Cotton News

2023 COTTON USA Orientation Tour Visits West Texas

Textile manufacturing executives representing 15 of the largest cotton consuming countries in the world spent October 5 in Lubbock, Texas, as part of the 2023 COTTON USA Orientation Tour.

The companies represented are expected to consume 5 to 7 million bales of cotton this year, which includes 2.9 million bales from the U.S.

PCG board member Jon Jones, producer in Floyd County, discusses the devestation of the earthquake in Turkey on the textile mill industry with Orhan Buyukerzurumlu, board member of a textile manufacturing company in Turkey.

Meeting in Lubbock for the Texas leg of the tour, participants heard from PCG CEO Kody Bessent on Texas cotton production; CCI Chairman and PCCA Export Sales Manager Carlos Garcia on cotton quality and supply in the Southwest region; Texas Cotton Association President Beau Stephenson on Texas cotton service and logistics; and U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Cotton Production and Processing Research Unit Leader Greg Holt, Ph.D., on plastic contamination and prevention.

Key takeaways from the presentations included the following:

Texas Cotton Production:

• The Texas High Plains produces 50% to 55% of the state’s cotton, 30% to 35% of the nation’s cotton and 3% to 5% of the world’s cotton.
• The state’s acreage is heavily dependent on rainfall, as 65% of Texas cotton acres are dryland and 35% are partially to fully irrigated.
• The 2022 crop and 2023 crop projection have drastic economic consequences to our region, state and nation.
• Producers have an innovative mindset and are always looking for ways to enhance fiber quality, yield and soil health.

Southwest Quality and Supply

• The Southwest region of the U.S. is known for its quality, sustainability, value and reliability.
• The region has made noticeable improvements in staple length since 2000.
• So far in the 2023/2024 classing season, micronaire is averaging 4.3, strength average is 30.5 and uniformity average is 81.1.

Texas Service and Logistics

• There is estimated to be a smaller Texas crop this year with 4.2 million bales produced.
• The supply chain should have plenty of capacity to handle the 2023 crop.
• When infrastructure depends solely on volume, smaller crop years can have negative economic impacts.
• The U.S. is the only country to have uniform and consistent cotton bale dimensions.

Advances in Contamination Prevention

PCG Chairman Brent Nelson and Secretary/Treasurer Brent Coker discuss Texas High Plains cotton production with Joanne Park, assistant manager for Kyungbang Ltd., a textile mill in Korea. This particular mill’s cotton consumption is around 165,000 bales, 30% of which come from the U.S.

• Systems are put in place for pre-harvest, module handling, module feeding and ginning to prevent contamination.
• The Module Wrap Standard was developed to prevent contamination and provides protection to the industry from inferior module wrap products that are beginning to enter the U.S. market. Module wrap performance standards have three requirements: laboratory testing, field testing and color (certain colors are easier to detect contamination than others).
• The module rotating wheel loader work tool rotates and orients modules into proper position for manual or fixed-position wrap cutting, rather than using a regular forklift.
• None of the research discoveries or recommendations from USDA ARS are patented. They are completely available for industry use.
• Following the morning seminar, participants were able to tour a farm to see best agricultural practices implemented by producers.

The Texas leg of the tour concluded with an industry dinner, where producers and participants were able to connect.

“I really see an improvement in Texas cotton quality the last few years,” one delegate said. “We are grateful for the opportunity to see some of these things in person. As end users, we don’t get to see the process, so it’s valuable to see what cotton growers and infrastructure are doing to ensure high quality cotton.”

