Southeast Cotton, Peanut Harvest Update

Dan Cotton, Peanuts

USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says the condition of the nation’s cotton crop remains good, and has improved from last week. Rippey has a look at the number of cotton bolls opening across the country. In Alabama, only 51 percent of the cotton crop saw bolls opening, which compares to 74 percent last year and 78 percent is the 5-year average. …

GCC: Cotton Growers Be Wary of Defoliation Drift

Clint Thompson Cotton, Georgia, Georgia Cotton Commission (GCC)

By Clint Thompson The Georgia Cotton Commission (GCC) and University of Georgia (UGA) Extension Cotton Team remind growers about the importance of on-target defoliation applications. Defoliation is the process by which the plant’s leaves must be removed before the cotton can be harvested. This helps speed up the plant’s maturity. Producers make a chemical application and, approximately two weeks later, …

NCC Following Committee Markup Process in the House

Dan Cotton, Legislative, Regulation

Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives continue their committee markup process to develop the individual pieces of the budget reconciliation bill that will be assembled in the coming weeks. Vice President of Washington Operations for the National Cotton Council (NCC), Reece Langley, has more details on the agriculture specific provisions. Langley also explains what is not in the House agriculture package …

Cotton Diseases a Factor for Georgia Producers

Clint Thompson Cotton, Georgia, Georgia Cotton Commission (GCC)

By Clint Thompson The Georgia Cotton Commission and University of Georgia Extension plant pathologist Bob Kemerait caution growers about various diseases that could be problematic over the final weeks of this year’s production season. Kemerait said the excessive rains this summer have sparked three diseases that growers need to be wary of. “With all the moisture we’ve had and with …

Southeast Cotton Progressing, Peanut Harvest Underway

Dan Cotton, Peanuts

While the U.S. cotton crop is still behind last year in the pace of the crop setting bolls, USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says overall the crop remains in good shape. In Alabama, only 27 percent of the cotton crop saw bolls opening, which compares to 52 percent last year and 56 percent is the 5-year average. As for peanut harvest, …

U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol Holding Enrollment Webinars

Dan Cotton, Education

The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol will present six live enrollment webinars over the next few weeks that will focus on how the program helps U.S. growers meet the changing demands from their end customer while also better documenting and verifying the sustainability practices and advances already incorporated into their farms. Launched in 2020, the Trust Protocol is a farm level, …

U.S. Cotton Production Forecast Up 27 Percent from Last Year

Dan Cotton, Crop Forecasts, USDA-NASS

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released their September crop reports today, and Becky Sommer with NASS in Washington D.C. says the U.S. cotton production estimate is up 27 percent from last year’s crop. All cotton production is forecast at 18.5 million 480-pound bales, up 7 percent from the previous estimate and up 27 percent from 2020. Acreage updates were made in several States based …

USDA to Survey Farm Chemical Use and Production Costs

Dan Alabama, Corn, Cotton, Field Crops, Georgia, USDA-NASS

The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has announced they will be gathering information about production practices from producers across Alabama and Georgia, as part of the 2021 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). This year, NASS is reaching out to survey cotton and corn producers across the region. Starting in October, NASS representatives will call producers to set up an …