Cotton News

On behalf of Plains Cotton Growers Inc., chief executive officer, Kody Bessent, went to Washington D.C. July 14 and 15 to meet with Congressional members and staff in advance of the House considering the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Agriculture Appropriations bill. While there, he expressed PCG’s sincere gratitude for the recently implemented Emergency Relief Program — an effort worked on and supported by Congress and advocacy organizations, including PCG, since March 2021.

Additionally, Bessent provided an update regarding the ongoing adversity producers and infrastructure face this cropping season due to high winds, below normal rainfall and extreme temperatures that have had a negative impact on cotton acres and production. He emphasized the potential need for future assistance should conditions persist.

Bessent attended key political events on behalf of PCG where we continue to build upon our advocacy and coalition efforts in advance of the development of the 2023 Farm Bill. He also had the opportunity to visit with producer participants of the National Cotton Council Policy Education Program, discussing the importance of advocacy in agriculture.

PCG CEO Kody Bessent with Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and NCC Senior Government Relations Representative Robbie Minnich.

This week, the House advanced H.R. 8294, a mini-series of six of the 12 FY 2023 spending bills — including the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies bill — on a 220 to 207 vote. Specifically, the agriculture related provisions of the minibus include $27.2 billion in discretionary funding in FY 2023, $2.08 billion more than the FY 2022 level. The bill also includes mandatory funding for nutrition assistance and crop insurance programs, which would bring the total to $195.6 billion.

Cotton initiatives specifically included in the legislation are the following:

• $1 million above FY 2022 support levels for research efforts to combat whiteflies that are severely impacting vegetable and cotton production in southeastern parts of the U.S.
• $15.9 million provided for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine Cotton Pests Programs to ensure APHIS and the cotton industry have adequate funding to prevent cotton boll weevil reinfestation in areas of the U.S. where it has been successfully eradicated.
• $4 million provided for improvements to the U.S. cotton classing offices and operations as Congress acknowledges the challenges presented during the 2021 cotton season such as extensive delays in quality designation, contract delivery and loan repayments.

Furthermore, Congress encourages the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service to continue to work with its customers to secure stability and dependability of the cotton classification program to ensure it accurately processes numerous samples of cotton in a timely manner with less reliance on seasonal staff, which translates to less disruption of market opportunities for producers.

House Democrats are hoping to clear most of the 12 appropriations bills by the end of this month. However, at this point, the initial passage of this week’s minibus spending package does not have a clear path forward before the end of the fiscal year on September 30. Furthermore, the Senate Appropriations Committee has yet to schedule any hearings to mark up any of the spending bills, undoubtedly teeing up Congress to pass a continuing resolution at the beginning of FY 2023 to avoid a government shutdown.

This will likely result in a lame-duck negotiating session to pass either an omni spending package or a year-long continuing resolution. As progress on these initiatives are made, PCG will continue to keep our members and readership updated on its advancement.

PhytoGen is hosting two field tours for growers August 25^th and August 26^th.

Through these tours, you can earn continuing education units for Texas Department of Agriculture Applicator Drift Minimization (1 credit), Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) Soil and Water (0.5 units), CCA Integrated Pest Management (1.5 units), and CCA Crop Management (1 unit).

The tour will start at 9 a.m. on August 25^th, followed by lunch at Cook’s Garage.

The August 26^th field day will begin with lunch at Cook’s followed by 1:30 p.m. tour.

The tours consist of Enlist system demos, variety trials showcase and a session on the new trait package offering tolerance to 2,4-D and glufosinate, for use with Enlist One herbicide.

If you have questions, contact Ken Legé at ken.lege@phytogen.com

Cotton growers on the High Plains planted an estimated 4.3 to 4.4 million acres of cotton in 2022. This growing season has dealt many challenges to producers. After a dry winter and a large 2021 crop, the 2022 season began with virtually no sub-soil moisture aside from pre-plant irrigation. Spring/summer growing challenges included: high winds, below normal rainfall, high temperatures and isolated damaging hail. On May 22^nd, Amarillo recorded a minimum temperature of 39 degrees. Lubbock has experienced more than 20 days at or above 100, with more in the forecast. These conditions have been reminiscent of the epic drought of 2011.

The deadline for certifying acreage was July 15^th, so we are still awaiting official reports of planted and failed acres. More than half of the acres are non-irrigated. We have already lost most of the dryland acres to drought and some of the irrigated acres to wind, hail and excessive heat.

Many cotton fields in the northern Panhandle are thin and estimated at 10 days behind normal development. Most of our region continues to suffer from lack of rainfall and high temperatures. A few “July 4^th” blooms were observed in early planted fields. Many fields are reaching early bloom as of mid-July, with a range of five to nine nodes above white flower (NAWF) in irrigated fields. Many drylands fields have already reached cutout (4 or fewer NAWF) Many fields do not have enough irrigation capacity to keep up with evapotranspiration demand during bloom, so yield potential will continue to decline in those fields without rainfall.

The percentage of fruit retention is very good in most fields. The National Weather Service official rainfall in Lubbock is 4.79 inches (43% of normal rainfall January through July). Lubbock has experienced 27 days at or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit thus far in 2022. In 2011, 48 days at or above 100 degrees were recorded.

