CentralTexas B3TXF variety DryTough Advantage Deltapine B2XF / B3XF checks DP 1820 B3XF Advantage Yield Env. < 1173 lb/acre Yield Env. > 1173 lb/acre

ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. It is a violation of federal and state law to use any pesticide product other than in accordance with its labeling. NOT ALL formulations of dicamba, glyphosate or glufosinate are approved for in-crop use with products with XtendFlex® Technology. ONLY USE FORMULATIONS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY LABELED FOR SUCH USES AND APPROVED FOR SUCH USE IN THE STATE OF APPLICATION. Contact the U.S. EPA and your state pesticide regulatory agency with any questions about the approval status of dicamba herbicide products for in-crop use with products with XtendFlex® Technology. Bt products may not yet be registered in all states. Check with your seed brand representative for the registration status in your state. Performance may vary, from location to location and from year to year, as local growing, soil and weather conditions may vary. Growers should evaluate data from multiple locations and years whenever possible and should consider the impacts of these conditions on the grower’s fields. Roundup Ready® Flex Technology contains genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate. Products with XtendFlex® Technology contains genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, glufosinate and dicamba. Glyphosate will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. Glufosinate will kill crops that are not tolerant to glufosinate. Dicamba will kill crops that are not tolerant to dicamba. Contact your seed brand dealer or refer to the Bayer Technology Use Guide for recommended weed control programs.

The Deltapine DryTough™ Dryland Cotton Variety lineup, as well as other Deltapine products that t the Texas markets, has shown stable yield potential in the varying growing environments of this region.The Class of ’22 features the cotton variety DP 2239 B3XF

Bayer is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship® (ETS). Bayer products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance with Bayer’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 materials containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Growers should talk to their grain handler or product purchaser to confirm their buying position for this product. Excellence Through Stewardship® is a registered trademark of Excellence Through Stewardship. To learn availability of this product in your area, contact your local sales representative. Commercialization is dependent on multiple factors, including successful conclusion of the regulatory process. The information presented herein is provided for educational purposes only and is not and shall not be construed as an offer to sell.

Insect control technology provided by Vip3A is utilized under license from Syngenta Crop Protection AG. LibertyLink® and the Water Droplet Design® are registered trademark of BASF Corporation. Bayer, Bayer Cross, Bollgard II®, Bollgard®, Deltapine®, DryTough™, Respect the Refuge and Cotton Design®, Roundup Ready 2 Xtend®, Roundup Ready®, ThryvOn™ and XtendFlex® are trademarks of Bayer Group. ©2022 Bayer Group. All Rights Reserved.

Based on performance data, growers in most areas should be able to select Deltapine Bollgard® 3 ThryvOn™ Cotton with XtendFlex® Technology varieties with similar yield potential to current top Deltapine commercial products.

The Class of ’21 featured the cotton varieties DP 2115 B3XF and DP 2127 B3XF, and both demonstrated improved performance potential over the Class of ’20.

There was once a small gin right down the road that ginned about 10 to 12 bales a day. At the gin today, they try to gin between 700 to 800 bales in a 24-hour shift.

I

Carolina Cotton History

“This county was the largest cotton-growing county in the state, and it went to zero with the boll weevil,” Respess said.

He said they grew his first cotton with BXN and hoped for Roundup Ready cotton coming down the pipeline. It was not long after this, in 1996, when Respess joined with several others to form an LLC and build the prominent cotton gin in the area.

Respess, a farmer, husband, father and grandfather, resides in Pantego, North Carolina. He farmed for decades in this small-town part of Beaufort County. He married his wife, Elaine, and raised three daughters.

Bringing Cotton Back To Eastern Carolina’s Landscape BY CASSIDY NEMEC ASSOCIATE EDITOR

When the boll weevil hit North Carolina in the 1920s, the cotton crop was decimated.

“Farming — it’s always been part of us. I was raised right here. Daddy and Mama all lived right over here,” he said.

“The father of three girls finally got a son who wanted to farm,” Hope laughed.

The Next Chapter One of his daughters, Hope, married Derick Tetterton in 1996. From there, the rest was history.

Respess recounted how he’d come across the deed for the 1940-purchased property. His grandfather bought the original orchard and farm for $8,000. They paid it off in 10 years.

8 COTTON FARMING SEPTEMBER 2022 COTTONFARMING.COM COVER STORY

n 1940, Gary Respess’ grandfather purchased some land that would become a legacy for generations to come.

From le to right: Bill Peele, consultant for Tetterton Family Farms, pictured with Derick, Hope, Mollie and Greyson Tetterton, Elaine and Gary Respess

A North Carolina Cotton Family

Once the Boll Weevil Eradication Program made strides in the area, along with chemical and technological innovations, Respess began cotton farming in 1995.

The Industry And Inspiration

In 2013, Respess retired from farming full time, passing the torch onto Derick and Hope, who formed DHT Farms, later becoming Tetterton Family Farms.

The Tettertons are heavily involved in the agricultural industry as a whole and use their close-knit family farm as fuel to push them forward each day.

GARY RESPESS, Pantego, North Carolina

Derick and Hope Tetterton watching as Greyson and Mollie Tetterton check cotton.

“The less fuel you burn, the more money you can put in your pocket if you can get the same results,” Tetterton said. “We’re still learning, too.”

Resistant palmer amaranth and ragweed are the two main weeds the Tettertons work to keep under control. “Rotating corn more — with the chemistry you can use there — helps,” Derick said.

The Cotton Crop Respess commented on their experience growing cotton throughout the years.

Before joining the family business, Derick originally had a trucking business and hauled grain for many, including Respess.After growing BXN cotton for two years, Respess became one of the first growers in the county and area at large to grow Roundup Ready cotton in 1997. In 1998, Derick officially started working with Respess on the farm and quickly became an instrumental player.

The Farm Today Today, the farm operates as Tetterton Family Farms and consists of 3,200 acres of owned and leased farmland — 1,600 acres of soybeans and roughly 800 acres of both cotton and corn make up the operation. All the cotton is dryland on a mixture of sandy and black dirt, and this year, is all Deltapine cotton. As far as the crew goes, the operation consists of the Tettertons and Kenneth Van Staalduinen. Kenneth has been part of the farm for more than 40 years now, Respess said. “We are very fortunate to have him.”

TWITTER: @COTTONFARMING SEPTEMBER 2022 COTTON FARMING 9

On the farm, “weather is always the main challenge,” Derick said. Hope added input costs and supply issues don’t help either. Both Derick and Hope relayed their major success as being able to keep farming year after year. Through the good and bad years, they just continue forward. As for the inspiration to keep going every day, Hope answered quickly. “Aside from Jesus, family is it,” she said. “There’s good and bad to every job that you have; that’s just life. There’s no other thing we’d rather do.”

He recounted a time when they had virtually lost a cotton crop around July 1 one year. He said it came back and still made 800 to 900 lbs. “It had time to recover.”

