22 minute read
Research & Promotion
Cotton Module Traceability
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) For Enhanced Cotton Module Traceability And Logistics
Cotton, as an agricultural commodity, has long been a leader in the space of traceability. Every year, cotton producers pay the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service $2.30 per bale to have the fiber quality of those bales measured and made available in a database. At the Southern Cotton Ginners Annual Meeting in Memphis, Tennessee, earlier this year, Cotton Incorporated’s Dr. Ed Barnes gave a presentation to help pull together why this traceable data has such a tremendous value potential.
John Deere introduced its new, round module-building cotton harvester more than 10 years ago. Now round modules make up most of the cotton processed by gins in many regions of the United States. With that level of adoption, Barnes believes the time has come to take advantage of a key feature of those round modules — RFID tags.
Escape The Paper Ticket
Every round module created by that harvester contains four RFID tags and an added external tag that uniquely identifies the module with data such as GPS coordinates from where it was made, moisture content, weight and harvest area.
Over the past five years, Cotton Incorporated has funded a demonstration with the USDA-ARS gin lab in Lubbock to allow the option to use only the RFID tag to track the cotton from the field throughout the ginning process without adding other tags or spray paint. Additionally, ownership information is only entered once.
“RFID tags and data automation are beginning to allow growers to break their reliance on paper tickets to track cotton from the field to the gin,” Barnes said.
Open-Source Software
This project has involved the generation of many software tools that have been developed in an open-source environment. They are freely available to gins as well as commercial software companies supporting the ginning industry. There is also an Android app in the Google Play store that can be used to scan the code on round modules using the device’s camera by pairing it with a Bluetooth RFID scanner.
An open-source software has been evaluated at Tanner & Co. Gin in Louisiana. The test system included an antenna at the weighbridge, where modules entered the gin, that scanned the RFID tag’s serial number. There were also scanners at the module feeder and bale press.
One computer recorded the serial numbers going into the module feeder and the PBI numbers coming out at the bale press. After the season, the gin operator aligned the starting and ending modules using a mass balance to link modules and bales.
“A numbering standard is one small piece of the puzzle to bring all this together for the industry,” Barnes said.
Analyzing Yield Variability
Another benefit that comes from linking the RFID tag to the bales’ IDs is the possible creation of “quality maps” of the field. For example, North Carolina State University engineers found variations in micronaire were closely tied to yield variability within the same field.
During the 2020 season, University of Georgia engineers found fields where only part of the bales received a seed coat fragment call, and other bales from the same field did not. There is hope that by examining management practices and variations in things like soil type and elevation, new insights will be gained into what a producer can do to get the highest quality cotton possible.
Barnes concluded his presentation by recognizing the major strides made in RFID data management systems in the past two years, but also acknowledged some challenges to overcome before we see wide-spread adoption of this emerging technology.
For more information on RFID module management, see the web page https://www.cottoninc.com/cotton-pro duction/ag-resources/harvest-systems/ rfid-tracking/.
Contact ebarnes@cottoninc.com if you would like more information on the gin data project with Statistical Analysis Systems that is continuing in 2022.
BY STACEY GORMAN
WARREN, ARKANSAS
Stacey Gorman is the Cotton Board’s director of communications. Contact her at sgorman@cottonboard.org.
Capture Every Pound Of Lint To Stay Ahead
Joel Moor
Moor Ag Services LLC Greenwood, Mississippi
I am a sixth-generation farmer whose family has been growing cotton on our home place in Leflore County, Mississippi, since the 1850s. We always take our photos on a cotton module, and as a young boy in the Delta, I spent countless hours “carpet farming” with my best friend and a fleet of toy tractors.
Tucker Miller was our family’s consultant, and I started working for him in the summer during my junior year at Delta State. After I picked up some growers of my own and began farming with my uncle, I started Moor Ag Services LLC in 2017.
I have never experienced anything like the 2021 season. Early on, we got 14-20 inches of rain on our farm in a one- to two-day period. Eighty acres of the cotton went completely underwater for two days, and the yield was down 300-400 pounds from our average. Last year, insect pressure was average to a little higher than average where the landscape changed and cotton was next to corn.