As fields enter the bloom and boll set phase, daily water use increases rapidly as does nitrogen uptake. Evapotranspiration was high this week because of extreme temperatures. Therefore, fields experienced increased water demand. Many dryland fields are blooming out of the top of the plant.

The intensity of this drought is not as widespread across the High Plains or other regions of Texas as compared to the 2011 drought, although, some counties are just as severe. However, three differences are noted:

1) There was virtually no sub-soil moisture at the beginning of this season while there was sub-soil moisture beginning in 2011.
2) Input costs (electricity, diesel, fertilizer, etc) are generally much higher respective to 2011.

3) Irrigation capacity has declined in most areas since 2011.

Who is Congressman GT Thompson? 

China Cotton Bubble Pops

West Plains IPM Update by Kerry Siders

Over the last 24 hours I have received several calls about “a bug” that is being found in extremely high numbers. A majority of these inquires are coming from the southwest portion of Hockley County particularly near

Immature Mozena obtusa plant bug on cotton leaf (Photo by K. Siders)

Sundown. So, this “bug’ is a true bug known as Mozena Obtusa Uhler plant bug. If you might recall we dealt with this insect back in August of 2014, mostly out in Cochran County then. The Mozena plant bug is in the family Coreidae, which a group of insects given the common name of leaffooted bug.

The common thread from 2014 to 2022 is our drought conditions. A couple other things: this insects’ primary host is mesquite, a legume. They feed on the beans. Dr. Pat Porter documented feeding on peas and corn in 2014. I noted them in cotton back in 2014, but ot the sheer numbers I am seeing now, and it is a month earlier. Reports from Midland and Odessa area indicate high populations there as well. All of this said, how important is this insect? Honestly in the numbers I have seen in cotton (+20 per cotton plant of the immature) occupying all parts of the plant, I am concerned. As evidence to support this concern is a particular field I scout weekly. Last week square set was perfect at 100% after the first 12 days of squaring. Then this week it dropped to 79%. No other insects, drip cotton, good moisture, no environmental event to point finger at, and yet missing squares not present to dissect to determine possible cause of death.

One think observed in this example I use is we did not find egg masses. Were these immature plant bugs hatched in this field or did they crawl? Understand, immatures do not have functioning wings yet. They can travel quickly on the ground, though. This insect is often treated like a stink bug; however, stink bugs typically do not feed on cotton squares but rather bolls.

Adult Mozena Obtusa plant bug.

I would treat them more like a Lygus when they are present in these numbers (+5 per plant). Although not as damaging as a Lygus would be at these numbers. Dr. Suhas Vyavhare did put out an insecticide trial this morning (7/12/22) to see what works best. Typically, a pyrethroid would be considered first, but concern about flaring aphids always enters the picture. I will keep you informed of the results. Homeowners are calling about this insect as well. The most effective insecticides are the pyrethroid based products. Some examples of pyrethroid active ingredients include: bifenthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, permethrin, cypermethrin and cyfluthrin. Insecticides, including organic products work best against the nymphal stages so frequent scouting of host plants is recommended to detect early stages of an infestation. When using an insecticide read and follow label directions for safety precautions, rates and preharvest intervals. If you have questions, feel free to call at (806)894-3150.

The Republican Leader of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), and the Republican Leader of the House Agriculture Committee, Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.), sent a letter to the EPA about the concerning trend of disregarding scientifically-sound, risk-based regulatory processes, and unilaterally denying access to a range of crop protection tools.

In the letter, Boozman and Thompson write, “Russia’s war in Ukraine has sent shockwaves through the global food system resulting in increased energy prices, fertilizer cost spikes and shortages, and worsening food shortages in developing countries. As the world faces an emerging food crisis due to this conflict, our policies should be focused on supporting American production instead of creating further burden and ambiguity for our farmers and ranchers.”

They continue, “We once again seek your assurances and commitment to ensure this Administration and EPA cease the politicization of critical crop protection tools, adhere to a science-based and transparent regulatory process required under FIFRA, and defend the work of its career scientists to overcome these misguided decisions from the Ninth Circuit. Such actions would provide farmers and ranchers a consistent and predictable regulatory process necessary for U.S. producers to continue to feed, fuel, and clothe the world.”

BACKGROUND: The letter follows a previous bicameral letter led by Thompson and Boozman on November 19, 2021, which called on the EPA to rescind its decision to revoke all food tolerances for chlorpyrifos and ensure its future actions related to the registration or registration review of crop protection tools are consistent with the science-based, regulatory process required under EPA’s congressionally mandated authorities. To date, that letter has gone unanswered.

The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) held its annual meeting in May. According to Textile World magazine, NCTO chairman David Poston outlined key industry facts and economic data, noting the industry’s rebound in 2021 in his “State of the U.S. Textile Industry” address. 

“If 2020 was a year marked by an economic downturn and once-in-a-generation pandemic and health crisis, 2021 was defined by a rebound of remarkable proportions in our industry — nearly on par with the performance of pre-pandemic levels in 2019. 

The Numbers

In 2021, the value of U.S. man-made fiber, textile and apparel shipments totaled an estimated $65.2 billion, compared to $60.8 billion in 2021. 

U.S. exports were also up compared to 2020. Exports of fibers, textiles and apparel were $28.4 billion in 2021, compared with $25.3 billion in 2020. 