“What we always liked about cotton was how it was a forgiving crop. You can lose it in a day and have it come back not long after that.”

In following up on good rotation practices, it was mentioned that rotating with cotton had a good effect for other crops on the farm as well. “We used to have a lot of cyst nematode problems in the soybeans, and cotton used as that rotation for two or three years just knocked them out,” Bill Peele, TFF’s consultant, commented.

“When dad retired, we were very thankful Kenneth wanted to continue right on with us. He’s been part of the farm forever,” HopeHopesaid.isthe bookkeeper, parts runner, cook and anything else needed as far as the farm is concerned. Greyson and Mollie Tetterton, Derick and Hope’s children, also have key roles.

Greyson is in his first full year on the farm — spending lots of time in the sprayer and picker — after working part-time in the summers and spending four years in the Marine Corps. Mollie assists Hope in helping the farm remain afloat. “When I’m home, I either bring lunch or get the call to bring them from farm to farm.”

“I used to laugh and say the kids were raised going to see their daddy on the sprayer or the picker because it seemed he was always on there,” Hope said. A significant change came in 2009 when the transition was made from a module-type picker to a round bale one. This helped with labor as it did not require nearly as many people to operate effectively.

Derick is the Beaufort County representative for the Blackland Farm Managers Association and serves as secretary for the Pantego Creek Drainage District. Hope is also the secretary for the Blackland Farm Managers Association.

“The way the equipment is set up is a whole lot better, and it just does a better job,” Respess added. Over the years, they incorporated more tools to further their operation. These include variable-rate seeding, GPS, precision land leveling and Climate FieldView. All contribute to the farm’s continued success and improvement.

NEMECCASSIDYBYPHOTOS

Derick said last year was the best year they had for cotton on the farm, and this year is looking to be close to that as well, pending any hurricanes later in the season. “That’s our killer with cotton; it’s that first part of September. As long as they stay away, we should be pretty good,” he said.

“It’s like every crop — it comes and goes,” he said. “What we always liked about cotton was how it was a forgiving crop. You can lose it in a day and have it come back not long after that.”

“These are absolutely stunning adjustments in the U.S. cotton balance sheet,” StilesThesaid.Aug.

he United States is expected to harvest its lowest number of cotton acres since the 19th century, according to an estimate from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

10 COTTON FARMING | SEPTEMBER 2022 COTTONFARMING.COM

Drought Drops U.S. Cotton Harvest To Lowest Level Since 19th Century BY MARY HIGHTOWER

“An almost ideal September will be needed for the plants to fill and mature bolls needed to obtain the yields and quality we have been accustomed to producing,” Robertson said. Mary Hightower is chief communications officer for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Given the lower production estimate, USDA reduced its outlook for 2022 exports and domestic mill use by 2.2 million bales. The key metric of ending stocks was reduced 600,000 bales in August to a record low 1.8 million bales.

“These are absolutely stunning adjustments in the U.S. cotton balance sheet.”

12 report sent cotton futures up the daily limit of 4 cents, with the December 2022 contract closing at just under $1.09.

“USDA projected this year’s harvested acres at 7.13 million,” said Scott Stiles, Extension economist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “That would be the lowest since 1868.”

SCOTT STILES, Extension economist, University of Arkansas

Cotton ending stocks from USDA/National Agricultural Statistics Service numbers.

AGRICULTUREOFDIVISIONSYSTEMAOFSTILES/USCOTT

Difference Makers Irrigation management during this season’s high temperatures will make the biggest difference for growers.

“Those who started irrigation on time have a good crop. Those who started late cut their effective bloom period short with an early cutout. This will impact our yield average,” he said.

“Cutout,” in the parlance of cotton production, is the point in the plant’s growth during which it won’t support the production of additional bolls.

The daily trading limit was expanded to 5 cents in Monday’s trading. Within minutes of the open Sunday night, the December contract traded the 5-cent limit, reaching $1.1359.  USDA currently forecasts a record season average farm price of 97 cents per pound for the 2022 crop.

Bill Robertson, Extension cotton agronomist for the Division of Agriculture, said NASS was estimating 500,000 acres of cotton in Arkansas, but “we have 600,000 acres based on boll weevil eradication measurements with lots of new growers and cotton on less-than-optimum ground. This will impact our yield average.”

Estimates For Arkansas USDA projected Arkansas’ state average yield to be the second highest on record at 1,195 pounds per acre. Arkansas set a record high last year, with a state average yield of 1,248 pounds per acre. That beat the previous record of 1,185 pounds per acre set in 2019. Stiles said the National Agricultural Statistics Service will conduct its regular in-field sampling for its September production estimate.

Stiles said USDA’s Aug. 12 report projected that about 43% of U.S. planted cotton acres are expected to be abandoned this year, “largely due to the extreme drought conditions in the southwest region, which includes Texas, Oklahoma andTexasKansas.”was particularly hard hit by drought this year. “Texas is projected to abandon 69% of its cotton acreage this year,” Stiles said. “Texas’ planted acreage was 7.1 million. Texas farmers are expected to harvest just 2.2 million, the lowest since 1879.”

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Cotton Balance Sheet Stiles said that ahead of each monthly USDA report, Reuters surveys a group of industry analysts. “The lowest pre-report estimate for production was 14 million bales. The actual number came in at 12.57 million,” he said. “This was a huge 2.93-million-bale drop from the July production estimate of 15.5 million. Lower production resulted from a reduced U.S. average yield estimate and a 1.4-million-acre reduction in harvested acres.”

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“But I will temper that by saying it’s professional, but there is a lot of personal relationship building as well. An example is that many times when you want to relay information, you stop by the farmer’s home, so you have a chance to meet their family. And to further that, many of the successful cotton producers have consultants who have been with them for many years.”After considering the synergy that emanates from this business/personal relationship between cotton farmers and their consultants, it makes sense that consultants can now assist their farmers in enrolling in the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol.

A

I believe allowing the consultants to help enter a portion of this information for our cotton producers will improve the efficiency of the enrollment process.

A From the consultant’s standpoint, going back to the fact that they are the technical services provider, many of the questions in the survey for the Trust Protocol have to do with those recommendations being put forth from the consultant. Many of those recommendations are science based; they are proven; and the consultant has a very clear record of those recommendations. So, the consultant can assist the farmer in answering many of those questions.

he working relationship between cotton farmers and their consultants is based, in large part, on mutual respect and trust.

U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol

At a crucial time for the U.S. cotton industry, the Trust Protocol helps U.S. growers document and showcase their land management and environmental stewardship practices while helping them achieve continuous improvement related to certain environmental sustainability measurements.

A Conversation With Louisiana Cotton Consultant Dr. Rogers Leonard

The Trust Protocol is an industry-wide initiative to promote U.S. cotton to brands and retailers as a sustainable fiber produced by growers who strive for continuous improvement.

