Cotton Farming May 2023

FOCUS

As challenges for producers mount this season, our team is working tirelessly to provide the latest in pro table production strategies to help boost your bottom line.

Cotton Farming

To

A Look At Fertigation

“Besides being a necessary element, water can also be an efficient method for transporting pesticides and nutrients to the crop. Fertigation is applying fertilizer to the plant through a center pivot irrigation system via the soil so the plant can take it up and use it,” said former superintendent of the University of Georgia’s C.M. Stripling Irrigation Research Park Calvin Perry at a recent precision ag workshop.

DEPARTMENTS & COLUMNS

FEATURES

5 HERBICIDE DRIFT STUDY

University of Arkansas researchers conducted a herbicide dri study that validates EPA prediction models and provides new recommendations.

11 COVER CROPS/SOIL HEALTH

LSU AgCenter eld day explores the bene ts of conservation methods such as planting a cover crop in the o season.

12 ESA COMPLIANCE PLAN

e EPA’s new Endangered Species Act compliance plan is coming soon. It's important to understand the rami cations on pesticides across the country.

20 GINNERS MARKETPLACE

the official publication of the ginning industry Elevated seed houses are used for short-term seed storage, wet seed storage and gins with limited yard space. Focus on their safety and maintenance.

WEB EXCLUSIVE

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency, foreign ownership and investments in U.S. agricultural land have increased to more than 40 million acres, an increase of almost 36% in foreign-owned farmland since 2011. Read how it's getting noticed at state and federal levels and what is being done in response. Go to www.cottonfarming.com for this Web Exclusive report.

DIGITAL OFFERINGS

ON

THE

Cover

COVER: Center pivots can be used to get the fertilizer into the top few inches of the soil.

photo by Amanda Huber.

Editor’s Note

Carroll Smith

Heads Up On Endangered Species Act

When it comes to the Environmental Protection Agency’s new Endangered Species Act compliance plan, it’s not a good idea to ignore it or toss it in the trash. It has serious implications for agriculture.

According to the Weed Science Society of America, “The EPA is developing an updated Endangered Species Act Workplan that addresses how the agency can protect nearly 1,700 threatened and endangered species and their critical habitats while governing the registration, distribution, sale and use of pesticides. The WSSA and its affiliates encourage growers and land managers to educate themselves immediately on the EPA’s Workplan and the changes they likely will need to make to assure compliance.”

Gary Adams, National Cotton Council president and CEO, weighs in on the gravity of the EPA’s new plan in this month’s “Cotton’s Agenda” on page 6. The NCC is following it closely as the “proposed rules could limit cotton producers’ access to valuable plant protection products as well as undermine their ability to effectively use those that are available.”

Adams said the NCC “is urging its producer members to: 1) read labels carefully, 2) consult EPA’s Bulletins Live! Two at https://bit.ly/3lxuAVw (which includes a link to tutorials) within six months prior to pesticide application even if not in a pesticide use limitation area and 3) maintain pesticide application records that include a copy of the bulletin, printed or digital, to keep on file — a step that will prevent legal repercussions.”

Also in the May issue, Cassidy Nemec, Cotton Farming associate editor, said it’s critical for everyone throughout the agricultural industry to not only be aware of the ramifications from the Endangered Species Act on their operations but also be more and more involved. In her article “The Endangered Species Act — Understanding The Ramifications On Pesticides Across the Country” on page 12, Nemec discusses the role of different governmental agencies involved and breaks down the “legalese” tied to this complex topic.

You are also encouraged to make your voice heard by submitting comments on EPA’s website when the comment period opens. Dr. Thomas Butts, weed specialist for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, noted that “it’s an opportunity where EPA can hear directly from growers about our practices.”

The take-home message here is “read the memo.” The compliance plan is coming, so make sure you get educated and be prepared.

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Dri Mitigation Strategies

Herbicide Dri Study Validates EPA Prediction Models, Provides New Recommendations

BY JOHN LOVETT UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS SYSTEM DIVISION OF AGRICULTURE

Farmers and agricultural aviators may be able to reduce herbicide drift by making simple adjustments, according to a recently published study. The study, published in Nature’s “Scientific Reports” journal late last year, was conducted to better understand the drift potential from herbicide applications made on the ground and through the air.

“Drift” is when the wind carries an herbicide application off-target and causes unintended damage to a nearby crop. An average of 400 drift complaints have been filed with the Arkansas State Plant Board each year since 2018 in Arkansas, according to Tommy Butts, assistant professor and Extension weed scientist with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

“If we can reduce drift complaints by 50% in Arkansas annually because of a better understanding of application drift potential, and use mitigation strategies recommended from this research, nearly $2 million could be saved

annually for Arkansas growers and applicators,” Butts said.

Researchers with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, conducted the trials at the Rice Research and Extension Center in Stuttgart as part of a study to determine the effects of spray drift from ground and air-based applications on potential pollinator foraging sources. Although self-pollinating, soybeans offer a foraging source late in the season and are often grown near rice fields.

Validation

The study validated U.S. Environmental Protection Agency herbicide drift prediction models — AgDISPersal and AgDRIFT— and provides recommendations for aerial applications of Loyant. This herbicide is commonly used on rice fields to control barnyardgrass,

Continued on page 10

“Although florpyrauxifenbenzyl (Loyant) and soybean were used as the tested herbicide and respective sensitive crop, these results are transferrable across cropping systems. The overall level of injury on the susceptible species may vary depending on the herbicide active ingredient. But regardless, an aerial application will result in approximately a 3 to 5-fold increase in downwind spray drift deposits compared to a ground application. Additionally, no application is fool-proof, and appropriate mitigation measures like those outlined will be necessary to reduce spray drift as much as possible from both ground and aerial applications across crops.”

— Tommy Butts, Ph.D.

U of A System Division of Agriculture study validated the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency herbicide dri prediction models.

Cotton’s Agenda

Gary Adams

Compliance Changes Coming

The National Cotton Council continues to weigh in on proposed rules that could limit cotton producers’ access to valuable plant protection products as well as undermine their ability to effectively use those that are available.

Is stricter pesticide use compliance imminent?

■ Under EPA’s pesticide assessment process, pesticide registrations must be reviewed every 15 years. Now, as part of EPA’s new Endangered Species Act compliance plan, some products currently registered may not be approved or may have labels with certain mitigation practices. To continue using those approved products, producers must pick one or more of these practices, ranging from installing vegetative filter strips and field borders to constructing runoff retention ponds and water/sedi-

records that include a copy of the bulletin, printed or digital, to keep on file — a step that will prevent legal repercussions.

On what other pesticide issues has the NCC been active?

■ The NCC joined with more than 400 other organizations on a letter to the House and Senate strongly opposing the Booker Bill, which is up again for Senate consideration. That legislation, which has been brought up for the past several years, would amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act in a way that would undermine pesticides’ availability.

In comments to EPA on sulfoxaflor’s registration, the NCC noted the insecticide is a “critical alternate” mode of action to manage pests such as aphids and plant bugs; defended the product’s aerial and ground applications; and challenged the agency’s stance on the insecticide’s harm to honeybees. In addition, the NCC submitted comments to EPA on draft endangered species mitigations for cyantraniliprole citing its broad spectrum of efficacy against insect pests. The NCC urged EPA to 1) simplify and standardize its language for ease of compliance in the field and 2) align its mitigation practices and definitions with those of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

ment control basins. Other probable label changes could involve restrictions associated with wind speed during application, types of nozzles, ground equipment/aerial application restriction, buffers and language regarding pollinators.

The NCC is urging its producer members to: 1) read labels carefully, 2) consult EPA’s Bulletins Live! Two at https://bit.ly/3lxuAVw (which includes a link to tutorials) within six months prior to pesticide application even if not in a pesticide use limitation area, and 3) maintain pesticide application

The NCC also is monitoring EPA’s revision to its proposed rule on pesticide Application Exclusion Zone (AEZ) requirements under the 2015 Agricultural Worker Protection Standard. The agency’s revised standard includes a new provision requiring agricultural employers to keep workers and all other individuals out of the AEZ during outdoor pesticide applications. Unfortunately, the proposed AEZ would extend beyond the farm’s boundaries creating difficulties if the farm is bordered by a road or has utility easements. The NCC plans to comment on this proposal before the May 12 deadline.

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

The NCC is urging its producer members to consult EPA’s Bulletins Live! Two regarding this season’s pesticide applications.

