It could’ve been a lot worse for us

Cotton Delivers

It Was Still A Wild Ride During '09 Season

Tommy Horton

"It could've been a lot worse for us," he says. "We had weather challenges, but they seemed to wane at the right time for us in the High Plains. The irrigated cotton was pretty good, and the dryland was hit-or-miss."

The southern part of Texas simply couldn't attract anything resembling acceptable weather conducive to good cotton production.

"Those farmers in that region will be back," Hudson says. "This makes two straight years that the weather has turned out bad for them. The tropical storms have improved the soil moisture there, and they just need to catch a break for next year."

source : cottonfarming

Even with the possibility

Cotton Delivers

It Was Still A Wild Ride During '09 Season

Tommy Horton

Even with the possibility that peanut contracts next year could range between $450 and $475 per ton, Shurley believes cotton acreage may remain stable.

"I'm not saying that corn and soybeans won't have a place in Georgia," he says. "But because of how well peanuts fit into a cotton rotation, that may be why cotton acreage consistently stays at the same level.

"Listen, if corn and soybean prices go through the roof, we'll plant those crops in the sidewalks, if necessary. But I'm not really anticipating that next year."

source : cottonfarming

The statistics reinforce what Shurley reports

Cotton Delivers

It Was Still A Wild Ride During '09 Season

Tommy Horton

The statistics reinforce what Shurley reports. In the November USDA crop report, the average yield projection for Georgia had dropped from 897 pounds to 873 pounds per acre. However, that still translates to a crop of 1.8 million bales, solidifying Georgia's ranking as the No. 2 cotton-producing state in the Belt behind Texas.

While the rain was damaging to parts of the Georgia crop, Shurley says it was cold weather temperatures in October that shut down the cotton's maturity progress.

"Those top three or four fruiting positions simply didn't have a chance when the cold snap hit," he says.

source : cottonfarming

Cotton Delivers

Cotton Delivers

It Was Still A Wild Ride During '09 Season

Tommy Horton

If cotton producers across the Belt learned anything this year, it's that they should always expect the unexpected. The reality of that statement was reinforced many times because of weather events.

You name it, and it happened – scorching heat and drought in southern Texas, late planting in the High Plains and record-breaking fall rains throughout much of the Mid-South and Southeast.

However, amid all of these unpredictable conditions, the crop was able to survive in many of these hard-hit regions. For that reason, as veteran observers always like to say, plenty of lessons were learned as everyone prepares for the 2010 season.
Now, it's about putting those lessons into action.

source : cottonfarming

We asked him if he found

Cotton's Rebound In Georgia

Jimmy Webb
Leary, Ga.
    
We asked him if he found out what it was, and he said it was a mama boll weevil beating her son because he was only taking one row at a time!

That's a funny story, but it ought to tell any outsider how important it was for cotton farmers to eliminate that deadly insect pest.

Cotton is such an important crop for our small communities. The biggest boom for rural Georgia is how many times a bale of cotton turns over in the local economy. That doesn't happen with grain crops. You could al-most say cotton is an economic stimulus for rural Georgia when cotton is king.

We did dip down under one million acres in 2008 but came back to one million acres in 2009, and I think we'll always be at that level or higher for the foreseeable future.


source : cottonfarming

My first crop was in 1986

Cotton's Rebound In Georgia

Jimmy Webb
Leary, Ga.    

My first crop was in 1986 after I graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor's degree in agriculture. I'm not sure how much that degree helped me, but it proved I could finish the job at hand. I was proud to have made both Dean's Lists – the good one and even the bad one.

Enough about my academic record.

The first time that cotton made a big comeback in our hometown of Leary was on my Uncle Bill's farm. My other uncle, Bob McLendon, went to look at Bill's field and decided to buy corn seed! So much for him being impressed with what he saw.

source : cottonfarming

No matter what factor or factors

Multiple Factors Affect Clear Vision


No matter what factor or factors affect whether cotton's demand outlook falls into the positive range, it goes without saying that every U.S. cotton producer is hoping that it gets there in 2010. However, for this month's Web Poll, we will shift our focus from outside forces, which are sometimes uncontrollable, to a topic of which U.S. cotton producers can take advantage if they so choose.

Jay Hardwick, a Louisiana cotton producer who currently is serving as chairman of the National Cotton Council (NCC), strongly encourages other U.S. cotton producers to consider participating in the multiple conservation programs available under the 2008 Farm Bill.

Read more about these possibilities and opportunities in NCC's "Cotton's Agenda" on page 25, then cast your vote and share your thoughts on this subject in the "Comments" section.


source : cottonfarming