The United States is the global leader in cotton exports by value, holding a 33-percent share ($5.7 billion) of the global export market in 2021. U.S. cotton exports expanded to $8.9 billion in 2022 and, while U.S. cotton exports in 2023 are expected to be lower than 2022 levels, USDA’s 10-year projections for U.S. exports indicate growth in the long term. In 2021, the most recent year for which complete global data are available, U.S. exports of cotton totaled nearly 3 million metric tons, 47 percent more volume than the next highest exporter, Brazil. Other major competitors in the global cotton market include Australia, India, and the European Union, with 2021 market shares (in terms of value) ranging from 5% to 15% each, as well as several exporters from Africa, including Benin, Burkina Faso, and Côte d’Ivoire. In addition to maintaining the largest share of the aggregate global market, the United States is a key supplier to several top importer markets. For example, in 2021, U.S. cotton accounted, by value, for 39 percent of cotton imports to China, the top cotton importer in the world. Other top destinations for U.S. cotton exports include Vietnam, Turkey, Pakistan, and Mexico. These countries combined with China, accounted for more than 70 percent of U.S. cotton exports in 2021. 

Recent Rain Could Delay Cotton Harvest for Farmers

Cotton Boll Counts the Deciding Factor for Farmers to Harvest or Not This Season

University of Arkansas Agriculture Division Extension Economist Ryan Loy’s Take in Southern Ag Today

As we approach the end of the U.S. government’s (USG) fiscal year, the probability of a government shutdown seems imminent. The USG has until tomorrow (September 30th) to reconcile differences in government spending before they ultimately shut down for an unknown period (Cassella, 2023). The issues arise in Congress where disagreements on government spending based on ideological lines have paralyzed the passing of funding bills needed to keep the government running beyond September 30, 2023. To avoid a government shutdown, Congress has several tools at its disposal, ranging from passing a short-term Continuing Resolution to passing all 12 appropriations bills (e.g., funding allocations for government agencies). Keep in mind that President Biden must also sign whatever Congress passes by the end of day on September 30th (Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, 2023). Otherwise, a shutdown is nearly impossible to avoid. Incidentally, the 2018 Farm Bill also expires tomorrow. While we touch on that below, farm bill reauthorization is currently taking a backseat to efforts to fund the government.

What does a shutdown mean for farmers?
Besides a shutdown impacting everything from social security, national parks, and air travel, the agricultural sector may also be heavily affected. Namely, the Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Rural Development offices are expected to close (Bickelhaupt, 2023). For a producer who participates in government programs, these agencies likely will not hold sign-ups, accept acreage reports, or issue participation payments during this time. While the length of a government shutdown would ultimately determine the overall impact to the farm sector, folks expecting payments for participation and/or wanting to enroll in a new program will likely feel the impacts shortly after the shutdown. 

What about farm bill expiration?
Importantly, the prospect of a government shutdown and the expiration of the farm bill are two separate issues – they just happen to be occurring at the same time.  However, the difficulty incurred in avoiding a government shutdown further highlights the challenges Congress faces in reauthorizing the farm bill. For producers, the impact of an expiring farm bill would likely not be felt until early 2024, because the current programs like Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) run through the end of this calendar year (Zimmerman, 2023). If farm bill expiration were to stretch into the New Year, USDA would need to pay out commodity price supports as laid out in the 1938 and 1949 Farm Bills; meaning, the USDA would be forced to purchase commodities such as milk, wheat, and cotton, at “parity prices” that are on par (in terms of purchasing power) with levels in the early 1900s (e.g., $50.70/hundredweight for milk based on May 2023 data). These price supports could mean that the U.S. government would “outbid” commercial markets and ultimately raise the price of retail commodities (Congressional Research Service, 2023). With respect to farm bill expiration alone, government programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and crop insurance would likely not feel the same impacts. SNAP is an appropriated entitlement, and Congress likely would continue funding SNAP via the appropriations process (although we discussed above how that process has unfolded this year) and thus could continue most programs. Crop insurance is permanently authorized and funded by the Federal Crop Insurance Act that does not expire with the 2018 Farm Bill (Congressional Research Service, 2023).   

See references here.

Originally published in the TCGA newsletter “The Ginnery.” Written By Aaron Nelsen.