The consultant can’t answer all the questions, so the farmer has to be present for at least part of the process. To me, the neat thing is that the Trust Protocol has gone above and beyond to protect the individual information of that grower. The process is that the grower must approve anything that the consultant does. They don’t have total access to the farmer’s information unless the farmer approves that on the front end and then again on the back end.

Q In your opinion, what value does the Trust Protocol provide for U.S. cotton farmers?

Leonard recently sat down with Cotton Farming magazine to talk about the Trust Protocol and the important role consultants play in helping their farmer clients enroll in the program.

Launched in 2020, the Trust Protocol’s mission is to bring quantifiable and verifiable goals and measurement to the key sustainability metrics of U.S. cotton production with a vision where transparency is a reality and continuous improvement of our environmental footprint is the central goal.

The first thing the grower needs to do is visit trustuscotton.org. That is the general website for retrieving information to sign up, to enter information and to approve any information that has been entered. At that point, the farmer can sign up and go through the process to approve their consultant to enter information for them. I would urge the farmer and the consultant to get together, contact the help desk, which is growers@trustuscotton.org, and ask for a written copy of the survey. Then they will know exactly what information is going to be requested prior to them sitting down at a computer screen to enter it. That’s very important because most of our growers are busy and have a lot of things going on. When they get to a pinch point — a question they can’t answer — they tend to back out of the program and forget about it. That’s another value of the consultant. They can help walk the farmer through it, and the consultant may have the answer to that question on the tip of their tongue and be able to take care of it immediately. There are some pinch points you can get over rather quickly just by seeing the survey ahead of time and knowing what those questions are.

Dr. Rogers Leonard, who operates Integrated Crop Consulting LLC in St. Joseph, Louisiana, said, “It’s a very professional relationship from the standpoint that consultants provide technical services in the form of production and pest management recommendations.

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For those not familiar with the initiative, here is some background information about the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol:

He shares his thoughts in this interview with Cotton Farming Editor Carroll Smith.

I’ve taken the survey. I have gone through the entire process and by my estimate, a strong consultant who works very closely with the producer in all phases of cotton production can probably answer 70% to 80% of the questions that are put forth in the Trust Protocol.

T

Each participating grower commits to documenting and tracking their progress toward improving soil carbon health while seeking year over year reductions in soil erosion, overall land use, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Q Can you provide more detail about “improving the efficiency” by allowing the consultant to participate?

Q If one of your cotton farmers asks you to assist them in enrolling in the Trust Protocol, what needs to happen to help this process go smoothly?

A Yes. That is another part of the value of this program. It’s somewhat of a living document. The producer can see where they are on this scale of sustainability. You’re not always going to be at 80%, and the first year you’re not going to be at 100%. There is always room for improvement.

A I am excited about the Trust Protocol because it is a strong move for sustainability. We all know that in today’s households the word sustainability has become very common. For example, when consumers go to the store today, they are looking for sustainable goods whether it is food or clothing. So, sustainability is very important. For the cotton industry, this is an opportunity to stand up to the plate and begin to control a little bit of their own destiny. By participating in the Trust Protocol and showing you are employing sustainable practices, you are going above and beyond many of the cotton producers around the world. The United States is already recognized for great cotton quality, but we have to be able to document that now at the farm level with individual practices. The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol brings that level of value to the individual producer.

After seeing where they stand on the sustainability scale, the farmer can see that tweaking a particular practice a little bit can improve the efficiency of the operation. That’s what this is all about. Documenting what we are doing to demonstrate sustainability and determining how we can continue to improve so U.S. cotton can stay ahead of the rest of the world. For more information about the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol and to begin the enrollment process, visit trustuscotton.org.

Another value is that the Trust Protocol is integrated with the FieldPrint Calculator platform from Field to Market. That program generates information that growers can use to compare their results to others in their area or even on a national level. However, the information is anonymous. There are no names associated with it. It’s all aggregated.

Q Once enrolled in the Trust Protocol, can farmers and their consultants compare their sustainability efforts from one year to the next?

NIX/DREAMSTIMEJACQUELINE

The hope in the future is that this value will translate into a much better return on their investment.

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he Inflation Reduction Act recently signed into law by President Biden not only extended the Affordable Care Act, but also infused funding to several agricultural conservation programs familiar to producers. Economists with the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University in College Station have compiled a briefing paper evaluating the effects of the bill on agriculture.“Thebottom line is that there is an enormous infusion of funding for conservation programs,” said Dr. Bart Fischer, food policy center co-director in the Department of Agricultural Economics of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Bryan-College Station. “Much discretion about the distribution of that funding is left to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, so we will have to see how they implement the program before we know how everything will work.”

What did the Inflation Reduction Act change?

 The IRA provided an additional $8.45 billion for EQIP through fiscal year 2026 and extended the program through fiscal year 2031. It increased funding for conservation innovation trials from $25 million to $50 million. In implementing the IRA, USDA is expected to prioritize proposals that “utilize diet and feed management to reduce enteric methane emissions from ruminants” and to provide funding for “one or more agricultural conservation practices or enhancements that the Secretary determines directly improve soil carbon, reduce nitrogen losses, or reduce, capture, avoid, or sequester carbon dioxide, methane, or nitrous oxide emissions, associated with agricultural production.”

“The extent to which the additional funding is perceived as helpful will largely depend on how the USDA implements the provisions,” Fischer said.

NEWMAN/DREAMSTIMEDAVE

 A new program being added is the Quantifying Carbon Sequestration and Greenhouse Gas Emissions. The IRA provided $300 million “to carry out a program to quantify carbon sequestration and carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emissions, through which [NRCS] shall collect field-based data to assess the carbon sequestration and reduction in carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emissions. Outcomes associated with activities carried out pursuant to this section and use the data to monitor and track those carbon sequestration and emissions trends through the Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Assessment Program of the Department of Agriculture.”

Several agricultural conservation programs will benefit from the Inflation Reduction Act.



“Further, in this case the conservation priorities were set by Congress rather than at the grassroots level, so it’s not yet clear what the uptake will be,” he said.

Fischer said it’s important to note that the funding is shortlived and will run out midway through the next Farm Bill, at the end of fiscal year 2026.

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Details Will Determine Value

Meanwhile, producers continue to face enormous costs as they approach fall harvest, and a growing number of concerns remain over the upcoming crop year, the briefing paper notes.

T



Texas A&M Agricultural & Food Policy Center Provides Overview

BY BLAIR FANNIN



Highlights outlined in the food policy center briefing paper include:

“We are also getting asked a lot of questions about how this will impact the next Farm Bill,” Fischer said. “My answer is that an infusion of this size is certainly a boost to these programs, but because the additional funding dries up at the end of fiscal year 2026, it undoubtedly will complicate the next Farm Bill deliberations. Conservation groups will want to see the elevated funding levels continued, but that will require coming up with new money. Generally speaking, most farm groups want to see big improvements to the farm safety net. Next year is going to be interesting.”



