Photo credit: J. Thompson, Northwest Extension District, UF/IFAS)
By Clint Thompson
The Georgia Cotton Commission and University of Georgia (UGA) Cotton Team remind producers about the importance of ensuring equipment is ready ahead of planting season which is less than two months away.
Camp Hand, UGA Extension cotton agronomist, discussed the preparations that growers need to make with most of the planting season slated for early-to-mid May.
“Soil sampling should be done by now. Of course, if you haven’t done your liming and stuff like that, that needs to be taken care of. Hopefully, it’s been done before now. If it hasn’t been done yet, you need to get lime out,” Hand said. “Definitely, if you’re a corn guy that’s starting planting, lets get your planter dialed in now so that when we switch to cotton, you’ve got it about ready to go.
“I think the planter is a big one that I’d focus on; make sure that last year when we parked everything, we left it in good shape. If you’re a strip-till guy, pull that out and get it ready to go, making sure that’s ready. Make sure you’re getting your pre-plant fertilizer out on time. Of course, you want to make sure your pivots are calibrated and putting out the amount of water it says it’s putting out if you’re an irrigated guy.”
Hand estimated that about 50% of corn growers in Georgia are also cotton producers. The same planter would be utilized for both crops and a separate one for peanuts.