The last of our 2023 safety seminars were completed on September 21 with the last meeting taking place in Lubbock.  Our final seminar produced a large crowd of around 140 participants in our general sessions.  Two general sessions are conducted at each seminar.  We deliver an English session in the morning and the Spanish session is conducted in the afternoon.  We conduct a manager session as well in the afternoon.  There are plenty of moving parts at each meeting.  We are fortunate to partner with Texas Cotton Ginners’ Trust to provide this training for cotton gins.  TCGT sponsors the meetings each year. They provide the meals, the seminar manuals and the manpower.  Nearly all training is provided by TCGT staff.  The TCGT loss control team is the right group to deliver the message.  They are in cotton gins every day.  They are familiar with what is happening inside the gin and always assisting ginners in developing a plan to keep workers safe.  We are proud to partner with TCGT to provide this training for cotton gins each year.

Over the years, TCGT has worked with gin employees to create testimonials to help deliver the safety message.  New testimonials have been produced over the last couple of years by TCGT.  Accidents and the injuries that result from them can be very emotional subject matter for gin employees.    Having these employees speak in front of a camera can be challenging as well.  Talking about accidents is not easy and you can sense that when you watch the testimonials.  We certainly appreciate all the work that is done to put these testimonials together.  Close relationships between the TCGT loss control team and the gin employees make the testimonials possible.  There is a level of trust that has been established between the loss control team and gin personnel.  Nobody likes talking about making a mistake; that is hard to do.  However, if others can learn from past incidences and possibly prevent someone from repeating the same type of mistake, the people involved in the accident become willing to talk about them.  They do it for the greater good.  The ginning community is a tight-knit family.  They look out for one another.  There are 168 hours in a week.  During a typical ginning season, these employees spend 84 hours of their week working at the gin.  Essentially, they are spending half of their life with their fellow gin members while they process a cotton crop.  You can probably equate a gin team to a sports team.  Each year, the gin team looks a little different.  Injuries can make or break a season for a sports team.  It is no different for a cotton gin.  Employees need to look out for one another.  It all starts with training.  If gin employees are not trained to work safely, you are going to be fortunate not to have an accident.  That is not to say a gin employee cannot be hurt even with training, but by providing proper training, you are reducing the risk of accidents.  It simply equates to loss control.  Training is the key.  That is what the safety seminars are all about.

Let’s recognize the people responsible for making the seminars happen each year.  Texas Cotton Ginners’ Trust (TCGT) is the sole sponsor of the seminars as mentioned earlier in the article.  The goal is to keep our workplaces safe for our employees as they are the lifeblood of the industry.

The TCGT loss control team consists of James Shepard, Luis Garcia, Wally Davis, Jerry Multer and David Urbina.  These team members develop the training material each year and present the material as well.  For many years now, employees from member gins have assisted in our Spanish presentations and these team members are invaluable as we strive to exchange information with as many gin workers as possible.  These team members have really taken ownership in safety and are greatly assisting the effort to make all Texas gins a safer workplace.  This kind of work can be extremely rewarding when you see gin employees buy into the message being delivered.  One seminar will not do that, but it certainly helps.  Consistent and proper training is the key.  Let’s recognize members of the TCGT loss control team and ginners from member organizations who assisted with the Spanish presentations:

• Weslaco – Luis Garcia(TCGT) and David Urbina (TCGT)
• Corpus Christi – Luis Garcia (TCGT), David Urbina (TCGT) and Hector Cruz (Edcot Co-op Gin)
• El Campo – Luis Garcia (TCGT), David Urbina (TCGT) and Jesus Cruz (Edcot Co-op Gin)
• Waco – Luis Garcia (TCGT), Marcial Saenz (Central Rolling Plains Co-op) and Albert Leyva (Citizens Shallowater Co-op Gin)
• Sweetwater – Luis Garcia (TCGT), David Urbina (TCGT) and Marcial Saenz (Central Rolling Plains Co-op)
• Lubbock (August 2) – Luis Garcia (TCGT), David Urbina (TCGT) and Leandro Ramirez (Associated Cotton Growers)
• Canyon – Luis Garcia (TCGT), David Urbina (TCGT) and Leandro Ramirez (Associated Cotton Growers)
• Childress – Luis Garcia (TCGT), David Urbina (TCGT) and Leandro Ramirez (Associated Cotton Growers)
• Lubbock (September 21) – Luis Garcia (TCGT), David Urbina (TCGT) and Johnny Najera (Meadow Farmers Co-op Gin)