For agriculture, additional funds were given to four existing conservation programs:  Environmental Quality Incentives Program, EQIP. Conservation Stewardship Program, CSP.  Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, ACEP.  Regional Conservation Partnership Program, RCPP. The funding for these programs was extended through 2031. Additional funding was made available for rural development and forestry. According to the briefing paper, from the perspective of agricultural producers, the Inflation Reduction Act will provide a significant, short-term infusion of funding for these select conservation programs.

Blair Fannin provides executive/internal communications support for Texas A&M AgriLife.

Inflation Reduction Act Increases Ag Conservation Program Funds

Breaking It Down



mong the many industry experts who are working tirelessly for cotton producers’ on-farm profitability and success are cotton breeders engaged in creating new cotton varieties for growers. New varieties go through fiber quality testing to ensure they are viable for commercial production.Historically, these potential new varieties are hand-harvested and tested on tabletop-sized saw or roller gin stands to determine strength, fineness and other fiber quality characteristics.

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“The ultimate goal of this project is to identify if tabletop and commercial gin stands show similar fiber quality data,” said Dr. Kothari. “If the quality data comes back different, we will then work to identify those differences so breeders and companies can account for them.”

Next, tests will be run to see if there is a discrepancy between a rotary knife roller gin stand and a reciprocating-knife roller gin stand. In the United States, we have used the rotary knife roller gin since the 1960s. Most of the rest of the world uses a version of a reciprocating-knife roller gin that was developed in the 1800s. The first part of the study will give growers, researchers and breeders the answer and security that the varieties they plant are going to produce the desired fiber characteristics. In the second part, results would give scientists, producers, textile mills and manufacturers data on how the two different types of ginned cotton compare.

Christi Short is the Cotton Board’s regional communication manager for the Southwest. Contact her at cshort@cottonboard.org.

SOUTHWEST REPORT

While this information is helpful, it is unknown if the numbers accurately correlate to what the classing sample would show commercially on a full-scale gin. Cotton Incorporated and researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Las Cruces Gin Lab in New Mexico are on a mission to find out.  “When looking at the work that has been done in fiber quality, this question has truly never been answered — How do tabletop gin stand results compare to those of a commercial, full-sized gin?” said Dr. Neha Kothari, Associate Director of Fiber Quality Research at Cotton Incorporated.  Joint Research Project Dr. Kothari is experienced in, and passionate about, cotton breeding and is very familiar with the process of creating new varieties and bringing them to market. She says that cotton breeders don’t always have access to a high quantity of cotton or a commercial gin to gather data. Years ago, at a research meeting, Dr. Kothari and Mr. Carlos Armijo, a scientist at the USDAARS Gin Laboratory in Las Cruces, New Mexico, started brainstorming these issues and developed a joint research project.

Comparing Fiber Quality Between Tabletop And Commercial Gin Stands

A

First, they will compare the advertised fiber qualities and characteristic results from commercial saw and roller gin stands to the results from tabletop saw and roller gin stands. Three varieties will be tested in this project, including a stripped cotton from Texas, a picked cotton from New Mexico and a picked long-staple variety from New Mexico.

“There is a lot of cleaning in between the testing of each variety, so we can ensure there is no contamination,” said Armijo. “It is time-consuming work even when we are working full speed ahead.”

This work was originally slated to start in 2019, but after a few pauses from the COVID-19 pandemic and limited capacities at research facilities, the project is now nearing the half-way point.

The goal of their research is twofold.

The researchers are hopeful they’ll be able to release the results from the study at the 2023 Beltwide Cotton Conferences. This joint project is a great example of how grower funds can be leveraged at facilities across the United States, pairing Cotton Incorporated expert researchers with other research facilities and their dedicated staff.

Stripper And Picker Samples

Ernest Herrera hand feeds seed cotton to a tabletop saw gin, while theatthePandoAlbertocollectsginnedlinttherearofstand.

BY CHRISTI SHORT ROCHESTER, TEXAS

Samples were picked in the 2021 harvest season with a full-size stripper and picker. These were then processed through the 2021-22 ginning season at the USDA-ARS Gin Lab. Classing and HVI data is nearing completion, and now comparisons and research will take place. The results should be completed at the end of this year or the beginning of next.

It has been a blessing working with UF Extension/research for 45 years (with retirement approaching Sept. 15, 2022) — and for 38 years with cotton growers in Florida.

Despite early season dry, weather-delayed cotton growth this year, the crop still has the potential for good yield. Cotton and peanut harvest overlap considerably, and peanut is harvested first. Hurricanes and tropical storms can decrease cotton quality and yield at harvest. Timely defoliation at 60% to 70% open bolls, or five to six nodes above cracked bolls, will normally result in highest yield and quality. Therefore, cotton equipment should be adjusted and ready to go before the harvest season begins to avoid delays or use of custom harvest services. This has many advantages and reduces risk from weather.

 This year’s crop is seven to 10 days ahead of schedule. It is vitally important to start looking at your crop and getting ready to pull the trigger when it’s reached 60% open. It will be ready before you are.



GEORGIA Camp Hand Ah yes, bolls are opening, and the smell of defoliant is in the air. It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

Specialists Speaking

Preparing The Crop For Harvest

FLORIDA David Wright

There were a few researchers who worked together (Touchton, Gallagher and others) from the southeastern United States. Now, conservation farming is used widely. Seed technology from companies also helps growers succeed in producing a crop. At the same time, machinery technology moved ahead making harvesting timelier with less labor (six to eight row pickers, balers on pickers, modules, etc.).

In the early 1980s, Florida only had 2,000 to 3,000 acres of cotton due to the boll weevil with most acres used for wheat/soybean, corn and peanut. The Boll Weevil Eradication Program started in Virginia and North Carolina in 1978 then spread to Florida and other southeastern states in the early 1980s. Cotton expanded in acreage soon after.

ALABAMA Steve M. Brown If man could control rainfall, we might have a fight on our hands as this crop finishes. In terms of moisture: too dry, too wet, pretty good or not quite perfect but still good describe the range of conditions across Alabama. Fields planted in late April through the first 10 days of May need drying trends as we move into September and open bolls in what is generally an aggressive canopy and an EARLY crop. Obviously, late cotton still needs rainfall to boost prospects.