Cotton Consultant’s Corner

Cotton Consultant’s Corner

Thrips, Plant Bug Control Strategies

Staying On Top Pests Is Key

Andy Graves Graves Agronomy Service Inc. Clarksdale, Mississippi

Andy Graves

Agronomy Service, Inc.

Clarksdale, Miss.

I grew up working with my dad on the farm and at his retail, fertilizer and commercial application business. When I went to college, I checked cotton and rice with a local crop consultant. In 2003, I established Graves Agronomy Service Inc. and employ two scouts — Chase Middleton and Gaines Barksdale. We cover Holmes, Quitman, Tallahatchie and Bolivar counties.

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

Thrips And Tarnished Plant Bug Control

Last year, we had a really good cotton crop. But from an insect standpoint, it was an eye-opener. We were under intense thrips pressure and seeing a lot of insecticide resistance. After making applications of acephate insecticide, even at high rates, we were having widespread control failures. Later in the season, we made an application of Intrepid Edge® insecticide, and it worked really well against thrips. This year, I’m coming out of the gate with it.

Farmers in our area are already getting their fields ready for next year. percent of the land that I check is ready to plant right now. We putting out lime, potash and phosphate, plus some residual herbicides. have improved, and we are making a lot more cotton than we ever made, which puts greater stress on soil fertility. That is why we going in with higher rates of fall fertilizer to make up for the large of nitrogen that we have lost.

Not only do we look at the standard thresholds for thrips, but we also watch for damage to see how well the crop is handling what is out there. Recommendations will be field by field. Hopefully, we won’t have a problem, but with the amount of cover crop that was planted and wheat that’s in my area, I expect a substantial thrips population right off the bat. When we terminate the cover crop, there’s already a big population out there you are planting into. When wheat starts drying down and getting ready to harvest, thrips come out of those fields in tremendous numbers, too.

•B.S. degree in agricultural economics –Mississippi State University, 1994

• B.S. degree in agricultural economics — Mississippi State University, 1994.

•Established Graves Agronomy Service, Inc. in 2003

• Established Graves Agronomy Service Inc. in 2003.

• Also operates a soil sampling business.

•Certified Crop Advisor

• Certified Crop Advisor.

• Consults on cotton, corn, soybeans, wheat, peanuts and grain sorghum.

•Consults on cotton, corn, soybeans, wheat, peanuts and grain sorghum

• Member of the Mississippi Agricultural Consultants Association (MACA).

•Member of the Mississippi Agricultural Consultants Association (MACA)

• Married to wife, Kristen. Four children: Drew, 21; Claire, 19; Griffin, 10; and Ella Bronwyn, 7.

• Enjoys tournament bass fishing.

In 2022, we also had heavy tarnished plant bug pressure. Transform® WG insecticide is the best we’ve got right now to control plant bugs. We use all kinds of two- to three-way tankmixes that I believe help with resistance. It depends on what is going on in the field. I’ve seen fields where we had levels of all kinds of insects — plant bugs, spider mites, bollworm and aphids. Transform works really well on aphids. During the summer, we make a lot of applications for plant bugs and aphids at the same time.

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

•Married to wife, Kristen. Three children: Drew, 13; Claire, 11; and Griffin, 18 months

Recap: Thrips, Plant Bug Control Strategies ▼

•Enjoys tournament bass fishing

1. We were under intense thrips pressure last year and seeing a lot of insecticide resistance.

Recap: Staying On Top Of Pests Is Key

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

Insect Pest: Tarnished Plant Bug

My fields typically get more than one application of Transform, and I am starting to use more of it in late-season tankmixes. In the past two years, late-season pressure has been bad. I am expecting a lot of plant bug pressure this year since we will have more corn acres and less cotton. We have to make timely applications to stay on top of them. However, the pests didn’t hurt us too bad from a yield standpoint last year because we were able to get control. We have all the tools to take care of them, and my growers do an excellent job of farming cotton. They are top-notch.

insect arena, the main pest in Coahoma and surrounding counties check is definitely the tarnished plant bug. Most of the plant bug comes from adjoining crops. We’ve been able to achieve good bug control with Transform insecticide and Diamond insect growth regulator. I use both products, but at different times of the year. We try to products to avoid creating resistance. I’ve noticed that Transform up the plant bug cycles and fills in the gaps that we had with some products. I’ve seen the pressure fall off at the end of the year and been extremely pleased with it.

2. Later in the season, we made an application of Intrepid Edge® insecticide, and it worked really well against thrips. This year, I’m coming out of the gate with it.

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

3. In 2022, we also had heavy tarnished plant bug pressure. Transform® WG insecticide is the best we’ve got right now to control plant bugs, and it works well on aphids, too.

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

4. My fields typically get more than one Transform application, and I am starting to use more of it in late-season tankmixes.

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

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

5. We’ve been able to achieve good plant bug control with Transform insecticide and Diamond insect growth regulator. I use both

Let Water Carry The Load

More Yield With Less Nitrogen Through Fertigation

BY AMANDA HUBER SOUTHEAST EDITOR

Besides being a necessary element, water can also be an efficient method for transporting pesticides and nutrients to the crop.

“Fertigation is applying fertilizer to the plant through a center pivot irrigation system via the soil so the plant can take it up and use it,” said former superintendent of the University of Georgia’s C.M. Stripling Irrigation Research Park Calvin Perry, who was a speaker at a recent precision ag workshop hosted by Auburn University and the Alabama Extension Service.

“Water is the carrier to move that product to the field and get it to the soil so the plants can utilize the nutrients. Fertigation is not just applying fertilizer by overhead sprinkler or foliar feeding. With fertigation, we are trying to get down to the roots,” he said.

UGA Extension irrigation specialist Wes Porter said, “If you are considering fertigation using the pivot, keep in mind that the goal is to get the fertilizer into the top few inches of the soil. Ensure that you are applying the water at a rate to accomplish this.

Porter said too little water will only reach into the canopy. Too much water could cause runoff or leaching of the nutrients.

Knowing your irrigation system is applying the required rate is a must before adding product to the water, Perry said.

“Don’t get into chemigation or fertigation before you make sure your center pivot is applying water in a uniform, proper manner. You need to make sure your baseline is correct before adding to your technology. Make sure your system is in tip-top shape before you get into something like injecting fertilizer,” he said.

Advantages Of Fertigation

Applying nutrients through the pivot offers several advantages. Not having to run a tractor and rig across the field reduces damage to the crop and lessens soil compaction.

Timely application of the product is a big advantage, Perry said. “You don’t have to worry, ‘is the field too wet to get an applicator out there?’ With a center pivot, you have the ability to get the product out any time you need to.

“If we get behind and need a rescue treatment of fertility, we have that capability with the center pivot to move it across the field, allowing us to correct nutrient deficiencies at any stage,” he said.

Fertigation offers an opportunity for improved management of the crop, according to Perry.

“We can optimize when we put out those needed nutrients. We can split applications of nutrients to the crop, which has shown proven benefits to cotton and corn. We’ve also seen data that shows we can reduce the total nitrogen applied by splitting applications,” he said.

Overall, Perry said it is possible to spoon-feed the crop, even though nutrients are being applied with a volume of water needed to reach the soil.

“If we properly design and accurately calibrate the system, we

Companies, such as Agri-inject, offer injection pumps with the necessary safety equipment, plus apps that help take the guesswork out of selection and rate calibration.

can put that fertility on in a timely manner, reducing environmental degradation from either runoff or deep percolation.”

Research conducted at the irrigation park and other universities shows an increase in yield and more efficient use of the nutrients are possible with fertigation.

Yield Increase, E icient N Uptake

In their article “The Advantages and Disadvantages of Fertigation,” authors Mary Dixon, formerly a graduate student at the University of Florida and Guodong Liu, a UF associate professor, said that applying nutrients with water has been shown to result in greater crop growth and yield when compared to traditional soil application methods of fertilizer.

“Yields were observed to be greater when nitrogen was supplied through fertigation as opposed to granular fertilization,” they said. Among other crops, the yield increase for cotton was 11.7% when fertilizing with fertigation, and the yield increase was largely attributed to meeting crop nutrient requirements in a timely fashion.

The authors said fertilizing and irrigating crops through fertigation increases water- and nitrogen-use efficiency.

“Because nutrients are supplied through irrigation water, they are already in soluble forms available for plant uptake. Soil nutrient concentration is managed within a small range in the root zone, and the nutrients applied to this zone are taken up with great efficiency.”

Their meta-analysis found that without reducing crop yield, nitrogen use decreased 23% on cotton when applied through fertigation.