The men helping Luis and David are ginners by trade, not professional speakers.  Their willingness to speak about safety to large groups of their peers is commendable and very much appreciated.  We continue to learn the training goes both ways as we all learn from each other.  The instructors bring the safety message to the classroom, but all participants benefit from the discussion and interaction that takes place during each session.  Successful safety programs begin with good communication and a good attitude.  Make safety a priority and be sure your employees are engaged in creating a safe workplace for everyone.  Be sure you have someone leading your safety effort.  TCGT has programs available to help train the person who is providing your training.  TCGT members should be taking advantage of that service.

We had 563 participants attend a general session.  This does not include manager session attendees.  There is a tremendous amount of time and resources invested in these meetings each year.  We very much appreciate everyone who took time out of their busy schedule to attend.

Remember, if you are a member of Texas Cotton Ginners’ Trust, attending a seminar is one of the requirements to receive the safety credit they are offering on your 2023/24 premium.  Hopefully, the nine sessions plus the district meeting sessions gave ample opportunity for everyone to attend.  We did reduce the number of seminars by two this year.  We had one less meeting in Lubbock and combined the Pampa and Tulia meetings into one meeting in Canyon.  The feedback seemed good.  If you have an opinion on that you would like to share, please contact Aaron Nelsen.

Attendance certificates will be mailed in the next couple of weeks along with a printout for your records showing all employees who attended a general session.  If you have corrections that need to be made, contact the TCGA office and we will be glad to assist you.  Please note that certificates will be printed for only those who signed in for the general session.  Certificates are not printed for the manager session participants.  Weslaco, Corpus Christi, El Campo and Waco certificates were mailed earlier in the summer.

Remember to visit the safety section of the TCGA website at www.tcga.org.  There are tools available to help you with your safety program on the website.  Remember, the NCGA safety videos are available there.  If you prefer thumb drives or DVD’s, we can have those available as well!

Be safe and look out for one another and let us know if we can help.

Hurricane Idalia Caused More Damage to Agriculture Than Initially Thought

Tips for Young Farmers Taking Over the Family Farm

Plains Cotton Growers and Southern Southeastern Cotton Growers meet with the staff for Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA)

Plains Cotton Growers was busy this week, advocating for the Texas High Plains and state and national cotton industry interests in Washington D.C.

PCG CEO Kody Bessent brought the PCG officers — Brent Nelson, Martin Stoerner, Travis Mires and Brent Coker — to visit with Congressional members on the importance of averting a government shutdown, improving the farm safety net and passing a strong farm bill that will benefit producers and industry for the next five years.

Opinions from Congress on whether the government will shut down was a mixed bag. Some Senators and Representatives stated they didn’t feel it would get to that point, while others were emphatic that it would. PCG officers emphasized the implications for the cotton industry should that happen, speaking for producers, but also for the merchant segment as we near the harvest season.

Each officer had speaking points they discussed with members. Nelson spoke to the market loan rate and the need to raise the rate to accommodate for the rise in production costs. Stoerner emphasized the need to increase reference prices to address the same thing.

PCG Secretary/Treasurer Brent Coker, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) and PCG Chairman Brent Nelson.

Mires stressed the importance of crop insurance for producers, saying, “We’d hate to lose any ground when it comes to crop insurance, and it would be great if we could strengthen it even more.”