Capital expenditures have remained strong. Investment in yarn, fabric, apparel and sewn product manufacturing in 2020 hit $1.85 billion. Since 2011, capital investment in U.S. yarn, fabric, apparel and sewn products manufacturing totaled $20.2 billion. 

“We will closely monitor emerging issues this year, including spiking global fuel prices stemming from the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine and mounting inflationary pressures on consumer products, as well as the multitude of other issues highlighted,” Poston concluded.

July USDA WASDE Report 

Thoughts on the June Acreage Report

Excerpt Taken From Article By Jeff Thompson, Autauga Quality Cotton

In desperate need of a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, last week’s market did receive some first aid with the help of a limit up move on Wednesday. Even though December futures

According to Jim Wiesemeyer with ProFarmer, JPMorgan Chase & Co. commodity strategist Tracey Allen said about $15 billion moved out of commodity futures markets during the week ended June 24. It was the fourth straight week of outflows totaling about $125 billion that has been pulled from commodities this year, a seasonal record that tops even the exodus in 2020 as economies closed.
Cotton prices unraveled, losing more than a third of its price since early May. Benchmark prices for building materials copper and lumber dropped 22% and 31%, respectively.

gave up a half cent on the week, it was a moral victory considering the prior week’s 21-cent loss. Another positive, the uptrend line remained intact as prices rebounded from a low of 91.20 to close last Friday at 97.48. (PCG Note: Prices closed at 95.63 today.)

Managed Funds remain in control continuing to liquidate their long position. The latest COT report reflective of activity from Wednesday, June 22 through Tuesday, June 28 shows them reducing their longs by 1.4 million bales in addition shorted the market two hundred thousand bales. This equates to a net long position of 4.6 million bales, a significant decline from 9.4 million bales on October 1, 2021, when cotton prices first exceeded a dollar.

Even the insistently long Index funds have been net sellers 13 of the past 16 weeks. Pessimism concerning the world economy, fear of demand destruction, and failing technical charts have all led to this change of heart. Though we find it little consolation, cotton is not alone.

Currently, only 9% of all commodities are trading above their 100-day moving average while a mere 33% are above their 200-day. Economic data certainly warrants such fear, as consumer spending declined 0.4% from the previous month to its lowest level this year due largely to a 6.3% rise in consumer prices.

Nevertheless, current export sales do not reflect a serious decline in demand. But keep in mind the futures market, as the name implies, trades on what it thinks is going to happen in the future and not so much on current conditions. With July now off the board, December futures will take on a life of its own. Expect a great deal of volatility as production numbers become a moving target that will be weighed against world demand.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reopened today the finalized re-registration of atrazine, a widely utilized herbicide in crop production, and is proposing to replace the approved 15 parts per billion (ppb) concentration equivalent level of concern (CE-LOC) in the aquatic assessment with the ultra-low 3.4 ppb CE-LOC proposed in 2016—a severely restricted level not supported by credible scientific evidence that would have a devastating impact on farmers. The comment period will be open in the Federal Register for 60 days. 

The Public Utility Commission must immediately restore over $200 million in past-due support to rural telephone providers from the Texas Universal Service Fund, the Texas Third Court of Appeals ruled.

The fund is a a state program designed to ensure reliable and affordable telecommunications connectivity in rural Texas. The commission “acted without legal authority” when it stopped meeting more than 70% of its service fund obligations in January 2021, the court ruled June 30th.

Plains Cotton Growers Inc. has been involved in this advocacy effort since 2020, joining Sen. Charles Perry (R-Texas) and multiple Texas agriculture agencies in letters to both Gov. Greg Abbott and the Public Utility Commission of Texas. 

“For two years, rural Texans have faced the uncertainty of whether their local phone companies would be able to ride out the financial storm created when the Public Utility Commission stopped funding universal communications services for rural areas of the state — and whether they might face dramatic increases in their phone bills or lose service altogether as a result,” said Rusty Moore, General Manager and COO of BBT Telecom and Board President of the Texas Telephone Association.

The service fund is “a fundamental building block of a connected rural Texas,” Moore said

By Blayne Reed, Texas AgriLife Extension Agent for Hale and Swisher Counties

Almost all fields in the area are irrigated. Dryland fields might not be mentioned for the remainder of the season although a few in the area are still hanging on somewhere just above the permanent wilting point.

The remaining fields are making good progress, rushing through developmental stages rapidly so long as soil moisture is available. A few more pests are creeping into our scouting data sets, but nothing is widespread yet despite some threats out there to keep us on our scouting toes.

Overall I am pretty pleased with weed control but there are some serious battles ongoing with unrelenting weed pressure and a hot, tough to kill weeds environment. 

Full article found in the link on the byline.

Storms Destroy Tens of Thousands of Panhandle Acres

July Farm Country Forecast: Hot Like a Firecracker

Eligible producers in Texas have received $557.5 million in funding to date. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) mailed out pre-filled applications in late May to producers with crop insurance who suffered losses due to natural disasters in 2020 and 2021. Commodity and specialty crop producers have until July 22 to complete applications.

“Over the course of the past two years, natural disaster events in Texas have resulted in catastrophic production and property losses for our agricultural producers,” said Kelly Adkins, State Executive Director for Farm Service Agency in Texas. “Although these payments will not make these producers whole, they will help alleviate some of the financial stressors brought on by these severe and devastating weather events.”