Control Tarnished Plant Bug To Protect Yield
In cotton, we typically deal with thrips first. Once the crop gets past the thrips stage and goes to pinhead square, we start sweeping for tarnished plant bug and checking square retention. I sweep 50 times in different locations in the field.
When the cotton gets too big for a sweep net, I switch to a drop cloth and search for nymphs. As the cotton continues to mature, I walk the fields to inspect squares and look for dirty blooms. Signs of plant bug damage include black and abscised squares. If left uncontrolled, this pest can be devastating to a cotton crop.
Transform® WG insecticide is a big part of my plant bug control plan. I tankmix Transform and Diamond or Diamond, acephate and Transform. I like to pair Diamond with Transform, especially if we have aphids present in the field. Transform is all we have to combat aphids, and it controls the plant bugs as well.
With prices going up and the supply chain issues we are facing, we have to scout, make timely applications and use products that won’t get washed off in the rain.
We also may save some money by using a high clearance sprayer. We don’t need any waste this year or any extra trips across the field. We have to capture every pound of lint we can and may have to get a little creative.
My advice going into the 2022 season is to stick to the budget as best you can and keep your pencil sharp. This year will be tough because there are so many unknowns. But we will get through it.
Sponsored by • Bachelor's degree in business, Delta State University. • Master's degree in entomology, Mississippi State University. • Started Moor Ag Services LLC in 2017. • Consults on cotton, corn and soybeans in Bolivar, Leflore,
Sunflower and Washington counties. • Farms cotton, corn and soybeans with his uncle, John Moor, in Leflore County. • Member, Mississippi Agricultural Consultants Association. • Member, Greenwood Farmers' Club. • Wife Rachel. Two dogs: Quinn and Stella (pictured above). • Enjoys deer and duck hunting and cooking on the grill.
Recap: Capture Every Pound Of Lint In 2022 ▼
1. Once the crop gets past the thrips stage and goes to pinhead square, we start sweeping for tarnished plant bug and checking square retention. 2. When the cotton gets too big for a sweep net, I switch to a drop cloth and search for nymphs. As the cotton continues to mature, I walk the fields to inspect squares and look for dirty blooms. 3. Transform® WG insecticide is a big part of my plant bug control plan. I tankmix Transform and Diamond or Diamond, acephate and Transform. 4. I like to pair Diamond with Transform, especially if we have aphids present in the field.
A symbolic passing of the sweep net ushers in a new generation of aspiring entomologists. Auburn University Extension entomologist Dr. Ron Smith (le ) hands his legacy to protege Dr. Scott Graham, Auburn University Extension entomologist.
A BEAUTIFULLY ORCHESTRATED HAND-OFF
Entomologists Pass The Sweep Net To A New Generation
BY BRENDA CAROL
Circa late 1980s — “The Boll Weevil Eradication Program was one of the most significant developments in cotton production over the past 50 years. It was terribly unpopular at first, but I don’t know what our industry would look like today if we hadn’t buckled down and endured that temporary pain.” — Ron Smith, PhD, profes-
Circa mid 1990s — “I would say watching the transitions in products and the ability of an insect to adapt to whatever is thrown at it has been one of the most interesting and challenging aspects of my career. Don’t ever think you’ve won the battle. It’s just a matter of time.” — Gus Lorenz, PhD, Extension ento-
Drs. Gus Lorenz and Ron Smith are technically retired from university Extension now. However, it’s impossible to roll through a four-way stop on a country road in Arkansas or Alabama and not see the footprints in the mud, dirt and the ongoing legacy of their careers.
Lorenz retired in December 2021, while Smith “officially” retired in 2003, but has stayed on with Auburn University in supportive positions.
Both are highly territorial — at least when it comes to something like football. However, bring up a boll weevil, budworm, plant bug or any other type of cotton invader and you’ve got a united front.