Equipment, Safety Check Valves

The primary disadvantage to fertigation on row crops is that special equipment is needed.

“You’ve got to have the equipment at your center-pivot pump to be able to inject that product into the water stream,” Perry said. “You need injection equipment and the safety devices on your irrigation system to be able to safely, properly and accurately inject the product.”

Safety equipment is required to prevent backflow of the prod-

Advantages Of Fertigation:

• Timeliness.

• Reduced application costs.

• Improved management.

• Less environmental contamination.

• Reduced damage to the crop.

• Reduced soil compaction.

DIsAdvantages Of Fertigation:

• Extra equipment needed.

• New management required.

• Application time for pivot to move across the field.

• Reaction with equipment if not properly flushed.

• Environmental contamination possible without safeguards.

uct that would contaminate the water source.

“Your injection system and pump should be interlocked so that if your pump stops, the injection system stops as well. That’s a requirement in Georgia. Also required is a backflow prevention device at the water supply.”

Perry said several companies offer various products for fertigation, from an all-in-one piece of hardware to injection pumps and apps, such as from Agri-inject and SurePoint Ag, help take the guesswork out of calibration and control. These systems are also good for record keeping and reporting.

Overall, Perry said fertigation takes more management skills. “There’s more hardware that you have to properly calibrate to inject product into the water to achieve the amount you want to put out. You also must plan for the time it takes for the center pivot to traverse the field.”

As states move toward reducing fertilizer losses to protect groundwater, more efficient methods of nitrogen uptake will be required. Reducing the amount of nitrogen needed to maintain or even increase yields, while also saving time, labor, fuel and equipment costs, are good reasons to give fertigation a look.

Applying nitrogen through the center-pivot irrigation system is not foliar feeding because the rate used puts the soluble nitrogen in the top few inches of soil for plant roots to take up.

sedges and pigweed, but causes harm to soybean crops.

“Validating those models was a big piece of the puzzle,” Butts said. “Considering any pushes to ban aerial herbicide applications, we say use these EPA models. They are field validated, and they make sense. We can implement more drift mitigation strategies, we can do better, but we don’t need an outright ban on aerial applications if we can figure out ways to reduce drift and have models we can trust.”

The share of ground- and aerial-based herbicide applications is nearly equal in Arkansas at 49% and 51%, respectively.

Based on their field measurements, Butts said the computer simulation models from AgDISPersal did “very well” predicting drift on aerial applications. AgDRIFT’s results better fit the data gathered from ground applications, he added. AgDRIFT is a modified version of AgDISPersal that serves as an initial screening model for estimating downwind drift. The AgDISPersal model allows for more detailed input conditions and higher-level modeling of aerial and ground spray applications, Butts noted.

Results

Results from the research indicated that aerial applications had an increase in downwind spray drift of about three- to five-fold compared to the ground application across all data collected.

“Severe reductions in soybean canopy coverage and flowers or pods were observed from downwind spray drift from both the ground and aerial application methods, indicating soybean is extremely sensitive to Loyant, and drift mitigation methods need to be implemented for both application methods when applying this herbicide,” Butts said.

Researchers found that soybean reproductive structures were reduced by 25% up to 100 feet downwind from a groundbased application. Drift from aerial applications damaged nearly 100% of soybean reproductive structures at 200 feet downwind.

“When you think of a plane flying 160 mph and 15 feet off the ground, that’s really not too bad, and that was with only one upwind swath adjustment,” Butts said.

The swath is the intended area that is effectively covered by the sprayer. A swath width adjustment creates a buffer

zone between a potential off-target area, Butts said. Producers can treat the buffer zone with a ground-based method to reduce drift potential or come back with an aerial application on a day when the wind direction has changed.

Butts said previous application spray drift research indicated a range in downwind spray drift deposits at farther distances. However, results among both aerial and ground spray drift studies vary depending on the droplet size and other factors like wind speed, temperature and humidity.

Droplet size from the sprayer is a significant factor in spray drift. The finer, or smaller, the beginning droplet size, the more potential there is for herbicide drift, Butts said.

Recommendations

Based on their research, Butts and co-authors of the study recommend that aerial applicators use a “coarse” droplet size and make three to five complete upwind swath width adjustments to reduce spray drift potential.

Drift mitigation efforts for both application methods also include drift reduction adjuvants, reduced boom and flight heights and applying when the wind direction is more favorable — blowing away from sensitive areas — the researchers noted.

For the ground-based applications,

researchers used a Case 5550 AimPoint tractor with a 100-foot boom, set 3 feet above the ground, driving 20 mph across the test area. They used an AirTractor 802A with a 72-foot swath width for aerial applications. The plane flew an average of 15 feet above the ground with an average airspeed of 145 mph. Ten spray passes for both application methods occurred with an average 8 mph crosswind.

The impacts of herbicide drift were measured using water-sensitive cards, and by evaluating the effects on soybean reproductive structures. The study noted that future research should investigate repeated exposure potential and identify the influence of additional herbicides on other plants to develop a database of potential impacts on pollinators’ foraging sources.

The researchers’ work was published in Nature’s Scientific Reports journal in October 2022: “Herbicide spray drift from ground and aerial applications: Implications for potential pollinator foraging sources.”

Funding for this research was provided by the USDA-Agricultural Research Service. Additional support was provided through the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board Checkoff funds. The authors also expressed appreciation for research assistance provided by TriCounty Farmers Associates and Cole Hartley of Hartley Flying Service.

A “coarse” droplet setting on sprayers, such as this under an AirTractor 802A, decreases herbicide drift potential.

Field Day Highlights Cover Crop Bene ts

For Dennis Burns, the coordinator of the LSU AgCenter Northeast Research Station, a single photo sums up something he and several colleagues have been studying extensively: the benefits of conservation methods such as planting a cover crop in the offseason.

“I took a picture last year,” Burns recalled at a field day at the station. “We had ground that was prepared for the winter and sprayed with a herbicide. The water coming out of the field, out of the culvert was brown. There was a cover crop field right down the road, and the water coming out of there was clear.”

Cover crops help stop erosion, and many farmers have already implemented them to protect their soil, add nutrients to it, break up compacted areas and ultimately grow a better cash crop.

Biomass, Nutrient Content

The biomass created by cover crops provides organic matter and nutrient content to the soil. AgCenter soil scientist Lisa Fultz is determining whether farmers can scale back current recommended seeding rates and still achieve the same amount of biomass, which would represent a significant cost savings. It seems to be a viable move with some cover crops, but not all, she said.

Graduate student Andres Carrillo is using digital technologies from satellite imagery, drones and handheld sensors to estimate the amount of biomass produced by cover crops. The goal is to couple biomass data with nutrient content to estimate

nutrient release and availability to later cash crops.

AgCenter soil scientist Brenda Tubaña is quantifying specific amounts of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and sulfur that various cover crops provide.

“This is very useful for cutting down on unnecessary fertilizer applications while maintaining yield,” she said.

Tubaña also is evaluating strategies to scale back fertilizer applications while preserving yields, which benefits both the environment and farmers’ income.

“We are taking care of the soil, and we are taking care of the productivity of the field,” she said.

Inhibits Weed Growth

Cover crops also can help reduce herbicide use. Burns has been studying rolling and crimping covers when it’s time to plant a cash crop. Roller-crimper machines flatten the cover crop, creating a mat that naturally suppresses weed growth.

“It’s just like you are using a mulch material,” said postdoctoral researcher Peters Egbedi, who also is examining the practice.

Many others from the AgCenter spoke at the field day, including economist Naveen Adusumilli, agent James Hendrix, weed scientist Donnie Miller, corn and cotton specialist Matt Foster and Louisiana Master Farmer Program coordinator Donna Gentry.

Olivia McClure, LSU AgCenter, provided this article.

The Endangered Species Act

Understanding The Ramifications On Pesticides Across The Country

BY CASSIDY NEMEC ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Figuring out how the Endangered Species Act affects the agricultural industry can be both complex and frustrating. The ESA of 1973 was enacted by Congress under President Nixon and has since drawn much attention to species across the United States that had/have the potential to be threatened or completely wiped from the map.

In recent years especially, it has become increasingly critical for growers, crop advisors, Extension and a plethora of others throughout the agricultural industry to not just be aware of the ramifications from the ESA on their operations, but also be more and more involved.

FWS Has Jurisdiction

It is to be noted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services federal agency (or National Marine Fisheries Service in cases of aquatic species) has jurisdiction over the ESA. According to FWS’s website, the act “establishes protections for fish, wildlife and plants that are listed as threatened or endangered species, and for preparing and implementing plans for their recovery.”