“USDA announced that $4 billion of Phase One has been paid out of the expected $6 billion in Phase One payments,” said Tom Sell, J.D., co-founder of Combest, Sell and Associates, at this morning’s Plains Cotton Advisory Group meeting. “However, we have heard that there will be a Phase one-B, where FSA will take in the 2021 area-based policies, crop insurance policies like SCO or STAX and issue letters to producers who may apply. Following this will be Phase Two, which will take in errors from Phase One and a certain window of shallow losses that didn’t trigger crop insurance indemnities. I’m told the Phase One-B payments will be issued in late July with Phase Two payments potentially in late August.”

The Supreme Court has made it more challenging for the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gases and fight climate change, as justices ruled Thursday in favor of Republican-led states and coal companies that asked the court to limit how much the EPA can control emissions from power plants. The court ruled 6-3 along ideological lines that the EPA does not have the authority under the Clean Air Act to create caps for greenhouse gas emissions. The consolidated cases are known as West Virginia v. EPA.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court’s conservatives. “Capping carbon dioxide emissions at a level that will force a nationwide transition away from the use of coal to generate electricity may be a sensible ‘solution to the crisis of the day’ ” Roberts wrote, referring to a court precedent. “But it is not plausible that Congress gave EPA the authority to adopt on its own such a regulatory scheme.”

Justice Elena Kagan, writing for the dissenters, countered: “Today, the Court strips the EPA of the power Congress gave it to respond to ‘the most pressing environmental challenge of our time,’ ” referring to another precedent.

GOP-led states and coal companies had sued the Biden administration to limit how much the EPA can regulate emissions from power plants, even though the administration hasn’t actually come up with a rule for those emissions yet. The challengers wanted the Supreme Court to preemptively decide how far the Biden administration can go in terms of regulating the emissions, though the White House argued the court shouldn’t rule against the administration while the issue is still “abstract.”

“The only question before the Court is more narrow: whether the ‘best system of emission reduction’ identified by EPA in the Clean Power Plan was within the authority granted to the Agency in Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act,” the majority opinion read. “For the reasons given, the answer is no.”

“Today’s news is also a big win for our economy and agriculture in America, as the EPA has been among the worst offenders of usurping congressional authority,” said Arkansas Rep. Rick Crawford, a Republican member of the House Agriculture and Transportation committees. “With the court’s decision today, the EPA, and ultimately other agencies, will have their wings clipped.”

Impacts. While the case was focused on the EPA, critics have warned the court’s ruling could be used to stymie other federal agencies’ abilities to impose regulations and make policies themselves, rather than Congress. “Almost everything about these cases … [is] manufactured in an effort to return to an era free from oversight by the government,” Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) wrote in a brief to the court.

Bottom line: The ruling delivers a blow to Democrats and environmental groups, who want the agency to crack down on emissions from power plants and other sources to mitigate climate change. Also, companies across the board could face a patchwork of rulings by different courts, rather than one agency’s decision, former FCC official Blair Levin told the Washington Post. New York Times writer Coral Davenport told the paper’s Climate Forward newsletter that to meet President Biden’s pledge to cut greenhouse gases 50% from 2005 levels by 2030, most experts say the United States would need a combination of new legislation and aggressive regulations. “This decision takes one of those tools and makes it far less effective,” she said. But the move will likely increase the push in Congress by Democrats to clear a reconciliation package that includes energy-related programs and funding. Also, the court is set to hear a similar case on Waters of the United States laws later this year.

-Jim Wiesemeyer, ProFarmer

On Wednesday, August 3rd, dispose of your unwanted or excess pesticides at Moore County Gin (11800 U.S. HWY 287 North, Dumas, Texas 79029) from 8 a.m. to noon.

The success of the High Plains cotton industry, like any group effort, is directly tied to the willingness of qualified individuals to volunteer to serve in various leadership positions.

PCG encourages all qualified individuals — active producer that has a 578 crop acreage certification —  in the High Plains interested in serving as a representative to the Cotton Board, National Cotton Council or Cotton Incorporated, to contact the PCG office at 806-792-4904 for more information.

More than 45% of the contiguous US is currently in drought, with many parts of the southwest experiencing severe, extreme or exceptional drought. And no state has it worse than Texas.

Officials say 2022 is already one for the record books in Texas, with more than 80% of the state facing drought conditions most of the year. Comparisons are already being made to the drought of 2011, with some believing this year could eclipse 2011 as the state’s worst.

About 17% of all land in Texas is experiencing “exceptional” drought, the highest such figure for late June since 2011. That year, over 70% of the state’s land experienced “exceptional” drought in late June.

The driest year on record for Texas was 2011, causing an estimated $7.62 billion in crop and livestock losses.

New data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows there is a reason for Texans to be concerned about the weather this year: Last month tied for the warmest May on record in the state, along with May 2018. The early heat was followed by more drought.

The wide-spread drought in West Texas has already surpassed some 2011 records. Midland, Tex., had its driest period on record from September 2021 to May 31, when it received only 8% of its normal rainfall. The second driest was in 2011.

In the same time period, Lubbock experienced its seventh-driest time on record overall, but the driest since 2011. Lubbock also had six days reach 100 degrees or higher from March through May — tying for the third-highest number of 100-degree days in those months in Lubbock’s records, going back to 1914.

Texas can expect more of the same in the season ahead, the lead meteorologist for the state’s principal grid-management agency reported on June 21, the first day of summer.