Coker specifically addressed the need for a producer to have the ability to enroll in both the Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX) and the Price Loss Coverage  (PLC) program to further mitigate producer risk. “Adding this option to increase our access to risk management tools would greatly help us spread out our risk, while also accommodating the needs of the landowners from whom we lease the land,” he added.

Our officers took time off from their operations and busy family lives to advocate for agriculture, which doesn’t go unnoticed by government officials.

“It’s so important that we hear from you,” said Rep. Tracey Mann (R-KS) addressing PCG producers. “We can’t help you if we don’t know what your challenges are. Only you can give us the experience perspective.”

This was Coker’s first fly-in with the team. “It was eye-opening to see how involved the process is; how important communication and education is for these Representatives and Senators, but also the staffers,” he said. “It was a great experience and I was humbled to play a small part in the advocacy this week.”

Regenerative Agriculture Field Day

BASF Field Day

Tailgate with Capital Farm Credit — TTU vs. Oregon

West Texas Agricultural Chemicals Institute Annual Meeting

Regenerative Agriculture Field Day

BASF Field Day

P.I.E. Producers Tour South Texas, Realize Water Woes

Heat Remains the Story of the Plains

Plains Cotton Advisory Group Meeting

West Texas Agricultural Chemicals Institute Annual Meeting

Regenerative Agriculture Field Day

BASF Field Day

Idalia Hit Florida, Georgia Agriculture

USDA Makes $65 Million Available for Conservation Innovation Grants

National Cotton Council Responds to WOTUS Rule

High Plains IPM Podcast 

Generally, September is a wetter month for the High Plains region, and for the cotton that is still holding on, every bit of precipitation counts. 

KLBK Chief Meteorologist Jacob Riley presented the 2023 harvest weather outlook — specifically for the months of September through November — for the Plains Cotton Advisory Group today (Aug. 25, 2023).  “We will be focusing on temperature and precipitation trends,” he said at the beginning of the meeting, “As well as looking at how the drought will continue to progress around eastern New Mexico and West Texas.”

Rainfall
Riley presented Lubbock rainfall statistics showing Lubbock’s month-to-date rainfall at 0.07 inches. Average precipitation (data from 1911-2022) in September is 2.52 inches. Riley said that this September, the Lubbock area is projected to receive average rainfall, based off the forecast from the Climate Prediction Center. 

Average precipitation for September through November in the city of Lubbock, based off data from 1911 to 2022, is 5.17 inches. “We’re still going to see a warmer and dryer weather pattern throughout this growing season, but we are hopeful that El Nino’s system will bring a wetter growing season for 2024.” 

Temperature
“September temperatures look to be around 77 to 80 degrees, which is slightly above the average of 77,” Riley said. “This will likely feature highs in the mid-90s with lows in the mid- to upper-60s.” 

The average temperature during the September through November time frame is roughly 61 degrees, also based off of data in the Lubbock area from 1913 to 2022. 

Based off the Climate Prediction Center forecast for temperature, the High Plains is looking at a range of 69 to 74 degrees from September to November. 

To sum up, Riley said that persistent dry and warm conditions will continue to influence our overall pattern, though bouts of cooler air and rain are expected. 

“As Earth’s tilt continues to change as we head into fall, we will start seeing more apparent pattern changes,” he said. “I believe we will undergo a more drastic change after harvest season as we head into winter. A cooler and wetter than usual winter is likely to begin late December into early January, hopefully replenishing ground moisture by the beginning of our growing season in 2024.” 

Full Article Published by Cotton Grower here.

The Cotton Board members serving the Cotton Research and Promotion Program reviewed and voted to recommend Cotton Incorporated’s 2024 budget of $89 million to the Secretary of Agriculture — a $2 million increase from 2023.

“The 2024 Cotton Incorporated plan and budget remain focused on addressing several key industry issues to increase cotton’s market share and ensure long-term profitability,” said Cotton Inc. President and CEO Berrye Worsham. “Key priorities include enhancing supply chain transparency and cotton’s traceability, increasing producer profitability, enhancing cottonseed’s value, addressing contamination issues and using marketing to build demand for cotton.”