Species become listed one of two ways. The FWS may propose species, or any citizen can petition for it. The citizen petition route is the most common way for this to happen, due in part to the FWS having an extreme backlog of requests it must funnel through keeping the agency busy.

The FWS agency involves themselves in the candidate conservation, listing and classification, and recovery processes as they relate to ESA. Their website also mentions the provision “for interagency cooperation to avoid take of listed species and for issuing permits for otherwise prohibited activities.” This brings up two concepts: interagency cooperation should be taking place, and “take” can be broadly defined.

The Ag Law in the Field podcast is hosted by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension ag law specialist Tiffany Lashmet. She recently sat down with Jonathan Wood, a lawyer by training who is now the vice president of law and policy at the Property Environment Research Center. He has been working with ESA for years now and discussed how “take” is defined in relation to the act.

“Essentially, it’s any private activity that harms a listed species and, to some extent, also its habitat. The FWS may also issue regulations extending that prohibition to threatened species,” Wood said. He followed up by saying this is applied for both endangered (listed) and threatened species in terms of critical habitat and conservation, but the ESA only applies the “take” definition to endangered species for private land use.

Reemphasizing what he terms the “teeth of the law,” Wood explained just what the “take” definition can encompass.

“Most people think it means you’re intentionally taking or harming, but the FWS interprets it far more broadly. If you

harm a species, even unintentionally, if you disturb a species, if you modify its habitat in a way that may, in the future, restrict its ability to find food or to breed and reproduce — all of those things could violate the “take” prohibition, which, depending on the species and the use of the land, can make continued use of that property really complicated.”

Wood confirmed FWS can regulate all other agencies and their respective activities that may have any effect on species.

In the podcast, Wood mentioned that FWS is currently facing a 10-year backlog of citizen requests, including those requests made mainly by three major environmental litigation groups.

FIFRA And Bulletins Live! Two

In 1947, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act was enacted with the original intent of establishing measures regarding the registering of pesticides used in interstate commerce with USDA as well as labeling provisions. With the formation of the EPA in 1970, responsibility to administer FIFRA passed from USDA to EPA. The act was later expanded due to concerns over pesticides’ toxic effects and residues and now involves everything dealing with the “sale, distribution and use of pesticides,” according to EPA’s website.

So where does FIFRA intersect with the ESA?

Wood said the ESA, while historically focused on more charismatic species like wolves in the Western U.S., has gone nationwide in the last 20 years with more types of species being added to the list that are more vulnerable to pesticide use.

“Increasingly, the ESA is requiring EPA, when it’s approving pesticides, to set species-protective limits on how they’re

Parker said agriculture is in a position to help EPA if the industry desires to keep products.

Information related to geographic pesticide use limitations is included in Endangered Species Protection Bulletins, which can be obtained through EPA’s website.

used,” he said. “With every additional species you add to that process, with every different pesticide or application you’re adding, you just add to the complexity.”

Dr. Don Parker, vice president for technical services at the National Cotton Council, discussed FIFRA and ESA at the 2023 Beltwide Cotton Conferences. He said FIFRA says EPA needs to register pesticides in a timely manner while keeping human safety and reasonable protection for the environment. He noted this re-registration process must be science and data driven. The registration process takes four or more years, and every product must again undergo registration review every 15 years.

Parker said the FWS, under the ESA, is to protect the species regardless of the cost, according to the law. He added that EPA is currently in a predicament to try and get the consultation process going with FWS, noting that if EPA is unable to find a way to legally use products, the agricultural industry will not be able to use those products.

Registering and reregistering pesticides takes time, and EPA has a similar backlog to FWS in their listing petitions and permitting process. They are supposed to be evaluating every product and how it may impact species, which is both challenging due to lack of data and time consuming with their ongoing list of what they should be accomplishing. In working to comply with ESA and FIFRA’s regulations, EPA has implemented the Endangered Species Protection Program to help with this large task at hand.

Within the past two years, EPA has been having regular ESA-FIFRA meetings to work toward addressing what steps to take moving forward. They produced their first workplan in 2022 and an update to that plan in November 2022. The update includes regulation review efforts and other initiatives, which include many mitigation strategies for both agricultural and nonagricultural use.

Parker said when ecological risk assessments are done and nontarget species are considered, ESA is, in some forms, being

Breaking Down The “Legalese”

 FWS/NMFS has jurisdiction over ESA.

 EPA has authority over FIFRA.

 ESA focuses on continued existence of listed species and prohibits “taking” of them.

 FIFRA deals with sale, distribution and use of pesticides.

 Ideally, FWS and EPA work together to comply with ESA.

 Both FWS and EPA have been backlogged for a long time.

 EPA has released a workplan and updated workplan in 2022.

 Taking Action/What You Can Do: COMMENT, COMMENT, COMMENT! Stay aware of public notice and comment periods. Comments are to be submitted on EPA’s website when the comment period opens.

blended in earlier in the risk assessment process. In addition, he commented on the endocrine disruptor component being developed over the past several years and how that fits into the risk assessment process.

Within the endangered species component, EPA is attempting a biological evaluation on whether a particular product “may affect” a species. If so, they must look further into that product and consult with FWS.

EPA is implementing early mitigation measures to protect species while the FWS works on their biological opinions. These measures address water runoff, soil erosion and drift and are incorporated into a picklist.

Information related to geographic pesticide use limitations is included in Endangered Species Protection Bulletins, which can be obtained through EPA’s website. As stated there, “Bulletins set forth geographically specific pesticide use limitations for the protection of threatened and endangered (listed) species and their designated critical habitat.”

Parker commented that the Services at the national level does not know everything about every species, so they lean on

regional groups. “The regional Fish and Wildlife groups are the ones critical for you to know and for you to understand how to work with.”

Bulletins Live! Two is the application system that has been in place for a couple years and is where these bulletins are housed. This is where a pesticide label comes into play. When reviewing a label that directs you to the website, it will then instruct you on the pesticide use limitations for the applicable area, or PULAs. The applicator is required to follow these for the intended area, product and application month.

He emphasized the need to use this system. “Bulletins Live! Two is part of the label,” he stressed. “That means if you’re going to apply the product — to be legal — you’ve got to go to Bulletins Live! Two, and you’ve got to make sure you print out whatever additional restrictions there are for your area. If you print that out, even if it shows there are no additional restrictions, attach that to your documents so that you have that proof … you have your legal obligation at that point.”

Bulletins are good for six months from the time they are created and protect the pesticide applicator for that entire length of time, even if additional measures arise that did not exist at the time of printing that bulletin. If no PULAs are listed, it is important to still print the documentation saying there are no bulletins for that area in order to still cover the applicator.

Information on how to find the EPA registration number needed to search for a product in the Bulletins Live! Two application, along with a tutorial on the system as a whole, is available at https://www.epa.gov/endangered-species/endangered-species-protection-bulletins.

The Impact

Dr. Thomas Butts, weed specialist for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, spoke on how the ESA is currently impacting agriculture and what it might look like down the road.

Butts commented that the process looks different for every product, state, and active ingredient. “Moving forward, it’s going to be that we either have more regulations and paperwork to do in order to make legal applications — or we’re just going to outright lose options.”

The new 2,4-D (Enlist) and dicamba (Engenia, XTendiMax, and Tavium) formulations registered for use over-the-top of resistant crops have been the big players recently as far as reregistration goes in accordance with the new ESA measures. The next ones up to the plate are atrazine, fluometuron and diuron, which are more residual, soil and water based. Others up for bid next are paraquat, glyphosate and metribuzin.

Butts reflected on how the regulation process used to look more like a risk-benefit analysis but now is strictly a risk assessment with no benefits factored in. He noted the lack of warning given in the cases of pulled products, providing the example of when Arkansas lost the ability to use Enlist in 11 counties last year.

“What was really scary for a lot of us is that none of us knew that was coming. It was just kind of a memo slid across a desk one afternoon, and all of a sudden, we didn’t have those products in those counties anymore.”

He said they currently do not have any sort of consistency with these regulations nor the capability to know how to better prepare — or prepare at all — for when they do come along. Butts commented that better direction moving forward would

“Getting those opinions and voices out there and having EPA hear them directly from growers and consultants goes a lot further than the mass emails or comments they get that’s just a template or form signed by a different name,” Butts said.

help at least in the sense that they could figure out what they could do to get a better handle on circumstances before they occur and plan for the future.