It’s “close to a lock” that Summer 2022 in Texas will be hotter than last year’s summer, the forecaster, Chris Coleman, told ERCOT’s board. In the immediate prelude to the just-starting summer, May 2022 was hotter in Texas than May 2011, Coleman added.

This article by Greg Henderson was originally published on AgWeb. 

Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas) on Farm Policy Facts Podcast

Cotton Incorporated Report: Consumers and Inflation

How Washing a Fire Truck Led Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.) to Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee 

By Kara Bishop

Down in the Nittany Valley at the central ridge of the Allegheny Mountains sits Howard, Pennsylvania. This metropolis in Centre County of 720 people and one traffic light is where Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.) was born and raised by loving parents. After serving during the Korean War in the U.S. Navy, Thompson’s father went to school to become a tool and dye maker. He would freeze his retirement 15 years later and build a sporting goods store in his front yard, where he and his wife ran the business together.

While most teenagers enjoyed sleeping in on the weekends, Thompson was up at 6 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays to open the store. “What I wouldn’t give to sleep till six nowadays,” he added.

Thompson’s grandfather was a dairyman, but Thompson’s father couldn’t take over the family business as many dairy farms in the area were lost through eminent domain to build the Foster J. Sayers Dam at the Bald Eagle State Park.

“At least two generations have mostly passed since the first drops of water flowed over the spillway, heading downstream to join the Susquehanna River,” according to the Centre County Gazette. “But the children and grandchildren of the property owners most affected by the dam, or the ‘damn dam’ as they call it, still vividly recall the impact of the project on the town and surrounding farms.” It’s no surprise Thompson adamantly supports private property rights.

The farms Thompson’s family once worked are now at the bottom of a lake in Bald Eagle State Park. Thompson’s father would guide boats across the lake where the family dairy farms once stood — instead of herding cattle, he was herding fisherman. “The irony isn’t lost on me,” Thompson added.

Thompson married into the executive branch. “She was my seventh-grade class president,” he said of his wife, Penny. They were blessed to raise three boys in their hometown and the boys even graduated from the same high school as their father. “Rural living is all I’ve ever known,” Thompson added.

Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.) and “Rooster” at the Congressman’s home in Howard, Pennsylvania.

It’s been quite a journey for Thompson to become the Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee with some unconventional stops along the way.

Health Care
Thompson identified his life purpose at 11 years old. As a Boy Scout, he engaged in many service projects, one of which was washing the city fire trucks. Not only was it one of the highlights of his childhood — who wouldn’t want to climb all over a fire truck? — but it instilled in him a desire to make a difference in the lives of other people. To serve.

To pay for tuition while in college, Thompson worked the night shift of a local nursing home and fell in love with health care. He earned a bachelor’s degree in therapeutic rehabilitation and dual master’s degrees: one in therapeutic rehabilitation and one in health science.

Thompson spent the next 28 years working as a therapist rehabilitation services manager where he worked to restore patients’ quality of life. Sometimes restoration wasn’t possible, but that didn’t stop Thompson. A man in his late 20s had significant neurological impairment from Lyme’s disease and was living as a quadriplegic completely dependent on everyone for survival. When he came to Thompson’s rehabilitation facility, he engaged in aquatic therapy. In water, without gravity to chain him to a chair or bed, he could move his limbs and take a slight step. “We couldn’t help him achieve more mobility or independence in the long term,” Thompson said. “However, watching him achieve a minute amount of freedom while in the water was something I will never forget. Obviously, the aquatic therapy provided physical benefits, but when we got in the water, the emotional lift that man experienced could not be matched.”

More than a decade after he stopped working in therapeutic rehabilitation, people still approach Thompson and thank him for how he changed their child’s life, grandmother’s life, their own life.

From Washing the Fire Truck to Driving It
Living in a small trailer just outside of Howard with his new wife, Thompson lay awake listening to the fire whistle sound off about a mile away. Wee-oww, wee-oww, wee-oww.

He found out the next day that a structure fire had killed a young mom and her infant son.

“I couldn’t handle it,” Thompson added. “I couldn’t handle it.”

He joined the volunteer fire department that day and served just shy of 30 years — 20 of which he spent as president of the company. When asked why he became a state-certified firefighter, EMT and rescue technician, Thompson replied, “There was a need.”

The Road to Congress
Thompson was 12 years old when he won his first election: assistant patrol leader. Years later he ran for an appointment to the Bald Eagle Area School Board. Community involvement was a passion for Thompson and he decided he wanted to take it further.

Thompson ran for state representative and lost. Twice.

A few months after his last loss, Rep. John Peterson (R-Pa.) announced he would not run for reelection.

“I was heartbroken,” Thompson said. “Literally heartbroken because he was my champion. He was my go-to guy, and you would think that I would be celebrating his retirement, right? But I wasn’t.”

Eight people in the Republican Party announced they were running for Peterson’s seat before Thompson threw his hat in the ring. “I was the last one to sign up to run and had no money.” Three of his opponents spent $3.5 million on their campaigns collectively. Thompson raised $24,000 and saved some of it for the celebration party, just in case.

He won the primary by 1%.