Compared to woes we hear from Texas and Oklahoma, our crop holds significant promise. In June, July and into early August, fruit retention was extremely high, and we’ve seen some remarkable cotton through mid-to-late summer. Our crop could be really special, at least from the areas not too severely affected by drought or by the opposite of excessive rainfall. Many of our summer time rains were afternoon pop-up showers. Fields touched often enough by these rains look really good. Parts of the lower Gulf Coast had measurable rain for almost 30 of 37 days during a stretch in July and August, so it was way wet for too long. Altogether, the last 40 days until harvest have a profound impact on what we wrap at the gin, so we’re still in the tenuous, “hope” stage. In the lull before harvest, valuable time could be spent in fields OBSERVING, looking for areas affected by nematodes, nutrient deficiencies, other pest problems, etc. If nothing else, the view and perspective offered by a big sprayer, drone or picker help identify portions of a field that need attention. Given the amount of compaction we’ve seen in parts of the state, I also recommend checking for hard pans. That requires poking and prodding, but it provides direction on the need for sub-surface tillage as we prepare for future crops. cottonbrown@auburn.edu

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Finally, all the blood, sweat and tears (and money) are being rewarded as we prepare for harvest. As harvest approaches, a few things to keep in mind:

The best way to deliver high quality cotton is to plant varieties that produce good grade cotton and stable yields across a large area, eliminate stress during the growing season, pick on time and store cotton at the right moisture in modules or bales on dry sites. Many cotton fields look good at this point with good rains, and I hope growers have a good crop! wright@ufl.edu

I have never liked making predictions on a cotton crop or the weather. Both predictions usually end in disappointment. Either way, the weather from now to harvest will determine the fate of roughly 80% of Mississippi’s cotton crop; and the remaining 20% — well, it has probably been determined. Dry, sunny days consumed both June and July, resulting in some stunted and drought-stressed cotton. However, most of the crop is still in the hunt to make a high yield. Timely rains and irrigation have allowed cotton to respond well to the environment. Diligent PGR management strategies resulted in manageable plant heights and good node counts. Plant bug pressure was normal to light for most of the state, resulting in excellent fruit retention. The lack of soil moisture exposed severe potassium deficiency symptomology in some locations. This is primarily a result of potassium contained in the plant tissues relocating to the developing fruit. Severe symptomology was detected on specific soil types with marginal fertility or lack of soil moisture. Most of these scenarios have been isolated and surfaced as the plant was nearing 0 NAWF, directing all nutrition to boll fill.

MISSISSIPPI Brian Pieralisi

That includes cotton defoliants. As we enter the beginning of defoliation, I will be traveling the state doing defoliation meetings, and I am in constant contact with our UGA county Extension agents. As always, your local UGA county Extension agent and specialists are here to help! Reach out if you have any questions. camphand@uga.edu

Florida cotton in deep, sandy soils is irrigated on 30% of acreage.

 Overall, the Georgia crop looks really good. I know that peanut harvest will be in full swing before too long — however — if you can spare the help, I think it would be wise to try and harvest both crops simultaneously to preserve yield and quality. If you are about to mix up and spray defoliant, please keep in mind the lessons learned from the Using Pesticides Wisely training. It is imperative that ALL pesticides are applied on-target for us to remain sustainable.

The first cotton producers in the deep south did not have the technology for insect and weed management until 1995, and 10 to 15 spray applications were made to control pests. Along with developing technology for cotton, research for initial strip tillage began in the late 1970s and early 1980s — with cover crops/conservation farming using small grains/ soybean, corn, peanut and cotton.

Matt Foster

TEXAS Murilo Maeda

As growers prepare for the 2022 cotton harvest, defoliation timing principles should be taken into consideration. Timing cotton defoliation is an art rather than a science, and there is o entimes a balancing act between yield and ber quality when defoliating cotton. ere are several accepted defoliation timing methods, each with pros and cons. e three most common methods for timing cotton defoliation include 60% open boll, four nodes above cracked boll or 1,050 heat units beyond cutout. Prior to defoliation, growers should inspect the uppermost harvestable boll by cutting a cross-section. A boll is considered mature if it is di cult to cut with a knife and seed coats are tan/brown or black. Once a dark seed coat has formed, defoliation will not adversely a ect yield on those bolls. Best of luck this harvest season! mfoster@agcenter.lsu.edu

As of mid-August, cotton harvesting in the Lower Rio Grande Valley has surpassed the halfway point, and reported yields for the region have been very good for a state impacted from widespread drought conditions. Unlike the majority of Texas, the LRGV received timely rainfall in good amounts to keep growing conditions favorable for cotton production. Lately, I’ve heard average yield reports of 2+ bale dryland cotton and 3+ bale irrigated cotton in the LRGV. Cotton harvesting activities are progressing in the Coastal Bend as well and should be nearing completion by the time you are reading this in September. Much of the cotton in this region failed to emerge earlier in the year due to extremely dry conditions, but growers who were able to maintain a successful stand throughout the growing season have reported yields ranging from 400 to 750 lbs.

What limited rainfall we got in West Texas this year was too little, too late. Unfortunately, despite having most of our acres planted in a timely manner, the lack of adequate planting moisture led a high number of acres (especially dryland) failing to come up to a good stand. While the irrigated crop fared much better overall, those with limited irrigation capacity continue to have trouble keeping up with crop needs, and that will ultimately a ect irrigated yields around here.

TEXAS Ben McKnight

Much of the cotton in this region has very telling symptoms of drought stress, and there have been many questions regarding defoliating a cotton plant in these conditions. Under drought-stressed conditions, cotton plants tend to have leathery leaves with a thick cuticle, which may impact the uptake of harvest-aids.

A er about Aug. 25 or so, we tend to see a sharp decline in the number of blooms that will make it to harvest. As such, growers should manage inputs accordingly (particularly irrigation) from here on out. It is safe to say at this

Additionally, I have observed several elds with wilted cotton plants as early as 10 a.m. Under these conditions, there is less available leaf surface area for spray droplet deposition and retention.

SEPTEMBER 2022

As I write this, we are within a week or so of crossing economic injury threshold caused by insects. Cotton is ranging 4 - 2 NAWF, on average, with about 160 DD60s accumulated per week. Doing the math, we have about 10 or less days to monitor for insect pests. I suspect harvest will be earlier this year than the past few, and hopefully September will be kind to us. A dry, hot defoliation period followed by a dry fall would be a nice gi … I’ll keep my ngers crossed. Good luck! bkp4@msstate.edu

LOUISIANA

Yield potential for the 2022 cotton crop continues to look promising even though hot and dry weather conditions were prevalent in most areas throughout the growing season. Some areas received much-needed rainfall during the early part of August, allowing most growers to turn the irrigation pumps o . However, the cloudy and wet weather did cause fruit shed in some cotton. Nitrogen and potassium de ciencies have been popping up in some areas around the state. Defoliation began in some areas during the middle/ latter part of August, and harvest should begin around early September.

Specialists Speaking

Our summer thus far has been characterized by above-average temperatures and below-average precipitation — culminating in a high number of elds being abandoned. As we progress through the summer months, crop conditions have rapidly deteriorated and will severely a ect production coming out of West Texas this year. For reference, the latest USDA-NASS Texas Crop Progress Report released Aug. 8, 2022, classi es the Texas crop as 14% good, 38% fair and 48% poor or very poor. As I write this mid-August, we are closing in on our last e ective bloom dates, which usually happen around the middle to latter part of the month.