Texas Alliance for Water Conservation Field Day

Plains Cotton Advisory Group Meeting

West Texas Agricultural Chemicals Institute Annual Meeting

Regenerative Agriculture Field Day

BASF Field Day

USDA Cotton and Wool Report – August

Report Released on Usage of Aerial Imagery on Crops 

The August recess has allowed opportunities for producers and the cotton industry to discuss priorities and challenges with their elected officials. 

On August 16, a Farm Bill listening session, hosted by West Texas A&M University, was held in Canyon, Texas, where many cotton industry representatives gathered to provide Reps. Ronny Jackson and Jodey Arrington with their priorities for strong farm policy regarding the 2023 Farm Bill. 

PCG President Martin Stoerner, presented PCG’s priorities for the Farm Bill emphasizing the need to increase reference prices to reflect cost of production and to enhance crop insurance to further mitigate risk and alleviate the need for future ad hoc disaster assistance. Additionally, PCG supports abolishing the prohibition of a producer’s ability to participate in the Stacked Income Protection Program (STAX) and the Price Loss Coverage program (PLC).  

“Due to the elevated input costs we are now experiencing, the reference price is no longer as effective as when it was initially set,” Stoerner added.

Curtis Stewart, manager of Spade Cooperative Gin, Inc. communicated the need for infrastructure support. 

“Long-term assistance for infrastructure in the form of affordable insurance or intermittent disaster assistance for cotton gins, warehouse, merchants and other downstream industry is needed to help weather the woes of Mother Nature, which is outside our control.” 

Rep. Ronny Jackson, who serves on the House Agriculture Committee, joined Arrington the next day in Lubbock for a Farm Bill Roundtable. Complementary to Martin Stoerner’s testimony at the Farm Bill listening session, producer and President of RPCG Sutton Page of Avoca, Texas joined PCG at the Lubbock roundtable and reemphasized cotton’s main priorities for the next Farm Bill. In response to the current prohibition of combining STAX insurance with PLC, Jackson said, “I have five top priorities that I’m pushing for in the Farm Bill this year. And the possibility to combine STAX with PLC is one of them.” 

Brady Raindl, director of USA Purchasing for ECOM USA and American Cotton Shippers Association (ASCA) director, emphasized the merchant/farmer partnership and encouraged both congressmen to remember the hardships of growing a cotton crop in West Texas. 

“As a merchandiser, farmers aren’t just customers to me,” Raindl said. “They’re my partner. ASCA supports an expanded safety net for producers, increasing the current reference price, and focusing on stronger risk management tools like crop insurance and measures to ensure healthy and financially robust markets. And as we consider increasing the safety net, we believe that it’s important to modernize the Marketing Assistance Loan Program to ensure that cotton can move into the marketplace in an orderly fashion without incurring unnecessary cost to stakeholders or government support programs.”

In his closing remarks, Arrington emphasized the need for program integrity across the board, including farm programs. And both Arrington and Jackson highlighted the fight that will happen for upcoming farm policy and how both are willing to ‘go to bat’ for an effective Farm Bill.  

The Plains Ginners Association annual meeting is scheduled for August 21 at the FiberMax Center for Discovery starting at 8 am.

The speaker lineup consists of Steve Friskup, owner/auctioneer of Clovis Horse Sales, Clint Kriehbel, Ph.D., TTU Davis College Dean; Darren Hudson, Ph.D., will provide an economic report; and Gary Adams, NCC President and CEO will provide a Washington D.C. update.

Lunch will be provided at the conclusion of the meeting and a golf tournament that afternoon. Sign up for the golf tournament here. 

Questions? Call the office: 806-792-4904.