The Congressman
After winning the election against Democratic nominee Mark McCracken by 16%, Thompson was the House representative for Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District — Thompson was redistricted to the 15th Congressional District in the 2018 election by order of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

When he chose to serve on the House Agriculture Committee, he received many questions. “Why would you serve on the ag committee when you’re from Pennsylvania?” Pennsylvania’s biggest commodity is dairy, but it’s surprisingly diverse. According to Thompson, the state boasts the finest hardwoods, many vineyards and fruit trees in the southern region, livestock, multiple row crops are represented, and it’s the world epicenter for mushrooms. After a while though, Thompson got tired of his long explanation to that question and started saying, “I like to eat.”

His tie to the cotton industry is through his friends. “Mike Conaway (House Representative from 2005 to 2021 who served as both chair and ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee.) taught me a lot about cotton and I taught him about trees seeing as he literally had a town in his district called Notrees, Texas,” Thompson added. “He and Colin Peterson (House Representative from 1991 to 2021 who served as both chair and ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee two different times.) both educated me on the cotton industry.”

As Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee, Thompson has a seat at all hearings by the full committee and subcommittees. He is present at every hearing. “I work very hard to show up and participate in the subcommittee hearings scheduled — this work is important.”

Looking Toward the 2023 Farm Bill
If Thompson does chair the House Agriculture Committee in November, he plans to prioritize the upcoming Farm Bill and amp up the intensity of discussion. By this time in 2018, 100 Farm Bill hearings by full committee and subcommittees had been conducted. As of June 14, 2022, there have been 12. While frustrated by the slow progress — especially considering almost 200 members of Congress have never voted on a Farm Bill before — Thompson is ready to figure out what works and what doesn’t. “The point of these hearings is to improve upon the previous legislation,” he added. “If it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it. However, there may be some things that need tweaking to benefit our farmers, ranchers and foresters.” When asked about a possible extension of the 2018 Farm Bill, he said, “Extension is better than expiration; however, we’re going to do all we can to get a good bill passed in 2023.”

PCG CEO Kody Bessent, Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.), PCG Vice President Travis Mires, and Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), at the Four Sixes Ranch in Guthrie, Texas.

To prepare in the event he does become chair, Thompson has visited 35 states since January 2021, going on a listening tour of different agricultural sectors. In June 2021, he attended the West Texas Rural Summit and Tour in Lubbock, Texas, and surrounding areas. Plains Cotton Growers Inc. helped educate him on field research and assisted with a tour of the Meadow Farmers Cooperative Gin and Farmhouse Winery. This year, Thompson visited the Four Sixes Ranch in Guthrie, Texas, in May as well as the U.S. Department of Agriculture classing office in Memphis, Tennessee, and attended the Cotton Warehouse Association of America Annual Convention in June.

“I can learn the issues by talking to people about it, but I really like seeing it with my own eyes,” he said. “I want to experience it as the farmers, ranchers, foresters and processors experience it. It’s a blessing to meet all these folks in agriculture and an honor to bring their voices back to Washington D.C. as we work on the Farm Bill.”

While disaster assistance is a topic at hand when looking at the upcoming Farm Bill, Thompson’s concern is the possible weakening of crop insurance. “Are there trends or patterns consistently out there that should be incorporated into crop insurance? I think it’s something we need to think about when evaluating some of these existing programs. If we do implement a permanent disaster relief component, then I would like to see more timely payments.” Thompson also is cautious as to using permanent language. “If we have permanent disaster language in the bill, it will be harder to respond to the actual disasters that farmers, ranchers and foresters are responding to at any given moment.”

With inflation and input costs diminishing high market prices, Thompson is deeply concerned about profits for farm families. “At the end of the day, agriculture is a business,” he said in a Farm Bill Hearing conducted by the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management. “It’s not about what you bring in — it’s about the profit margin you’re left with. Commodity prices can drop overnight, but once input costs are raised, they’re not going to come back down easily.”

While the journey wasn’t ‘traditional,’ the Boy Scout, sporting goods store worker, health care rehabilitation manager and school board member has always had one goal in mind: improve the lives of those around him. And if all goes as planned, he will chair the committee that writes the 2023 Farm Bill. If only 11-year-old GT could see himself now.

Lillian Salerno returns to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as the Rural Development State Director in Texas with over two decades of experience leading teams in government and industry. 

Prior to her current appointment, Salerno served in the Obama-Biden Administration for six years, first as the Rural Business Administrator and later as Deputy Undersecretary for Rural Development. As Deputy Undersecretary, Lillian was a member of the White House Rural Council where she provided a voice for rural Americans and their concerns regarding economic development, innovation, entrepreneurship and access to capital for new and beginning farmers. 

Salerno holds a bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, a master’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of North Texas and a Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University. She is also a graduate of the Executive Leadership Program offered by Harvard University.

The “2022 Alternative Crop Options After Failed Cotton and Late-Season Crop Planting for the Texas South Plains” is now available. This resource can help farmers in the Texas High Plains with decisions regarding storm and wind damage, crop options, herbicides that won’t limit these options after failed cotton, and recommended planting dates for many late-season crops.

Download a copy here.

Discussion around Glyphosate — a widely used herbicide and the active ingredient in Bayer’s Roundup product — intensified this week, as several court decisions were announced.

Jury Decision Marks Fourth Consecutive Win in in Court for Bayer and Roundup

Last Friday, a jury concluded that Roundup did not cause an Oregon man’s cancer, which, according to Rhonda Brooks with AgWeb, marked the fourth consecutive win in court for the company.