Growers in the Upper Gulf Coast have mostly nished up with the grain harvest and are now focused on getting the cotton crop out of the eld. Some early reports of average farm yields in the region are in the 700 to 850 lbs. range. Harvest-aid applications are in full swing further north in the Blackland Prairie as growers get prepared for the upcoming cotton harvest.

One thing that applicators can do to improve product activity is to target their application window prior to the onset of wilting while plants still have mostly unfurled leaves. Secondly, increasing spray volumes is another way to increase coverage of harvest-aid products and may improve results. Lastly, the addition of adjuvants, including crop oil concentrates (COC) or methylated seed oil (MSO) products, may enhance uptake of the harvest-aid materials and improve results. Like pesticides, harvest-aid products have an accompanying label listing application requirements and approved tank-mix partners. For optimum results, I encourage applicators to be familiar with, and adhere to, label requirements listed on harvest-aid labels. bmcknight@tamu.edu

As I write this Aug. 4, the cotton crop in North Carolina has come a long way from what it was. Hot, dry weather had taken its toll on our crop by late June or early July. Thankfully, many areas have received — and continue to receive — rain since then. Many fields entered the bloom period way too short and dangerously close to cutout. July rains have allowed for renewed terminal growth and fruit set through a suspended cutout — where the terminal grows at about the same rate as white blooms progress upwards from node to node on the main stalk. Most fields are at — or are very near — a true cutout at this point. August historically makes our crop, so we don’t need to miss many rains right now. Currently, the forecast calls for several hot days in a row with little rain, so hopefully, those with irrigation capabilities are supplying supplemental water right now. We have a substantial moth flight right now, which has many growers nervous about potential breakthroughs on three-gene cotton. August can make our crop, but September and October either preserve or erode it. A warm and relatively sunny and dry September is needed to minimize boll rot and hard lock. Sunny and drier harvest weather is needed to preserve both yield and quality. Defoliation decisions will likely be made sometime during September. At this point, it is reasonable to assume that we might have some residual nitrogen remaining during September, which is a product of dry weather during May and June. It’s also reasonable to assume that we may have an early crop in some areas where the crop remains relatively short with fewer-than-normal fruiting nodes. Therefore, we may be defoliating more fields during September this year compared to normal. A lot can happen between now and defoliation, but if we have any noticeable dry weather in the remainder of August and/or sunny, warm weather with any soil moisture at all during September and October, growers should be prepared to address regrowth by using the appropriate rate of thidiazuron or thidiazuron+Diuron in their defoliation tank mixtures.

18 COTTON FARMING | SEPTEMBER 2022 COTTONFARMING.COM time that both dryland, as well as irrigated acres, are still being adjusted. Actual harvested acres are likely to continue declining as we approach harvest, given the current weather conditions. mmaeda@ag.tamu.edu

ARKANSAS Bill Robertson

The August Crop Production report for Arkansas released by USDA-NASS estimated cotton production at 1.22 million bales, down 1%, or 15,000 bales below last year. Based on conditions as of Aug. 1, yield is expected to average 1,195 lbs. per harvested acre, down 53 lbs. from 2021. Our five-year lint yield average is 1,184 lbs. per harvested acre. Lint yields the last three years have been our best three on record.

As you read this during Sept., we will probably be witnessing a flush of juvenile growth on the earliest planted acres. Hopefully, this will coincide with a relatively rapid opening of mature bolls. Our best shot at removing mature and juvenile leaves from those plants and opening bolls will be a stiff shot of thidiazuron plus ethephon. For that shot to work, we need warm weather and sunshine (night temps above 65F). As temperatures begin to slide, we will be forced to blend in tribufos. As they continue to slide, we will need to move away from thidiazuron altogether, and we will be forced into a two-shot approach.  I’ll add more detailed information on our blog as we move into September and will make a few comments on defoliating the later crop on the next Specialists Speaking. traper@utk.edu

Tennessee’s late-planted cotton (end of May to early June) is almost always lower yielding than Tennessee’s early planted cotton (late April or early May). In 2022, the opposite may be true.

guy_collins@ncsu.edu

As I write this Aug. 13, our earliest planted acres have bloomed out of the top of the plant, and our latest planted acres are still running between 7 to 4 NAWF. There are several lessons to be learned from our experiences this year, but I’ll focus my comments here on moving this crop into harvest.

NORTH CAROLINA Guy Collins

OKLAHOMA Seth Byrd I’m often asked to provide estimates of harvested acreage, average yield, etc. If you’ve ever personally asked me this question, you’re likely aware I’m one of the worst people to ask, as I’ve never liked trying to estimate these values even in good years. This is probably the most difficult year I’ve had trying to come up with any of these values. I was recently asked about Oklahoma’s acreage, and whether we’re referring to acreage that was planted and successfully established a stand, or acreage that was actually going to be harvested, I had a tough time trying to formulate an answer. As I mentioned in last month’s issue, there is some good cotton in Oklahoma, but as the season has progressed, there are more and more acres ending up in the “worse than good” column. By the time this issue of Cotton Farming reaches you, we’ll probably have a much better idea of how many Oklahoma acres will see a picker or stripper in them, but it’s safe to say it’s not as many as we had hoped three months ago. For the acres that will be harvested, it’s going to be key to monitor the progression of boll retention and opening as the season winds down. Fruit shed has been common all year, leaving vegetative growth with no corresponding fruiting sites to support. While this typically won’t cause too much of a problem in drought conditions, should rainfall occur, we could see excessive vegetation that will need to be addressed with harvest aids. There is also likely to be a significant amount of drought-stressed vegetation in some fields that will need to be removed, which may cause a rate adjustment or whole different tank mix of products to properly defoliate. Monitoring growth, fruiting development and the crop’s response to any late-season rain will be critical for those making harvest-aid decisions this year to ensure correct application timing, product selection and rates. We release an updated harvest-aid guide annually, with the 2022 version coming out soon and guides from previous years available for viewing at cotton.okstate.edu. seth.byrd@okstate.edu

The hot and dry weather has presented issues to Arkansas growers that we don’t normally see. Some of our issues were more similar to those often experienced by Texas producers. Rainfall events beginning early August certainly helped preserve the yield potential of our crop. The high temperatures have had some effect on pollen production and viability. It appears seed numbers per boll are off slightly on some of our early bolls. The potential of this crop is still good. The shorter effective fruiting period and lateness of some of our fields will impact our state’s average yield. However, we must avoid the temptation of pushing a crop and chasing bolls that realistically have little impact on lint yield and profitability. An almost perfect September for maturing our crop, coupled with wise management, will be needed for us to have a shot at reaching yields we have grown accustomed to achieving. This season has not been easy or cheap and likely will not get any easier. The first fields planted are not always the first to be harvested. Knowing our most mature fields is critical in harvest management. Boll slicing may be our best tool to evaluate maturity this season. As we progress toward the end of this season, we must continue to manage this crop in a timely fashion with a goal of getting pickers in the field mid-September. Contact your local county Extension agent for more information. brobertson@uada.edu

TENNESSEE Tyson Raper

Specialists Speaking

The National Cotton Council’s 2022 Producer Information Exchange program (P.I.E.) enabled Mid-South and Southeast cotton producers to see cotton and other agriculture related operations in Texas’ Lubbock and Lower Rio Grande Valley areas. West and Southwest region producers participated in the second of the two P.I.E. tours, which took place in NorthAfterCarolina.thisyear’s tours, more than 1,200 U.S. cotton producers will have been exposed to innovative production practices in Cotton Belt regions different than their own since the program was launched in 1989. Now sponsored by BASF Agricultural Solutions through a grant to The Cotton Foundation, the P.I.E. is resuming after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

NCC Resumes Producer Information Exchange Tours

There will be four requirements for an ag pilot to earn their C-PAASS designation during the program’s 2023 launch year, with additional requirements forthcoming in subsequent years.