In attempting to comply with the runoff mitigation measures brought up, Butts discussed how many of the measures do not work for the Mid-South region and that they will be difficult to follow since they’re not driven for that area. “If you look at the proposed picklist of mitigation strategies, it does not fit Mid-South growers because it’s very much geared toward crops grown on a slope, and about 75%-85% of our arable land in Arkansas is on a 0% to 3% slope. That picklist gets very limited in a hurry for our growers down here.”

Parker, acknowledging the burden carried by the industry, said agriculture is in a position to help EPA if the industry desires to keep products. “We’ve got to do everything we can to help EPA and the Services [FWS] make this work … if agriculture will step forward and embrace it, let’s own it. We’ve just got to dig in and get the information and the understanding, so we can know what to address and how to address it.”

Comments Make A Difference

To make a difference, EPA is encouraging those in agriculture to make comments during the comment periods that come up during the lengthy registration and reregistration processes that will inevitably be ongoing for the foreseeable future.

Butts said he has been making a big push for people to pay attention to when the comment periods open to go and submit comments.

“That’s the only way we’re going to get our voices heard. Something like ‘aerial applications are super important for us in the Mid-South, or we’re already limited with herbicides in rice and can’t lose more options.’ That’s an opportunity where EPA can hear directly from growers about our practices. Getting those opinions and voices out there and having EPA hear them directly from growers and consultants goes a lot further than the mass emails or comments they get that’s just a template or form signed by a different name.”

The Endangered Species Act turns 50 years old this year and is a complex issue for agriculture today. It will continue to become more of an important concept in the industry. This article is not all-encompassing. For more information on EPA, FWS, or any of the discussed Acts or programs, visit www.fws.gov/ or www. epa.gov/.

NIALL WIGGAN DREAMSTIME.COM

the photo will be posted on the TeeJet Technologies website.

To enter the contest, email your photo to fieldshots@teejet.com.

Trust Protocol 2023 Crop Enrollment Opening

U.S. cotton producers can soon enroll their 2023 crop in the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol at https://trustuscotton.org/. For help enrolling, reach out to the Grower Help Desk at growers@trustuscotton.org.

Producers enrolled in the Trust Protocol are eligible to participate in the Climate Smart Cotton Program. They also receive personalized data, which can be used to help improve their sustainability efforts and yield. All data entered in the Trust Protocol is secure and confidential. Crop consultants may be authorized to enter information on the producer’s behalf.

New Cotton Management Videos Available

The North Carolina State University Cotton Team is excited to share four new videos produced in 2022 thanks to the support of the Center for Integrated Pest Management (CIPM).

 Tarnished Plant Bug Management in Cotton — Dr. Dominic Reisig.

 Bollworm Management in Cotton — Dr. Dominic Reisig.

 Field Planting Exercise — Dr. Guy Collins.

 Replanting Considerations in Cotton — Dr. Guy Collins.

The CIPM develops new strategies, analytics and decision support systems to advance IPM and plant biosecurity. It serves and partners with government, industry and university stakeholders locally, nationally and internationally.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

Sometimes a visual representation can convey an idea quickly and effectively. With that in mind, TeeJet Technologies wants to see its products at work in the field. To make this happen, the company has launched a Field Photo Contest.

Here is how it works. If you send in a photo of any TeeJet product in use or on your equipment, you may win a prize. A winner will be selected every month, and

Water Conservation: High Agricultural Priority

Although Mississippi has one of the highest precipitation rates in the country, much of that rain falls outside the growing season. Crops are watered using two main methods: pivot irrigation or furrow irrigation.

Through the water institute and the National Center for Alluvial Aquifer Research, Mississippi State University is heavily invested in promoting water conservation and irrigation efficiency while maintaining farm yields. Since 2012, the university has dedicated extensive research efforts and countless hours finding best irrigation practices and extending that information to the agricultural producers of the state.

MSU efforts primarily focus on the adoption and correct use of soil moisture sensors, which make it possible to schedule irrigation efficiently, and the use of computerized hole selection and surge valves so water in furrow irrigation is dispersed at the appropriate rate. Water conservation and financial savings are equally important, said Dave Spencer, an Extension pivot irrigation specialist.

“We have shown water savings up to 40% and yield improvement up to 5% when these technologies are properly implemented,” Spencer said. “We’re evaluating production systems to see how to use the irrigation technologies with the greatest efficiency.”

Jeremey Jack, owner of Silent Shade Planting Co. in Belzoni, has adopted irrigation efficiency tools, including irrigation scheduling. Jack said his farm does not focus on just one tool, but constantly learns new strategies and methods that can increase profitability through higher yields while conserving resources.

CCOY

Cotton Consultant of the Year

Nominations Open For 2023

The Cotton Consultant of the Year Award is sponsored by Syngenta and Cotton Farming magazine. This prestigious award honors a consultant for dedication, innovation and hard work. Their footprints in the field and eyes on the crop help cotton farmers succeed and maintain a healthy bottom line.

Go to cottonfarming.com/ ccoy to access the 2023 nomination form and a list of past recipients. Nominees are voted on by the former CCOY winners.

The 2023 CCOY will be honored March 1, 2024, at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis and featured in a four-page salute in the February 2024 issue of Cotton Farming.

Nominate a consultant today who has enriched your cotton farming operation!

Cotton Consultant of the Year sponsored by

U.S. Regenerative Cotton Fund Project

On the emerging sustainability landscape, there is still so much for consumers, retailers and farmers to define and understand. As we move into the era of capturing carbon, improving our environmental footprint and creating industry goals for improvement, questions like “Where are we now?” and “How can we move forward from our current baseline?” begin to emerge. The U.S. Regenerative Cotton Fund is working to gather data that will help cotton producers answer these questions.

Cotton Incorporated is a strong funding supporter and collaborator with the U.S. Regenerative Cotton Fund, which is operated through the Soil Health Institute in North Carolina. USCRF is working to increase the adoption of soil health management systems across the Cotton Belt. USCRF will work with growers across the United States to gather soil health measurements from their farms to establish a baseline from which they can set realistic soil health improvement goals for their operations.

SHI educators and local technical specialists are aiming to educate producers that regenerative practices such as cover cropping and no-tillage can increase soil organic carbon, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce erosion, improve soil’s drought resilience and, in-turn, increase the farmer’s profitability.

BY CHRISTI SHORT ROCHESTER, TEXAS

Focus On Farmers

In 2022, the first year of the USCRF Project, SHI scientists collected more than 300 soil samples across Texas and Arkansas to establish soil health targets and provide reports to growers. These reports include information on soil compositions, capacities and the potential the different soils can have. The anonymized and aggregated data gathered in 2022 from growers in Texas and Arkansas will inform regional reports so that other growers across the area know what practices might be applicable to them.

In 2023, SHI anticipates expanding the program and establishing soil health and carbon targets on more farms in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina.

“I am excited about the work we are doing with growers across the United

States to determine what their farms and soils are capable of,” said Dr. Cristine Morgan, SHI chief scientific officer. “We want to help growers make informed, educated and calculated decisions for what type of practices can not only provide an economic impact to their operation, but also create healthy, living soils. This project is really about outreach, education and the economics of adopting soil health management practices.”

Morgan emphasized this information is vital for farmers to determine what practices make sense for their operation, what they can improve and what measurement goals they can realistically increase over the years.

Specialists And Mentors

Through a variety of private and public funding and research cooperation, USCRF surveyed 2 million acres in 2022 and plans to get to add an additional 3.8 million in 2023. Currently, SHI has seven technical specialists and seven farmer mentors working through the USCRF to reach, educate and mentor farmers.

“Cotton Incorporated has been a vital partner with us in this project, providing funds, connections and partnership in growing the reach of the program. We are glad to have the experts at Cotton Incorporated on our team,” Morgan emphasized.

Cotton Incorporated has a variety of resources for growers interested in learning more about soil health and management practices.

 You can view the March Cotton & Coffee episode featuring Dr. Cristine Morgan on The Cotton Board’s YouTube Channel.

 Visit CottonToday.com for more information on cotton sustainability.

 Search “soil health” on the CottonCultivated.com website for even more information.

To learn more about SHI, USCRF and to reach out to Dr. Morgan and her team, visit https://bit.ly/41dqYqR

Christi Short is the Cotton Board’s regional communication manager for the Southwest. She can be reached at cshort@cottonboard.org

Dr. Cristine Morgan teaches a group about “j rooting” in cotton in North Carolina.