“I would say across the entire Cotton Belt, as entomologists, we work very closely together,” Smith said. “We’re like the ‘band of
PHOTO COURTESY OF GUS LORENZ
Enjoying a break from the sweep net, Dr. Gus Lorenz, Extension entomologist, University of Arkansas (center) embraces the next generation. Nick Bateman (left), assistant professor and crop entomologist, University of Arkansas Extension and Dr. Ben Thrash, Extension entomologist, University of Arkansas.
brothers’ when it comes to fighting issues that we face every single season. And it’s constantly evolving, so that collaboration from one state to another or even areas within a state are extremely important.”
The collaboration also extends across generations of perspective and the symbolic handing over of the sweep net to a younger set of equally enthusiastic entomologists.
Smith has collaborated closely with Dr. Scott Graham, assistant professor and Extension specialist, entomology and plant pathology, Auburn University, who now fills (or said he tries to fill) Smith’s shoes.
For Lorenz, it’s Dr. Ben Thrash, assistant professor and Extension entomologist, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, who’s taken over his spot.
Pest Management Milestones
The collaboration among Smith, Lorenz and their successors is evident when both retired entomologists talk about the most challenging pest issues they have faced over their careers.
As with any lessons learned, it begins with unforgettable pests and events that tested and molded two distinguished careers.
The three that top the list are boll weevil eradication, the advent of pyrethroid chemistry and the incorporation of GMO traits into cotton varieties for pest control. Whether those events are listed chronologically or not, the most challenging one for both Smith and Lorenz was the Boll Weevil Eradication Program.
Boll Weevils, Budworms And More
“There were a lot of unhappy growers when the Boll Weevil Eradication Program was first proposed,” Lorenz said. “That was a time in my career when it wasn’t pleasant to go to grower meetings. A lot of growers were under the assumption that boll weevils weren’t hurting their yields that much. We knew that wasn’t true because we had the research to prove it. I felt very strongly about the program. It was rigorous to say the least, but it all worked out.”
Smith agreed. “That was the most difficult issue I ever faced as an entomologist,” he said. “The eventual success of that program put us in a whole new ballgame — hopefully forever into the future.
“I believe that was the most permanent of the three most notable changes in my career,” Smith said. “We still don’t see any signs of boll weevil coming back into this area. They’re still fighting boll weevil down in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. But as long as we can keep them from spreading northward again into the Cotton Belt, I think that one will hold up as the most game-changing accomplishment in cotton production in this area.”
Pyrethroid Chemistry
Another notable game changer was the advent of pyrethroids.
“When the pyrethroid chemistry was developed in the late 1970s, it was such an advancement,” Smith said. “We didn’t have anything except methyl parathion or phosphates to work with, which led to resistance of tobacco budworm and often
“It’s almost impossible to put into words what Ron Smith means to me,” said Scott Graham, Auburn University Extension entomologist.
“I always joke that I wish his mind was a hard drive so we could download it and keep every single byte of information for current and future reference.
“Ron’s decades of work have given so many people — not just me — a very solid foundation to maintain the work we are doing. And I know that dedication will help all of us prepare for whatever pest problems emerge in the future.”
Ben Thrash, University of Arkansas Extension entomologist, said, “I learned a lot about insect and crop management over the years working with Gus.
“A really important thing he drove into me was ‘you have to go where the bugs are’, meaning I can’t just work on research stations.
“It is really nice to be able to work on research stations. It’s convenient to have all your equipment there, not have to haul it, and be able to rely on the station personnel for things like weed control. But you don’t always have the bugs you need there.
“It’s important to keep in contact and have good relationships with growers and consultants so you can find the bugs you need for your research.”
Perhaps the symbolic sweep net still has dual custody.
“I’m extremely comfortable with the expertise and the professionalism of the ones coming up through the Extension system,” said U of A Extension entomologist Gus Lorenz.
“I don’t have any concerns about their approach. I can sleep at night knowing the growers are in good hands and the hard work continues.
“These new guys are burning with desire,” he added. “At one point, I started wondering who’s the trainee and who’s the trainer?
“They’re not dismissive of the past, but they’re not afraid to take a different approach either. It’s interesting to watch these guys. I think they’re going to be extra special.”
As for Ron Smith, AU Extension entomologist, “We were lucky to get Scott Graham in Alabama, and I feel the same way about others like Ben Thrash,” he said. “I could include a lot of other current names in other states on that list.