For more information about the program, visit AgAviation.org/cpaass.

The PAASS Program, from the National Agricultural Aviation Research and Education Foundation (NAAREF), has a proven record of reducing accidents and drift incidents. Five years after it debuted, the industry saw a 26% drop in drift incidents from drift surveys collected by state pesticide enforcement agencies.Sincethe first PAASS season in 19981999, the ag aviation accident rate (number of accidents per 100,000 hours flown) has dropped by 26%, and the fatal accident rate has dropped by 10%.

In a letter to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, the California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association expressed serious concerns with the current proposed concepts for a Statewide Pesticide Application Notification System. Allowing anyone to sign up for any notification was the biggest concern expressed by the association.

Under the currently proposed plan, all an individual had to do is provide a valid address within a certain distance of where the pesticide application is going to occur.Then they would be notified regardless of whether or not that individual lived at that address. This means the individual could live on the East Coast and still get notified of any application they signed up for.

Professional Aerial Applicator Safety Steward Program

The association is extremely concerned this could disrupt some pesticide applications by anti-pesticide activists, such as what has occurred in Monterey County, where they have had a similar pesticide application notification system in Multipleplace. applications have been appealed and held up due to protests. This is what the association fears will happen with CDPR’s proposed system.

C-PAASS is a voluntary program that will allow those aerial applicators who strive to constantly educate themselves to better their safety and applications to be recognized for their efforts.

TWITTER: @COTTONFARMING SEPTEMBER 2022 | COTTON FARMING 19 Industry News

The 2022 Southeast tour participants included: Arizona – Burleson Smith, Tucson; California – Doug Cardoza, Tipton; Kansas – Ian Parker, Mulvane; Oklahoma – Matt Braun, Hobart; and Texas – Joe Baumgardner, II, Wellington; Trey Beyer, III, Portland; Russ Eggemeyer, Midkiff; Brent Halfmann and Paul Kocich, both of San Angelo; Brett Howard, Dalhart; Zachary Mengers, Tynan; Landon Mires, O’Donnell; Orin Romine, Big Spring; Layton Schniers, Wall; John Walker, II, Stamford; and Hunter Wilde, Lyford. Bryan Perry, U.S. head of seeds and traits for BASF Agricultural Solutions said, “BASF is proud to support this unique educational opportunity for America’s cotton producers. New technology continues to accelerate at a rapid pace but adapting these tools and techniques to specific farming operations is a challenge.“TheseP.I.E. participants are receiving an invaluable experience by not only seeing innovative farming practices firsthand but getting to ask questions about them face-to-face with their peers.”

As the agricultural aviation industry moves from its first century into its second, it faces a strong and increasing demand for fast and effective agricultural input services. It also faces challenges from additional regulations, public input, rising insurance costs, stiffer pesticide label language and competition from technological advances in other facets of agriculture.Tomeetthese challenges, the National Agricultural Aviation Association is launching its Certified-Professional Aerial Applicator Safety Steward program in C-PAASS2023.will enable aerial applicators to augment their advancement of safety and application accuracy while demonstrating their professional nature to their customers, regulators and the public. Requirements for certification will ensure C-PAASS members are taking part in the best available educational opportunities for agricultural aviation.

NCC Chairman Ted Schneider, a Louisiana producer who was a 1994 P.I.E. participant, said, “The U.S. cotton industry is very appreciative to BASF for underwriting the P.I.E. program because it is providing its producer participants an exceptional opportunity to improve their on-farm efficiency by seeing what works and doesn’t work.”

CCGGA Submits Comments Opposing Statewide Pesticide Application Notification

The 2022 Southwest tour participants included: Alabama – Andy Armstrong, Dothan; Arkansas – Ryan Johnson, Wilmot; and Connor Miller, Leachville; Florida – Phillip Melvin, Altha; Georgia – Patti Niewoehner, Dixie; Mississippi – Bo Leatherman, Robinsonville; North Carolina – Kellum Cahoon, Engelhard; Travis Grimes, Battleboro; Denton Spruill and Blake Sumner, both of Como; and Ryan Tolley, Scranton; South Carolina – Weston Green, Lynchburg; Tennessee – Scott Farmer, Stanton; Chad Hardy, Gates; Will Robinson, III, Lavinia; and William Walker, II, Somerville; and Virginia – Bland Pope, Courtland; and Travis Snyder, Capron.

Ashley has authored or coauthored several peer-reviewed journal articles, many conference proceedings papers and popular press articles. He coauthors the tri-annual The Cost of Ginning Cotton surveys and has made hundreds of presentations to cotton industry professionals and researchers.

“After the summer meeting, I got right to work updating the TCGA website. I enjoyed getting to sharpen up the pages and make the website more visually interesting for those who do not know what the Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association is. Aside from that, I helped update the Red Book. I also spent time visiting other aspects of the TCGA, like seeing those working at the trust and attending the Waco safety seminar.

COTTON Ginners Marketplace

An informative email summary of your gin’s daily performance. Text 662-809-9730 for an example report

An Advocate For Ginning Industry Education

Julia New: “As this summer comes to an end for me, I can’t help but think of how fast it has gone! Being a TCGA intern has been nothing short of a blast and exceeded all expectations. The second half of my summer started with the summer meeting in Horseshoe Bay where I had the pleasure of meeting most of you. It was such a great experience getting to hear about what everyone does and contributes to the cotton industry. I can confidently say that I have never met more down to earth, family oriented people in a professional setting before.

AshleyHarrison

“I would like to thank Aaron Nelsen, Kelley Green, Duncan McCook and everyone else who allowed me to be here and see my potential and let me contribute to an association that has given me a greater understanding of the importance of the cotton industry. I had a great time with the sta in Round Rock and am so thankful for this opportunity.”

“I am very glad to be here working with these wonderful people at United Ag andexcited to see this gin running. I am also very thankful for this TCGA internship. I have gained a lot of knowledge and experience in the cotton industry over the summer and cannot wait to see where it leads me in the future.”