By Kerry Siders, IPM Agent for Cochran, Lamb and Hockley Counties

Cotton ranges from just starting to bloom to hard cut-out (0 nodes above white flower). Ideally, cotton will be blooming out-the-top by now, because we have reached that point when the odds of a bloom developing into a quality/yield contributing harvestable boll will drop considerably over the next few days. In fact, producers have probably noticed fields beginning to shed squares and some small bolls this week. This is a normal process of the plant making a final adjustment in what the plant can naturally hold and mature out. Though, producers should make sure that this fruit shed is natural and not induced by some insect like worms or Lygus. I have seen a few bollworm eggs around, but, between heat and beneficial insects and spiders, I am not finding any larva. I can still find a few cotton aphids as well and whiteflies. Most of these aphids are few and far between mostly due to the same beneficials working on the worms.

I would encourage producers to continue scouting for a few more weeks. By September 1 most cotton acres should have well over 400 heat units accumulated since reaching more than five nodes above white flower stage (August 5). This gauge of time tells us that a crop is safe from most insect damage.

Here of late, questions about irrigation have been more prominent. I will admit I get conservative with irrigation as we move into the last days of August and would rather err on the side of being too dry than too wet going into September. However, as hot and dry as we have been for the last four to six weeks, I am encouraging most to stay with the irrigation as long as is feasible. We have already had our chance of making quantity, now it is a matter of achieving quality through maturity. The last bolls set during this time need to be relatively stress free for 20 days (approximately September 8). So, if the plant recovers quickly from any wilting during a 90+ degree day then those last bolls formed should mature properly. Forty to 45 days after the last harvestable boll is formed (approximately September 30), the plant can nearly go into permanent wilt without impacting yield or quality.

So, bottom line, I am encouraging producers to stay with the water for another 10 to 14 days at least.

Cotton Condition Continues to Slide

Juggle the Pieces of a Transition Plan

Congressman Jackson and Arrington would like to officially invite you to participate in a farm bill listening session in Canyon, Texas. With the farm bill deadline quickly approaching, this listening session will give you and your members the opportunity to discuss your priorities for this year’s farm bill.

The listening session details:

WHEN: Wednesday, August 16 from 5-6:30 PM

WHERE: West Texas A&M Piehl-Schaeffer Pavilion (600 WTAMU Dr. Canyon, TX 79015)

RSVP: Please call the office at 806-792-4904 if you’d like to RSVP to the event.

The West Texas Agricultural Chemicals Institute will host their annual conference on Thursday, September 14, at the Scottish Rite Event Center, located at 1101 70th Street in Lubbock.

This year represents the 71st meeting of WTACI, an unincorporated organization of dealers, industry representatives, agricultural producers, scientists, educators, and agribusiness members who support education and research programs promoting safe and effective use of agricultural chemicals and protection and preservation of the area’s natural resources.

Topics to be discussed at the conference include:

• Weed control in herbicide-tolerant sorghum;
• New chemistries for weed and brush control in range and pasture;
• Endangered Species Act overview;
• Beltwide cotton IPM research focus;
• Semi-arid Agricultural Systems Institute research update; and
• Australia cotton production overview compared to West Texas cotton production.

A total of 7 Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) CEUs will be available.

Pre-registration is available online. On-line registration fees are $75 for conference attendees and must be completed by September 8. Booth fees start at $300. On-site registration will begin at 7:30 a.m. the day of the conference and will cost $95 for attendees and $325 for booth sponsors. Lunch will be provided as part of the registration fee. 

Lessons from a no-till farmer in the Texas High Plains

Texas farmers experiment with organic, regenerative agriculture

Pictured (left to right): Mauricio Ulloa, Ph.D., USDA-ARS Research Geneticist; Zabardast Buriev, Ph.D., Academy Sciences of Uzbekistan Center of Genomics and Bioinformatics Director; Bunyod Mamarakhimov, Ph.D., Tashkent State Agarian University Center for Cotton Seed Production Director; Lloyd Arthur, Crosby County producer; David Arthur, Lloyd’s son; Shukhrat Otajonov, Ph.D., Republic of Uzbekistan Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Department Head; Shodmon Namozov, Ph.D., Research Institute of Breeding, Seed Production and Agricultural Technology of Cotton Cultivation Director. Not pictured: Sherbek Ibragimov, Republic of Uzbekistan Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Expert.