“You can look a lot further than Alabama and Arkansas to see the qualified, enthusiastic, forward-thinking entomologists we have coming up through the system,” Smith said.
“I sincerely hope industry, academia and everyone remotely related to food and fiber production understands and supports what this means to the future of our industry.
“We didn’t get this far by resting on our laurels.”
The Boll Weevil Eradication Program started in September of 1987 across the southern portion of Alabama. By the summer of 1995, no economic losses to boll weevil were recorded in Alabama for the first time in more than 80 years.
flared secondary pests. We were losing ground fast. The pyrethroids bought us about a decade to manage tobacco budworm and secondary pests. Of course, even that eventually lost out to resistance as well.
At that point, Lorenz was a young cotton scout in southeast Arkansas. “That’s when the first applications of Pounce and Ambush were going out,” he said. “I remember walking the fields the next morning after we had sprayed a pyrethroid. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. I described it as an ‘ecological desert’. There was not a living insect. And I remember wondering what I was going to do for the rest of my career. There wouldn’t be anything left to do. Or so I thought at the time.”
As with all “magic bullets,” the blanket relief offered from pyrethroids began to wane and was most problematic in the budworm/bollworm complex — the very problem it was created to solve. That’s when another major development hit the scene.
GMO Cotton Traits For Insects
The introduction of genetically modified traits into cotton varieties was yet another game changer, according to both Lorenz and Smith. “When we started working with GMO varieties like Bollgard and WideStrike, it was suddenly a new world,” Smith said. “We finally had another, very effective tool we could use.”
It was a new technology that radically changed pest management strategy, according to Lorenz.
“When the Bollgard Bt technology came in, it was a lifesaver for us,” he said. “It helped us keep other problems in check because we had a new weapon to fight the budworm/bollworm complex.
“We were one of the first to get that seed, but it wasn’t until June, so it was very late getting planted. It came up, was growing and looking good. It was pre-bloom. But it was one of those years when the worms were really bad.
“On a Thursday and Friday, we got this huge moth flight — one of the biggest egg lays I’ve ever seen in my career. I said to myself, ‘They’re fixing to eat this cotton down to the ground.’
The Bollgard technology took the industry by storm, according to Smith. “The first year it was available in 1996, 77% of the cotton acreage in Alabama was planted to Bollgard varieties,” he said. “That’s almost incomprehensible, but worms had been such a horrendous problem. In Extension, we were very sup-
Wins And Losses
Along with the wins, there are also inevitable losses — or at least interruptions — throughout the course of a career.
“In addition to pointing out three of the best developments that ever happened in my career, I’ll give you the worst,” Smith said. “That’s when we lost Temik aldicarb for five years. It completely disrupted our early season approach to integrated pest management. Luckily, it’s back now as AgLogic aldicarb.”
Lorenz agreed with that assessment as well. “Temik aldicarb was probably applied on 80% to 90% of our cotton acreage in Arkansas,” he said. “When we lost that one for a few years, it gave thrips and other early season pests a lot of time and space to interfere with and slow down critical early season plant growth.”
It’s not the first, nor will it be the last chemistry to face stiff regulatory challenges — undoubtedly another issue that the new generation of entomologists will deal with.
Plant Bugs: The New Nemesis
The bug complex, particularly plant bugs and stink bugs, have emerged in recent years as perhaps the most problematic pest in cotton — at least in Arkansas and Alabama.
“Back when pyrethroids first came out, everything was super sensitive to it,” Lorenz said. “However, there is always a problem with relying on a single, highly effective compound to solve a problem. That strategy doesn’t work. If time and experience have taught us anything, it’s that if you completely remove something from the picture, there’s always going to be something that takes its place. “It’s only a matter of time,” he said. “Plant bugs have gone from a minor secondary pest in cotton to one of our most problematic issues. Today, if you want to make a plant bug mad, spray a pyrethroid on it, and it will figure out how to hurt you.”
Although both are grouped together as the “bug complex,” the situation in Alabama is a little different. “Our biggest problem is the stink bug,” Smith said. “We also have plant bugs, but the stink bug comes in about 30 days later and damages the entire boll. It’s an incredible challenge.”