According to an announcement by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE), Harrison Ashley is the recipient of the 2022 Mayfield Cotton Engineering award for his superior service to the cotton industry and for his leadership in cotton ginning advocacy and education.  Ashley is vice president of ginner services at the National Cotton Council and executive vice president of the National Cotton Ginners’ Association. In these roles, he serves and coordinates the NCGA, board of directors and annual membership meeting. He develops and oversees budgets for the NCC Ginners Services department, NCGA and the Peary Wilemon-NCGA Scholarship Foundation.

TCGA Interns Provide Late Summer Reports

A 16-year member of ASABE, Ashley is a long-standing member of the Machinery Systems Cotton Engineering committee and has been a contributor to several ASABE Standards related to the U.S. cotton industry. He also maintains membership with the American Chemical Society and the National Council of Agricultural Employers.

COTTON FARMING IS THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE INDUSTRY.

Ashley is a liaison between the NCC, NCGA and other ginner associations and coordinates the U.S. cotton industry response to the federal legislative and regulatory initiatives a ecting the ginning sector. He has used his ability to identify and prioritize research topics and technology transfer that have resulted in significant improvements to the overall cotton industry.  Ashley has played a key role in maintaining coordination between the cotton research community, the cotton gin machinery industry and the ginning industry. He has driven research in several cotton harvest and processing areas, among them combustible dust, bale contamination, air pollution and work safety.Ashley also played a key role in maintaining funding for the three USDA-Agricultural Research Service ginning laboratories as well as for robust ginning-related research. He also has been the national lead advocate for the cotton ginning industry before the federal government.

Throughout his career, Ashley has supported improvements to the cotton industry and encouraged education of new and experienced ginners. He supports the three Ginner Schools taught in three locations across the Cotton Belt. This is a key part of the Certified Ginner Program, which provides industry plant personnel with educational certification.

GINNING

MarketplaceGinnersCotton 20 COTTON FARMING SEPTEMBER 2022 COTTONFARMING.COM

Harrison Ashley Honored With ASABE Mayfield Cotton Engineering Award

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Josh Handley: “For the second half of my TCGA internship, I have been working with United Ag Co-op in El Campo at their cotton gin in Danevang, Texas. I was welcomed by the manager, Jimmy Roppolo, and gin superintendent, Clay Whitley.

“I arrived just under a month before gin season, which means there is a bunch of little fixes and last-minute equipment installments happening. My first task was assisting in aligning the fan motors and installing their new belts. Next, I gained a substantial amount of electrical knowledge working with Mark Gentry on the computer program used to run the gin. I installed several sensors, solenoids and limit switches, along with terminating dozens of wires in the control room.

A Recognized Driver Of Research

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22 COTTON FARMING | SEPTEMBER 2022 COTTONFARMING.COM My Turn

• Our organization exists solely to serve the growers of our state.

T

• You need to spend your first two years getting your Extension program off the ground, not focusing on research projects, grants, etc.

Basic research is indeed essential to the advancement of agricultural science, but if we neglect or minimize current challenges, information delivery and problem solving, we will lose our audience figuratively and literally. For 11 years I worked with the global ag company that is now Corteva. One boss repeatedly stated, “If you lose a customer, it is hard and expensive to win him back.” I have come to believe this is also true for academia. If we in the public sector lose contact or trust with farmers and other in-field decision makers, they soon become accustomed to not hearing from us, to not using us … to not needing us.

• In six years, there won’t be anyone willing to screen a new product in a research trial. Obviously, I hope for the perspectives reflected by the first two Bureaucracies,comments.whether public or corporate, typically turn rather slowly. What is the tenor, the direction of your ag school? Is that institution clearly, undeniably, unashamedly committed to cotton and those who grow, manage, support and process it? Let them hear from you, positively or negatively. Yes, some remain committed to serving farmers. However, if change is needed, it can only begin with a poke, a prod and a first step. — Steve M. Brown Auburn cottonbrown@auburn.eduUniversity

Going, Going, Gone?

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.

SteveBrownM.

• We have long focused on production agriculture. Now we need to broaden that focus.

hey gave Clifford Lee a new Chevy Silverado. They gave Gene Seigler a huge banquet. The “they” were the respective communities in which these men worked for many years. The gifts were expressions of appreciation and honor from farmers and other ag interests for immeasurable contributions to crop production. Clifford was a county agent; Gene an ag engineer. Both were products of land-grant institutions. Both fulfilled and furthered the visionary concepts embedded in the land-grant charge, that “three-legged stool” of teaching, research and Extension initiated in the 1860s and integral to U.S. agriculture for generations.

“The worst thing for an Extension professional is to be irrelevant.”

Professionals like these shaped my career mindset: The effective Extension scientist must 1) have pertinent knowledge, 2) a desire to help others and 3) be accessible … and it helps to get along with folks. Ultimately, the land-grant mission — in all its facets — is science-based information “for the people.”

In the past 40-plus years, I’ve worked at three landgrant institutions and have interacted with peers across the Cotton Belt. My sense — and I hear similar concerns from others — is that in many places the mission of serving production agriculture in the field and classroom has “taken a back seat” or worse. Addressing real-world production issues and actively, effectively interacting with farmers and those who affect row crop agriculture seems old fashioned and less important.Thebig quest is research grants and formal publications. Perhaps some consider these endeavors “for the people,” but oftentimes such have little connection with turn-row solutions.

Across the Cotton Belt, there are numerous bright spots of great science and grower engagement, but many of these outstanding public sector professionals see the handwriting on the wall and believe those who follow in their steps will be compelled to pursuits that diminish their connection with producers. May it not be! The following are comments I’ve heard attributed to ag institutional leaders.

Remember the old Maytag washing machine commercials? Because Maytag products were so reliable, the repairman sat in his shop alone and frustrated. His machines never broke down; consequently, no one ever needed or called him. The worst thing for an Extension professional is to be irrelevant. Not needed. Never called.

The data referenced is from Cotton Incorporated’s Lifestyle Monitor™ survey and the 2016 Seal of Cotton survey. *Seal of Cotton™ introduced by Cotton Incorporated in 1973. CottonBoard.org consumers

24 COTTON FARMING | JULY 2022 COTTONFARMING.COM FOR FARMERS WHO BELIEVE IN BETTER. ACCURACY STEWARDSHIP TOOLS EQUIPMENT FUTURE PERFORMANCE PROFITABILITY SEED PLACEMENT VISIBILITY YIELD MANAGEMENT CROP EMERGENCE SEASONS RELATIONSHIPS SOIL HEALTH WATER USE Believing in better is a mindset to pursue excellence in everything you do. It’s welcoming opportunities to improve your farm and knowing that your best season is simply a starting point for this season. Precision Planting is for farmers like you who Believe in Better. LLC.PlantingPrecisionoftrademarkregisteredaisPlanting®Precision LLC.PlantingPrecision©2022