Welcome to the March 8, 2024 issue of Cotton News, a service provided by Plains Cotton Growers Inc. for the cotton industry in the Texas High Plains and beyond.
Editor’s Note: Right after the newsletter was sent to inboxes, the spending package — passed by the House on Wednesday — cleared the Senate. The legislation has now been sent to President Biden’s desk, averting a government shutdown for the rest of the 2024 fiscal year.
Producers, warehousers, merchants and researchers gather to review 2023 research projects and discuss 2024 research proposals.
Together to Advance High Plains Cotton
The Plains Cotton Growers conference room was busy on Thursday, March 7, as the Plains Cotton Improvement Committee (PCIC), consisting of growers, warehousers, merchants and researchers came together to discuss 2023 and vote on 2024 research projects. As PCIC Chair Barry Evans stated in his opening remarks, “We’re privileged to have this opportunity to come together and continue this great work.”
The great work began in the 1980s as High Plains cotton producers and industry came together to find a way to advance cotton’s potential in this region. Back then the reputation of High Plains cotton wasn’t what it has grown into today, which proves the legitimacy of this unique producer-funded research initiative called the Plains Cotton Improvement Program.
Eric Englund, producer in Lubbock County has served on PCIC since 2018. “We fight aggressive disease in our fields on my farm,” he added. “The continual effort to improve cotton seed varieties is one of the biggest benefits for me as a producer.”
Englund’s two main battles are nematodes and fusarium wilt. He works with Terry Wheeler to identify problem areas and treat them accordingly. If not addressed, nematodes can kill his yields.
“If we plant a non-resistant variety then by the time the plant is six inches tall, it’s dead,” he said. “We’ll lose the entire crop without a nematode resistant variety.”
Jonathan James, producer in Crosby and Floyd Counties, has also served on PCIC since 2018. “It’s important to me to see the future in seed development and disease research,” he said. “We deal with verticillium wilt and emergence issues with our cotton, so I find value in participating in the Regional Agronomic Cotton Evaluation trials.”
At the conclusion of the meeting, the committee voted to fund 2024 research projects for a total of $440,500.
Below are some of the highlights from the day of presentations.
Highlights from the Plains Cotton Improvement Committee Meeting March 7
Bring Your Kids to PCIP Day
Plains Cotton Improvement Committee member Jonathan James, producer in Crosby and Floyd Counties, brought his fifth-grade boys Jax (left) and Hudson (right) to see science in action. The two boys had just competed in a science fair with projects of their own, both focused on cotton emergence!
The Ones Who Made It Possible
During his presentation, Brendan Kelly, research assistant professor remarked, "We didn't have all the trials we wanted, but we wouldn't have had any without Carol Kelly (left), Brooke Shumate (middle), and Becca Ortiz (right). They're the ones who make it happen for us."
Upcoming Events
Pesticide Applicators Training (To Obtain TDA License) – Levelland
Date: March 14, 2024
Location: Levelland, Texas
Auxin Herbicide Required Training – Levelland
Date: March 21, 2024
Location: Levelland County Extension Office
Moore County Gin Grower Appreciation Lunch
Date: March 28, 2024
Location: Moore County Gin, Dumas, Texas
Plains Cotton Growers Board of Directors Meeting
Date: April 1, 2024
Location: Overton Hotel & Conference Center, Lubbock, Texas
For a full list of upcoming events, see the Events Page.