ROBERT COLLINS, SHI

Addressing Early Season Pests

ARIZONA Randy Norton

As we enter the early stages of crop development this season, we will begin to see the appearance of the first pinhead squares. The crop will be quickly progressing from a vegetative stage to a reproductive stage. The occurrence of the first fruiting branch, or transition to reproductive development, should occur at approximately mainstem node six to eight. This is dictated primarily by crop genetics but can be influenced by environment.

Early season insect pressure and feeding by thrips or flea beetle can result in loss of apical dominance, split terminals, forked plants and a delay in the onset of fruiting. New traits released for full commercial, unrestricted planting can provide a significant level of protection against early season insect damage, particularly by thrips. The new ThryvOn technology is present in several commercially available varieties that can be planted this season with no restrictions. Protecting the young, developing plants from any factors that can delay fruiting is essential in optimizing production and efficiency.

Over the past several years, we have seen an increase in planted acreage of non-Bt cotton varieties. Some of this has been as a result of the increased Pima acreage, but there have also been additional varieties that have been planted in limited acreage that are conventional or non-Bt varieties. In some areas of the state, we have experienced increased bollworm pressure in many of these non-Bt fields. Monitoring for bollworm moth flights and egg lay is critical to managing this pest effectively. Having a pest control advisor scouting your fields for these pests is important in maintaining and protecting the developing fruit load on young cotton plants.

For more information on these topics and other cotton-production-related topics, visit our website at extension.arizona.edu/crops-soils. rnorton@cals.arizona.edu

TEXAS Ben McKnight

As I write this the first week of April, nearly all the cotton acres in the Lower Rio Grande Valley have been planted. Just north of the LRGV in the Coastal Bend region, many growers that didn’t have good soil moisture to plant into are waiting for conditions to improve prior to the April 15 insurance cutoff date. Conditions have been dry lately in the Upper Gulf Coast region, and approximately 50% of the cotton acres there have been planted as of early April. By the time you are reading this in early May, planting in the Winter Garden and Blackland Prairie regions will be well underway, if not close to wrapping up. As good chances of precipitation have recently shown up in the extended weather forecast, it appears that the dry weather pattern that has been lingering across much of central and southern Texas for some time may be easing up a bit.

While rainfall is greatly needed for replenishing soil moisture and getting the dryland crop out of the ground, it also initiates the life cycle of cotton pests that are found in every production field in the state of Texas. Weed pressure early in the season can lead to considerable yield consequences if not addressed in a timely manner. I am a big fan of being aggressive and early with weed control efforts, especially in fields with particularly troublesome weed species like pigweeds and common sunflower.

Residual herbicide products can offer substantial value to the overall weed management program if used according to the label. Many of the residual products need to be “activated” with rainfall or irrigation. It’s always a good idea to familiarize yourself with the product label and the

specific requirements each residual product needs to provide the highest level of activity and return value to our overall management programs. Control of highly competitive species like pigweeds, while they are still a germinating seed or young seedling, greatly reduces the pressure we put on our postemergence herbicide programs. Tall waterhemp and Palmer amaranth have extremely rapid growth rates under the right environmental conditions and can quickly get beyond a size where reasonable control can be expected with a postemergence product. Overlaying residual herbicides through tank-mixing with our postemergence applications can offer extended control of these rapidly growing weed pests further into the growing season and help get us across the finish line with a clean field.

bmcknight@tamu.edu

MISSOURI Bradley Wilson

We are still a few weeks shy of planting in Missouri; however, with temperatures in the 70s and 80s, it has been tempting to get the planter out and drop cottonseed in the hoppers. Several early season pests can impact cotton growth following planting.

Thrips are major early season insect pests in cotton through the four-leaf growth stage. Management options of thrips include an in-furrow insecticide or foliar insecticide application at the one-to-two-leaf growth stage. Severe storms causing sandblasting to cotton following emergence can cause symptoms like thrips damage. It is important to confirm thrips are present and above threshold prior to making a foliar insecticide application.

Several soil-borne diseases can impact cotton emergence during our planting window. Planting into favorable soil conditions with a warm, five-day outlook can reduce seedling disease incidence. When planting on poorly drained soils or in unfavorable conditions, in-furrow fungicide applications can provide greater protection against organisms that can cause seedling disease.

Nematodes are a yearlong pest, but control options are limited to at-planting management options. Typically, root-knot nematodes are the dominant species in Missouri fields. Management options include cotton nematicide seed treatments, in-furrow nematicides and resistant varieties. Cotton seed treatments do not provide lasting control in fields with heavy infestations, and in-furrow nematicide applications will provide greater control. brwilson@missouri.edu

TENNESSEE Tyson Raper

In March, our planned acreage for 2023 was heavy soybeans with a reduction in corn and cotton, relative to 2022. As I write this April 5, we don’t have much corn planted, and it looks like we may not get much done before it rains again. Given our forecast holds, some will likely have to make the decision to plant late corn or change to soybeans or cotton.

I’ve outlined several strategies to reduce input costs in the cotton production system over the past several months — most significantly reducing seeding rates to target about two plants per row foot and reducing total applied nitrogen. The benefits provided by these two strategies accumulate over time.

First, with less plant-to-plant competition and less N driving plant height, plant stature will be shorter and light penetration into the canopy will be greater. This will result in less plant growth regulator required and more first position fruit retention lower on the plant. Penetration of insec-

ticides will be better, and because the fruiting window will be shifted earlier in the season, less overall insecticide use will be required. Defoliation will be easier with less vegetation and a more compact fruiting zone. By emphasizing earliness, these decisions will also allow you to reach maturity faster.

Cotton may not look as enticing in 2023 as it did in 2022, but sound agronomic management decisions like the two I’ve mentioned above will help push the bottom line of the cotton budget in the right direction. traper@utk.edu

VIRGINIA Hunter Frame

Planting intentions for cotton in Virginia are expected to be slightly lower in 2023 than in 2022. Luckily, most fertilizer and input prices have fallen slightly as producers gear up for planting in May. Currently, preplant/ at-planting soil fertility recommendations are 25% to 30% of total applied nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium applied at soil test recommendations, and five to 10 pounds of sulfur in preplant/starter blend with nitrogen.

One new planting hurdle producers may be facing is establishing cotton into high biomass cover crops. This can be trickier than planting corn or soybeans, and producers need to keep an eye on seed placement (specifically depth) when dealing with high-biomass cover crops.

Another early season management factor for Virginia growers is thrips control. I encourage Virginia producers to contact Dr. Sean Malone for up-to-date recommendations for early season management of thrips. Also, the annual Virginia Cotton Growers’ Field day will be held August 18, 2023, so go ahead and put it on your calendars! whframe@vt.edu

NORTH CAROLINA Guy Collins

Depending on prevailing weather, May triggers cotton planting in North Carolina. Given that our planting window and insurance deadlines are rather narrow compared to other states, there is always an eagerness to get started. This winter and spring has brought some abnormally warm spells throughout. When we have a few days in a row of nice weather, folks get antsy and eager to plant, occasionally with little consideration given to the next week’s weather or longer-term forecasts.

Naturally, no one planted cotton in February despite the fact that temperatures were essentially ideal for a few short spells during that time. However, it becomes much more tempting when nice weather occurs as the typical planting season approaches.

Conditions during the first five days after planting are critical for stand establishment and seedling vigor, with the first two to three days during that window being the most critical. In addition, keep in mind how long it takes for cotton to fully emerge. Under the best of conditions, cotton can emerge in four to five days, although that is rare. More commonly, when experiencing good conditions, emergence in six to eight days can be expected, which is prolonged to 10 to 14 days when planting in cooler or marginal conditions. Therefore, even though weather may be nice for a day or two, we should be conscientious of the likely weather forecast beyond that.

The North Carolina State University Cotton Planting Conditions Calculator (https://products.climate.ncsu.edu/ag/cotton-planting/) provides a five-day rating for planting conditions, applicable to the day you use the calculator and the day following. This covers the most critical window for emergence, however it may behoove us, during the early part of our typical planting window, to watch the 10-to-14 day forecast to understand what may lie ahead. If those longer-term forecasts suggest poor conditions are to be expected, we can often avoid prolonging emergence or even replanting by waiting until better conditions arrive. This really only applies to the early portion of our planting window (late April to early May).

Depending on a grower’s acreage and equipment/labor capacity, we often get to a point usually around May 10-15 where we have to plant regardless of conditions if we are going to meet insurance deadlines. guy_collins@ncsu.edu

GEORGIA Camp Hand

As I write this April 5, the weather is beautiful in Tifton, and we are entering the planting window here in Georgia. I am sure by the time you are reading this, there will be a good bit of cotton up across the state. Of course, one of the biggest struggles in cotton production each year is getting a stand. But, at and after planting, we need to be mindful of early season pests.