“The jury’s unanimous verdict in favor of the company brings this trial to a successful conclusion and is consistent with the evidence in this case that Roundup does not cause cancer and was not the cause of Mr. Johnson’s (one of the plaintiffs) cancer,” Bayer said, in a prepared statement. “While we have great sympathy for Mr. Johnson, the jury has weighed the evidence from both sides in this case and concluded that Roundup is not responsible for his injuries.”

Court Rejects EPA Glyphosate Analysis

Also on Friday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to reject the Environmental Protective Agency’s analysis for determining glyphosate as ‘likely not carcinogenic to people.’ According to Chris Clayton, DTN policy editor, the court ordered EPA to conduct further analysis and explanation. Clayton went on to add:

The ruling, if left standing, will force EPA to re-examine the registration of glyphosate under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) when it comes to whether there is link between glyphosate and cancer.

The ruling came in a pair of cases filed by environmental and farm labor groups against EPA. Several major agricultural groups fighting to keep glyphosate’s registration and usage legal also had intervened in the case.

Bayer AG, in a statement to DTN, cited multiple risk assessments of glyphosate and statements from EPA on the herbicide. Most recently, EPA sent a letter to California regulators in April that the agency “continues to stand behind its robust scientific evaluation and its conclusions regarding glyphosate’s non-carcinogenicity remains consistent with many international expert panels and regulatory authorities.” EPA’s 2020 interim registration also found no association between glyphosate-based herbicides and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Bayer noted.

Bayer stated: “We believe that the U.S. EPA will continue to conclude, as it and other regulators have consistently concluded for more than four decades, that glyphosate-based herbicides can be used safely and are not carcinogenic, and we are committed to working with the Agency to minimize the environmental impacts of our products. Importantly, the current product registrations remain in place and growers and other users can continue to use the products based on the current label instructions.”

U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Bayer’s Appeal in Roundup-Cancer Case

Three days ago, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision to deny Bayer’s bid to hear an appeal for the Roundup/cancer case “Monsanto Co. vs. Hardeman,” according to Gil Gullickson with “Successful Farming.”

Agricultural groups including the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Corn Growers Association and National Cotton Council issued the following statement regarding the court’s decision:

“We are disappointed the Supreme Court has decided not to hear this case, which has significant implications for our global food supply and science-based regulation. With the conflict in Ukraine threatening food security around the world and the persistent dangers posed by climate change, too much is on the line to allow the emergence of an unscientific patchwork of state pesticide labels that would threaten grower access to tools needed for productive, sustainable farming. We will be discussing the implications of the court’s announcement and will determine what reforms may be needed to ensure a patchwork of state labels does not jeopardize grower access to these vital tools or science-based pesticide regulation.”

References:

https://www.agweb.com/news/business/technology/jury-decision-marks-fourth-consecutive-win-court-bayer-and-roundup

https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/crops/article/2022/06/17/ninth-circuit-court-appeals-orders

https://www.agriculture.com/us-supreme-court-rejects-bayer-s-appeal-in-roundup-cancer-case

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed a rule, “The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate Related Disclosures for Investors,” mandating extensive climate disclosures by public companies — including measured impacts for their entire supply chain. 

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, this rule negatively impacts many of the farmers and ranchers who feed, fuel and clothe our nation. The agriculture sector provides nearly every raw product that goes in to the supply chain, with a valued contribution of more than $1 trillion to the U.S. GDP in 2020 and employing more than 21 million people. While farmers and ranchers are not public companies and therefore not “registrants” that are required to report directly to the SEC, the obligations they would be under through their related customers could be daunting. 

The proposed rule’s expansive reporting requirements for greenhouse gas emissions not only directly affects farmers’ and ranchers’ operations, but could create several substantial costs and liabilities, such as reporting obligations, technical challenges, significant financial and operational disruption and the risk of financially crippling legal liabilities. 

Drought, Not Pests, Main Concern

Gary Adams Talks Cotton, Farm Bill, Exports 

On Wednesday, Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.), House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member, introduced a new act that would require the Biden Administration to reverse its regulatory barriers to domestic agriculture production and provide immediate relief to families across the country.

Thompson was joined by more than 20 original cosponsors, including Republican Leader of the Natural Resources Committee, Bruce Westerman, and Chairman of the Western Caucus, Dan Newhouse, in support of H.R. 8069 “Reducing Farm Input Costs and Barriers to Domestic Production Act.”

“The U.S. and world face a disrupted global food system resulting in increased energy prices, fertilizer cost spikes and product shortages, and worsening food scarcities in developing countries,” Thompson said in Wednesday’s press conference. “We’re in a crisis moment and need concrete, immediate policy actions to help mitigate impacts both at home and abroad. American agriculture, if given the right tools and regulatory confidence, can serve a vital role in alleviating global food instability and mitigating costs for consumers.”

Specifically, the bill:

• Provides relief from EPA’s unprecedented actions related to crop protection tools
• Offers clarity related to WOTUS regulations
• Rescinds the SEC’s harmful proposed rule on climate-related disclosures
• Reinstates the 2020 NEPA streamlining
• Requires an economic analysis on the costs and benefits of GIPSA rules

According to DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton, Thompson and others highlighted skyrocketing inflation, pointing to farmers paying 115% more for diesel fuel than a year and fertilizer prices more than double what they were a year ago. While Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated energy, food and fertilizer inflation, Thompson and other Republicans said the inflationary challenges were already on their way before the war began.