While Uzbekistan is different than West Texas in terms of structure, history and climate, farming isn’t.

“It’s funny how just talking farming, we can all face the same challenges regardless of geographic location,” said Lloyd Arthur, Crosby County producer. “They have some challenges we don’t, obviously, and vice versa, but at the end of the day farmers can find common ground with other farmers no matter where any of us come from.” 

Uzbekistan has an arid climate similar to West Texas; however, it typically doesn’t get hotter than 80 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer with colder winters. Before USSR was dissolved in 1991, 100% of Uzbekistan crops were cotton. Today it’s 80%. 

Most of Uzbekistan cotton is hand picked. The supply chain is “in-house” in their country, as harvested cotton is processed, milled and spun all within Uzbekistan. 

“They do have more water than we do — most of it is flood irrigation,” added Arthur. “I showed them my drip irrigation and how we have to conserve water out here in West Texas.” 

The Uzbekistan delegation was brought out to our part of the world by Mauricio Ulloa, Ph.D., research geneticist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), who has been collaborating with Uzbekistan since 2007.

The Uzbekistan delegation gifted Lloyd Arthur with tokens from their country.

ARS partners with the Uzbekistan Center of Genomics and Bioinformatics on cooperative research projects to control and identify resistance to the highly contagious Fusarium wilt pathogen, which threatens cotton production in both countries. The partnership also includes work identifying and developing resilient gerplasm to plant stress and diseases.

“While I have been in collaboration with most of these men for many years, this was their first time to come visit,” Ulloa said. “It was a great experience to be able to show them cotton in this part of the world. We appreciate Lloyd for showing us his farm, farm equipment, and sharing his farming practices with us.” 

Last August, PCG predicted 60% to 70% abandonment in the High Plains region for the 2022 crop. Turns out, the estimate was conservative as the actual percentage was just shy of 80%. 

Producers experienced a better start to the season for the 2023 crop, as much needed rainfall was received in the area. While some of the rain was problematic, most everyone agrees they would rather have rain than not, regardless of when it decides to come. 

Many PCG counties were able to get a crop up this year, different than last year, but another rain is needed to keep it going. 

Most of the northern Panhandle counties lost their cotton to poorly timed precipitation and storms, but with a good rain, the southern High Plains could see a much better dryland crop than last year. Even so, PCG is predicting a 35% to 40% abandonment for 2023.

The 2023 crop has seen more insect pressure than was present last year. However, the balance of beneficial bugs to pests has these IPM agents feeling optimistic.

Cochran, Hockley and Lamb Counties
According to IPM agent Kerry Siders, small clusters of three- and five-colony aphids are present in fields. For now, the beneficials (spiders, etc) are taking care of them. 

“But it wouldn’t take much to tip the scales in the aphid’s favor,” he added. “The wrong selection of insecticide could remove your beneficials, too, so make sure what you’re using is specific to aphids.” 

Gaines County
The beneficial pest population is “phenomenal this year,” according to IPM agent Keegan McCollum. 

“Our organic fields have had some Lygus problems,” he added. “And we have had some fields sprayed for stink bugs and leaf-footed bugs.” 

Bailey, Castro and Parmer Counties
“We’re on the lookout for boll worms this month as we have a couple of full moons coming,” said IPM agent John Thobe. “These full moons may increase the flight pattern, so we’re getting ready for that possibility.” 

Hale and Swisher Counties
IPM agent Blayne Reed noted that his fields have seen quite a few boll worm eggs recently and some worms have already hatched out, yet not quite at threshold. “While the beneficial populations are good, there is a lot going on in fields right now and we need to be alert.”

To listen to the High Plains IPM Podcast, click here.

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