Many growers are scrutinizing inputs right now and looking for where to cut. In many cases, cutting up front can cause a lot of heartburn on the back end. Three early season pests I would keep at the forefront of my mind at planting would be nematodes, thrips and weeds.

For nematodes, planting a resistant variety or using the appropriate nematicide is a decision to be made at planting, and as Dr. Bob Kemerait preaches, once the furrow is closed, there is no going back. Of course, the only way to make a good decision on nematode management is to know what’s out there (and the only way to know what’s out there is to pull samples, hopefully last fall), and that will inform which management strategy will best suit your farm.

With respect to thrips, they are the most predictable insect pest of cotton. Planting before May 10 in Georgia will generally put you at a higher risk for heavy thrips pressure, and an at-plant insecticide will be necessary (unless you are planting a ThryvOn variety) because a seed treatment by itself isn’t going to cut it.

Lastly, one of the best things you can do in a weed management program, regardless of the weed you are targeting, is to utilize at-plant residual herbicides. These will help the crop get ahead of any problematic weeds in your fields and delay resistance to our limited arsenal of postemergence products. Using two effective mechanisms of action for your most problematic weed (likely Palmer amaranth) is a must.

As always, your local UGA county Extension agent and specialists are here to help! Reach out if you have any questions. camphand@uga.edu

ALABAMA Steve M. Brown

New technology creates headlines. Deservedly so. ThryvOn, the new thrips and plant bug management trait from Bayer, has received considerable attention in recent months.

Still, less than 10% of most areas will likely be planted in ThryvOn, so here are a few reminders about the other 90% — fields planted in non-ThryvOn cotton.

 Don’t plant seed without some form of thrips protection, either in the furrow or on the seed.

 Seed treatments provide less thrips control than other measures such as in-furrow applications of imidacloprid (liquid sprays) or Ag Logic (granules). Ag Logic (aldicarb) is the “gold standard.”

 Take advantage of the Thrips Infestation Predictor for Cotton to forecast expected thrips pressure for your area for a given planting window. Use the model to guide the aggressiveness of at-plant and early foliar insecticide programs.

 If heavy thrips pressure is expected and at-plant control is limited to seed treatments, you may need an almost-automatic foliar spray at the first true leaf.

 On young cotton, look for thrips and the early signs of damage in the plant terminal. Observed damage on unfolded true leaves indicates thrips have already been feeding in the terminal and on emerging tissue … and that ideally, foliar sprays should have been initiated a few days earlier.

Specialists Speaking

 rips injury is o en compounded when crop growth is slowed by stress from cooler temperatures, crusted soils and/or herbicide injury.

 Conversely, aggressive early growth, which is consistent with warm weather, good moisture, and strong seedling vigor o en minimizes the e ects of thrips.

 Presence of immature thrips, those that appear yellowish and smaller than the adults, suggests that at-plant control measures have diminished considerably and that foliar sprays may be needed, depending upon plant growth stage and conditions.

 Once plants reach the fourth or h true leaf, cotton is o en beyond the window of signi cant damage from thrips — but not always.

 Multiple foliar applications of acephate for thrips sometimes contribute to later problems with spider mites. A single application may do the same, especially if treatments are made in the later stages of the thrips control window. cottonbrown@auburn.edu

MISSISSIPPI Brian Pieralisi

Cotton acres in Mississippi are expected to decrease 25% compared to 2022. With a decrease in both acres and cotton prices, managing early season pests is paramount to avoid maturity delays and reap a successful harvest. Planting season went exceptionally well in Mississippi last year but was later stressed by a two-to-three-month drought. As I write this, spring is ahead of schedule due to the warm/hot weather; thus, conditions are lining up for early planting dates. However, a cold snap is never out of the question until a er the rst two weeks of May. Growers should focus on management tactics within their control and take advantage of any favorable planting opportunities.

rips are the primary early season pest a ecting Mississippi cotton. Over the past several years, thrips pressure has been unusually high, causing multiple applications in some cases. is can likely be attributed to slow-growing cotton met with environmental conditions favorable for this pest. Typically, by the three-to-four-leaf stage, cotton plants are past the most susceptible stage for economic injury or delays in maturity. However, a sound management plan is in order to mitigate injuries from rips. ryvOn cotton will compromise 10% to 15% of our acres. Currently, ryvOn cotton e ectively manages thrips, allowing for rapid progression through the developmental stages under favorable growing conditions and adequate heat unit accumulation.

Early season thrips management typically consists of: imidacloprid-treated seed or in-furrow treatments followed by foliar applications. In-furrow treatments of 1.1 pounds of acephate or 8 ounces of imidacloprid should be directed on or below the seed for most-e ective control. Under high reniform nematode populations, 3.5 pounds to 5 pounds of aldicarb is another option. Most current cotton varieties are pretreated

with recommended fungicides; however, using in-furrow insecticides increases susceptibility to cotton seedling diseases. So, be sure to plant seeds treated with a recommended fungicide.

Lastly, most cotton grown in Mississippi is conventionally tilled and cutworms are not an issue. However, with an increase in both cover-cropped and no-till acres, cutworms could establish on existing vegetation. Cover crops should be terminated at least three weeks prior to planting to avoid risks associated with stand reduction. If vegetation is not terminated three weeks prior to planting, a pyrethroid should be used at planting, which will protect early season cotton seedlings from stand reductions. bkp4@msstate.edu

LOUISIANA Matt Foster

According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, cotton acreage intentions in Louisiana are at 130,000 acres, down 33% from the 195,000 acres planted last year. As I write this April 4, substantial rainfall is predicted for some cotton producing areas in the state as the optimal planting window approaches. Cotton planting should begin soon depending on eld conditions.

A er crop emergence, producers should concentrate on managing the cotton plant from the rst- through h-leaf stage. Reaching the h true leaf stage with minimal damage from thrips is a key factor in producing good cotton yields. Seed treatments for controlling early season insect pests play a valuable role in getting the cotton plant o to a rapid start. Depending on environmental conditions, seed treatments may last anywhere from 14 to 28 days. O entimes, under cool spring temperatures, reaching the h true leaf stage is delayed and seed treatments may lose their e ectiveness. Under these conditions, foliar sprays may be needed.

Also, once stands are established, nitrogen applications are made for the upcoming season. Recommended nitrogen rates are 60 to 90 pounds per acre for coarse-textured soils and 90 to 120 pounds per acre for ner-textured soils. e lower recommended rates should be used on elds that are following soybean, corn, legume cover crops or elds with a history of excessive stalk growth. Caution should be used to not apply excess nitrogen that can produce very tall and rank cotton. Increased vegetative growth will hinder reproductive growth and, ultimately, yield. To limit excessive growth, producers will have to rely heavily on mepiquat chloride applications.

Best management practices suggest making split applications of nitrogen on sandy soils with high leaching potential or soils with a high saturation potential because of denitri cation losses. For split nitrogen applications, one-third to one-half should be applied at planting with the remainder applied by early bloom at the latest. Best of luck during the upcoming season. mfoster@agcenter.lsu.edu

Louisiana cotton specialist Matt Foster said, “For split nitrogen applications, one-third to one-half should be applied at planting with the remainder applied by early bloom at the latest.”

COTTON Ginners Marketplace

Focus On Seed House Safety And Maintenance

Elevated seed houses are valuable for short-term seed storage, wet seed storage and gins with limited yard space. Design improvements allow overhead seed houses to be an e icient method for loading trucks from flat-storage houses and gins.

When fully loaded, a double-hopper seed house can weigh 200,000 pounds or more. Structural integrity is critical.

Volatile weather can put older seed houses at risk, especially those not properly maintained. Through the years, moisture and chemicals from seed along with humidity cause the inevitable — rust and corrosion. Since the damage primarily occurs inside the seed house, it is out of sight and mind. If a structural failure occurs, personnel are at risk of injury.

All cotton gin managers should review their overhead seed house safety and maintenance procedures before the start of the 2023 cotton ginning season.

Observe Safety Checklist

 Never go beneath a seed hopper that contains seed.

 Provide proper fall protection for all ladders and catwalks.

 Never enter the seed trailer or climb on the side walls of the trailer while beneath a hopper that contains seed.