“In fact, since the war in Ukraine began, the administration has continued to take nonsensical regulatory and policy actions that have created needless uncertainty for American farmers, ranchers and working families that have further limited our ability to meet the food demand of our nation and, quite frankly, the world,” Thompson said.

H.R. 8069 is written in response to the House voting on H.R. 7606 “Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act,” which House Democrats maintain would help with food, energy and fertilizer costs. H.R. 7606 would ensure E15 continues year-round, but would also install a special investigator at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate competition issues in the meatpacking industry, which many House Republicans staunchly oppose. However, H.R. 7606 did pass in the House yesterday by a vote of 221 to 204, though Congressman Thompson argued it, “does nothing to lower food and fuel costs.”

The highly anticipated Ocean Shipping Reform Act was passed by the House on Monday, June 13^th, and signed into law by President Biden on Thursday, June 16^th.

The bill increases industry transparency while giving the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) more authority as it oversees U.S. shipping and logistics.

According to lawmakers, the bill gives the FMC the tools it needs to cut down on extraneous shipping costs while also prohibiting shipping carriers from leaving American agricultural exports behind.

As retailer container ports are expected to reach near-record volume in June, Congress is hopeful that the bill will help alleviate some of the burden put on major retail companies as they strive to meet consumer demand and protect themselves from disruptions in West Coast ports.

OSRA prevents unjustified and illegal fees collected from American truckers by ocean shipping companies, as well, according to American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear.

The bill passed unanimously in the Senate in March.

With federal spending at an all-time high, and inflation reaching 8.5% — the highest rate since 1982 — it’s safe to say that consumers are struggling. But more importantly, the world economy is struggling.

As of May 2022, gasoline has increased by 48.7% over a 12-month period, with energy coming in second at 34.6%. Food prices have gone up 10.1%, according to the consumer price index, leading House Republicans to write a letter urging President Biden to address the high costs to consumers and farm families alike.

While there is $2 trillion sitting in U.S. household savings accounts, Keith Lucas, vice president of Marketing for Plains Cotton Cooperative Association (PCCA), said this reserve is projected to run out in six to nine months at current inflation rates. “We’re now below pre-pandemic levels as far as savings is concerned,” he added. “People aren’t putting money away mainly because they don’t have it. They’re using everything they have on increased housing, food and fuel costs.”

At the PCCA Delegate Body Meeting Wednesday, Lucas went on to say, “If the U.S. economy is 16% of the world’s economy and the U.S. consumer is 70% of the U.S. economy, the U.S. consumer must represent 11.2% of the world economy. And U.S. consumers are tightening up their money belts.”

According to JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, a storm is coming when pandemic stimulus money runs out, saying, “You better brace yourself.”

The marketing report at the PCCA meeting was sobering, but resiliency in its finest came when Kevin Brinkley, PCCA President, made the following statement.

“I learned the Farmers Cooperative Association in Tahoka, Texas, is 92 years old while at their annual meeting,” Brinkley said. “When Bryan Reynolds, gin manager, made his statements, I understood why. He said, ‘God is still God. And He’s going to get us through this.’ And I thought that’s how a co-op makes it 92 years — on faith.”

Suhas Vyavhare, Ph.D., assistant professor and extension entomologist, and Kerry Siders, M.S., extension agent integrated pest management for Hockley and Cochran Counties, provide insight into pest management for the coming season.

Suhas Vyavhare

“Most of our activities so far have revolved around thrips in the northern areas. I’ve heard reports of some guys spraying for thrips twice, which is unusual. I am seeing a decline in the population, and I also think with highs in the mid-90s, clients are in a better position to recover from thrips moving forward.

“I am now working toward shifting my focus to cotton flea hoppers and plant bugs as we start seeing squares on the plant.”

Kerry Siders

“The recent rains have brought on a flush of weeds, which temporarily will serve as the primary host for all sorts of species whether its plant bugs, larva pests, etc. The weeds are not going to last very long in hot, dry, windy conditions, so unfortunately what islands of green we have irrigated whether it’s cotton, grain sorghum or corn, it’s going to be a magnet for these pests. This is not a certainty, just a warning for everyone to watch for. Pat Porter’s (Texas A&M University professor and extension entomologist) army worm traps have been all over the board, but there are some days where it’s off the charts, which doesn’t bode well.

“We built a high population last year because of the weed species, which wasn’t necessarily reflected in the crop but it was in the weeds. We most likely carried a high number of the population over because of the mild winter. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but these are just things we need to be aware of.

“Also, I wanted to note that we’ve had several producers spraying weeds primarily with dicamba. If your crop gets hailed out or fails in some way, you’re going to want to get it adjusted as quick as you can and probably dry plant some milo or something. If you get a rain or irrigate that up, give yourself at least a two-week window between application of that dicamba and grain sorghum or you’ll risk injury to your new crop.”

The success of the High Plains cotton industry, like any group effort, is directly tied to the willingness of qualified individuals to volunteer to serve in various leadership positions.

PCG encourages all qualified individuals in the High Plains interested in serving as a representative to the Cotton Board, National Cotton Council or Cotton Incorporated, to contact the PCG office at 806-792-4904 for more information.