Again, integrated pest management is playing a major role in developing strategies to control plant bugs and stink bugs. “You can’t beat them down with just one approach,” Smith said.
If A Sweep Net Could Talk
The sweep net has seen a lot of long days, muddy rows and represents a wealth of knowledge. Passing it over to a new generation has been both symbolic and rewarding for Smith and Lorenz.
In Alabama, Ron Smith hasn’t managed to completely remove himself from the Auburn campus, the football games or the marching band.
“I have an office even though I’m technically retired,” he said. “They even put me back on the payroll part time for the current year. I just can’t seem to get away from something I’ve loved so much all my life.
Spring Gobbler Season
BY ANDREW LANE SMITH
As the weather finally began to change and periods of high pressure set in across the Southeast, Mississippi’s spring turkey season took off. During this time, many critters are beginning to change their day-to-day behavior, including turkey hunters.
For those of us who gamble with the longevity of our personal relationships, sanity and much-needed sleep to chase the Eastern wild turkey, this is the most exciting time of the year. However, for new turkey hunters or those who are new to hunting Mississippi’s public land, the process of locating areas to hunt can be overwhelming.
To make it less intimidating, consider these opportunities throughout Mississippi to get a taste of some of the finest turkey hunting anywhere in the Southeast that began March 15.
Residents in the southeast portion of our state can rely on DeSoto National Forest for opportunities at an early season strutter. Birds in this part of the state tend to begin breeding a little nearer to the front end of our season’s 48-day duration partly due to the earlier arrival of warmer weather and the spring green-up.
This semi-coastal national forest provides about 500,000 acres of open-canopy pine forest habitat (primarily longleaf pine). But hunting can be difficult, as this geographic area maintains some of the highest hunter pressure in the state.
In southwestern Mississippi, Homochitto National Forest covers about 190,000 acres. It provides a good mix of upland pine-hickory habitat and bottomland hardwoods.
Homochitto has some of the greatest contiguous turkey habitat available anywhere in the state. But it has historically experienced a lot of nonresident hunter pressure due to its close proximity to Louisiana.
In northwestern Mississippi are Holly Springs (about 150,000 acres) and Tombigbee National Forests (about 67,000 acres). Both public resources provide great upland oak-hickory-pine forests for turkey hunters, as well as plenty of interspersed bottomland hardwoods. These areas have consistently produced some of the highest bird numbers in the state.
Delta And Central Mississippi
In the Delta, hunters may enjoy some of the flattest, most fertile land in the world. Delta National Forest (60,000 acres) provides copious amounts of bottomland hardwoods surrounded by agriculture and river corridors.
However, turkey populations in the Mississippi Delta are not as abundant and dense due to the volume of open landscapes and lack of nesting cover, which often results in lower nest success and numbers of mature toms. All that said, sustainable turkey populations do exist in these areas.
In central Mississippi, the Bienville National Forest provides almost 180,000 acres of excellent turkey habitat and may be the right ticket for you to get your hunting fix. Note that Bienville Wildlife Management Area is open only to applicants who were fortunate enough to draw a permit during the first two weeks of the season.
Knowing when, where and how to access different areas of a national forest is one of the most limiting factors when hunters are ready to face the odds. Taking a day or two in advance to visit an area, scout the landscape and familiarize yourself with the area and its requirements can make all the difference.
During this special spring season, plan your next outdoor activity, while making safety, comradery and fair chase your top priorities.
CCOY
Cotton Consultant of the Year
established 1981
Event Honors Consultants
The Cotton Consultant of the Year reception was held at the Peabody Hotel, March 5, in Memphis, Tennessee. This prestigious annual award is sponsored by Syngenta and Cotton Farming magazine.
James Todd of Plainview, Texas, was recognized as the 2021 CCOY, and Drake Perrow of Cameron, South Carolina, was recognized as the 2020 CCOY.
Je Mink, Syngenta Agronomic Services Manager, pictured above, congratulated both recipients and expressed his pleasure as a sponsor of the award that has been in place for more than 40 years.
Friends and family of Todd and Perrow attended the reception to honor the consultants.
Cotton Consultant of the Year sponsored by