 Post decals, “DANGER – DO NOT ENTER AREA BELOW HOPPER DOORS WHEN SEED IS IN STORAGE HOUSE.”

These are free from your local ginning association or from www.cli granberrycorp.com

 Contact your ginning association or loss control representative to get a copy of the “Cottonseed System Safety Policy” for employees, visitors and outside contractors, such as seed haulers. This is also available at www.cli granberrycorp.com.

 Be sure to use all other known gin safety procedures daily.

Maintenance And Repair Tips

 All proper safety precautions including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) should be taken by all personnel who perform maintenance and repairs.

 Clean out all seed.

 Clean hopper panels to remove seed oil.

 Smooth the inside surfaces of the hopper panels again.

 Carefully examine the entire seed house for stress fractures and loose hardware, especially if industrial vibrators have been used.

 Remove rust and corrosion.

Benefits Of The Catwalk

Best industry practices include using a trailer-viewing catwalk mounted on the outside of the vertical columns, about 9.5 feet above the driveway. This structure provides a good vantage point to see into the tops of the trailers to determine when to open and close the hopper doors.

Jim Granberry, president of Cli Granberry Corp., contributed this article. Email jim@cli granberrycorp.com or call 972-381-8899.

2023 Ginners School Information

The third Ginners School for 2023 will be held June 6-8 at the USDA Ginning Research Laboratory in Stoneville, Mississippi. To register, go to https://www.cotton.org/ncga/ginschool/registration/ginschool-registration.cfm. Due to limited class size and availability, there will be no onsite registration.

Course Descriptions

Each level of ginners school coursework is built on the previous level of instruction, with Level I as the foundation. Therefore, the school’s coordinators strongly recommend that beginning students, regardless of gin experience, start with Level I.  Levels I, II and III are all three-day courses, therefore students enroll for one level per school.

Level I

• Introduction to Cotton Ginning and Ginning Demonstration

• Basic Gin Safety

• Basic Hydraulics

• Air Utilization

• Electricity in the Gin

• Maintenance and Adjustment for Seed Cotton Cleaners, Gin Stands and Lint Cleaners

• Maintenance of Auxiliary Components

• Classing Cotton

• Moisture Measurement

 May 17: PCCA Board of Directors Meeting, Lubbock, Texas

 May 18: Calcot Board of Directors Meeting, Phoenix, Arizona

 May 31-June 2: Texas Cotton Association’s 112th Annual Convention, La Cantera Resort & Spa, San Antonio, Texas

 June 4-7: NCPA 2023 Annual Meeting, Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa, Tucson, Arizona

 June 11-13: Cotton Incorporated Board Meeting, Marriott Dallas Uptown, Dallas, Texas

 June 14-16: 2023 ACSA Annual Convention, The Montage, Park City, Utah

 June 21: Staplcotn Board Meeting, 214 W Market Street, Greenwood, Mississippi

 June 21: PCCA Board, Delegate Body & Marketing Pool Committee Meetings, Lubbock, Texas

 July 12-15: Cottonseed & Feed Association Annual Meeting, Allegretto Resort, Paso Robles, California

COTTON FARMING IS THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE GINNING INDUSTRY.

Cotton’s Calendar

• Review of the Cotton Industry

• Waste Collection and Disposal

Level II

• Purpose and Operating Principles of Individual Gin Machines

• E icient Operation, Adjustment and Maintenance of Gin Equipment

• Pneumatics and Waste Collection

• Electrical Systems

• Hydraulic Systems

• Gin Safety

• Management Tips

• Roller Ginning (at the Western School only)

Level III

• Review of Functions of a Ginning System

• Electrical Systems

• Air Systems in the Gin

• Drying and Moisture Restoration Systems

• Matching Machinery Capacities in the System

• Seed Cotton Unloading Systems

• Management of Seed Cotton Handling Systems

• Bale Presses and Hydraulic Systems

• Safety Programs and Labor Regulations

• Cottonseed Handling Systems

• Roller Ginning (at the Western School only)

The 2023 continuing education schedule is being developed and may be di erent for each of the three schools.  Please note that the information included in Continuing Education session may not be suitable for all certified ginners, and therefore, may want to consider Level III as an alternative.

Certified Ginner Program

Please note, to maintain your certification, you must complete twelve hours of continuing education (CE) credits over a three-year period.  For example, if you received your certification in 2020, then, to remain in good standing in the program, you will need to complete your twelve CE hours in 2023.

• Continuing education course work will be o ered each year in conjunction with the annual ginner’s sponsored National Cotton Ginners Association course work will receive one credit hour.

• CE Cotton Beltwide Conference participation provides one hour credit for each hour of participation.

• Re-taking Ginners credit.

• Participation in local association schools, workshops, seminars and ginners tradeshows may be eligible for CE credit. An agenda and participation form must be submitted to NCGA. Upon review, any CE credit hour (Ginners) will be assigned to the participant.

If you have questions, email jjackins@cotton.org or call 901274-9030.

SEED BRIDGING • SAFER • FASTER • STRONGER

My Turn

The Seed Is Where It’s At

Steve M. Brown

In the mid-1990s before our entry into the transgenic era, a bag of cotton seed cost around $35. Formerly, a bag was a standard 50 lbs., though in the old days 100lb. bags were sometimes used. In 2023 in parts of the U.S. Cotton Belt, the cost of a bag may reach $800 and weigh 33 to 55 lbs.

Today that bag is a specified seed count unit — a common example is 230,000 seed per bag — which includes genetics, built-in herbicide tolerance and insect management traits, possibly nematode and bacterial blight resistance, and added, sprayed-on crop protection products. In the mid-1990s, we entered the Golden Era of the SEED.

Pardon my grammar, but the point is — the seed is where it’s at.

More and more aspects of production are associated with seed. The physical seed, the small kernel from which we propagate our beloved crop, represents only a fraction of the total cost as compared to associated technologies and seed treatments. Yet seed remain the all-important carrier for everything.

In modern agriculture, the science of seed is critical to cotton and every major row crop. Beyond breeding efforts for advancing cotton yield and fiber quality, seed technology — that is, all that goes into seed production, processing, handling, treating and packaging — is a science that is essential to having quality planting seed.

Growers pay a premium price for seed and should receive a premium product. Given all that is in and on seed, companies need the best possible knowledge and innovations associated with seed quality … because the seed is where it’s at.

Who is advancing the science of the seed itself? Seed technology was once a discipline and course of study in some agricultural universities. Today, with

all the importance of seed, that science is desperately needed for crop agriculture.

Is anyone training those who can improve seed quality in the field, at the gin, in the delinting process, at the packaging and treatment facility, and in warehousing and shipment? We need seed experts, those who focus on seed … because the seed is where it’s at.

A generation ago, one of the states at the heart of the U.S. cotton industry closed its doors on a seed technology program as retirements occurred. It is surprising that all the seed and cotton interests in that state permitted that loss and disappointing that industry and farm leaders didn’t insist that their land-grant university continue such a needed scientific initiative.

The opportunities for such a program are great and will no doubt increase for the future … because the seed is where it’s at.

Recent seed quality issues have prompted renewed focus on seed quality. Users (farmers) and suppliers (seed companies) need an ever-expanding knowledge base associated with seed production and processing. The Extension Cotton Specialists working group, with support from Cotton Incorporated, has had multiple projects on this issue. Our interests have been warm and cool germ variations and other possible predictive measures of seed performance.

We applaud the extensive research and contributions of Lori Snyder at North Carolina State University, particularly in the realm of visual mechanical damage.

Still, the importance of seed warrants commitments from land-grant institutions to initiate programs associated with seed technology, to TEACH and TRAIN the next generation of seed experts and to ADVANCE KNOWLEDGE for providing the best possible product … because the seed is where it’s at.

— Steve M. Brown Auburn University cottonbrown@auburn.edu

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.

“Land-grant institutions need to initiate programs associated with seed technology.”

WAKE UP WITH US!

Season four of The Cotton Board’s Cotton & Coffee Zoom series is underway. This series asks the cotton-growing community to wake up with The Cotton Board, and in the time it takes to drink a morning cup of coffee, get an update from the Cotton Research and Promotion Program. This is a great way to see how the assessment dollars collected by The Cotton Board are being spent to increase the demand for and profitability of cotton. Each virtual Zoom session includes a 30-minute presentation and concludes with time for discussion and questions. Cotton & Coffee is held on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:30 am Central. Pre-registration is required, so please visit cottonboard.org/cotton-coffee if you'd like to register and participate.

COTTONBOARD.ORG/COTTON-COFFEE