The 2023 Prospective Plantings report finds farmers expect to plant more corn and soybeans this year than last year. According to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), producers surveyed across the United States intend to plant 92.0 million acres of corn in 2023, up 4% from last year, and 87.5 million acres of soybeans this year, up slightly from last …
BASF Sponsors Awards at Beltwide Cotton Conferences
BASF helped to recognize the Cotton Specialist of the Year and Cotton Marketer of the Year at last week’s Beltwide Cotton Conferences. Dr. Murilo Maeda, assistant professor and extension cotton specialist from Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension, in Lubbock, Texas, was named the 2023 Cotton Specialist of the Year. Maeda has been in the cotton industry his entire life, growing …
2023 Beltwide Cotton Conferences Wrap Up
Another successful Beltwide Cotton Conferences is in the books and it was good to see attendance and participation back up to pre-pandemic levels. “I’m always glad to kick off the year with Beltwide,” said Hank Jones, RSJ Ag Services, who once again served as chair for the Consultants Conference. “One of the things that I’ve always loved about the conference …
Corn, Soybean and Cotton Production Down in 2022
Production for corn, soybeans and cotton all declined in 2022 compared to the previous year, according to the 2022 Crop Production Annual Summary from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. U.S. corn growers produced 13.7 billion bushels, down 9% from 2021. Corn yield in the United States is estimated at 173.3 bushels per acre, 3.4 bushels below …
Cotton Policy Update at #BWCC23
Attendees at the Beltwide Cotton Conferences this week in New Orleans were updated on current policy issues relating to cotton by Bart Fischer, Co-Director of the Agricultural and Food Policy Center Texas A&M University. Fischer says one of the big policy issues on the plate this year is the next farm bill. “The 2018 Farm Bill expires on September 30,” …
Cotton Pesticides and the Endangered Species Act
The future of pesticides under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was a topic for a panel at the Beltwide Cotton Conferences Consultants Conference this week in New Orleans. The panel was composed of Leah Duzy and Ashlea Frank, Compliance Services International (CSI); Jack Royal, Royal’s Ag Consulting Company, Leary GA; and Rogers Leonard, Integrated Crop Consulting, St. Josesph, LA. “EPA …
US Cotton Trust Protocol Update
The 2023 Beltwide Cotton Conferences kicked off in New Orleans Tuesday with the consultants conference and an update on the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol from president Gary Adams. Launched in 2020, the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol is a farm level, science-based program designed to set a new standard in more sustainably grown cotton. Adams says membership in the program grew …
Beltwide Cotton Conferences Will Ring in New Year
The National Cotton Council and its cooperating partners will welcome in the new year at the 2023 Beltwide Cotton Conferences January 10 through 12 in New Orleans, which for many of us will be the first meeting of the year. Beltwide is three days of individual reports, panel discussions, hands on workshops and seminars designed to provide attendees with information …
Corn and Soybean Crop Down from September
Corn and soybean production took another step down this month compared to September 2022, according to USDA’s latest Crop Production report. Based on conditions as of Oct. 1, corn yields are now expected to average 171.9 bushels per harvested acre, down 0.6 bushel from the previous forecast and down 4.8 bushels from 2021. Area harvested for grain is forecast at …
Land O’Lakes Project Receives USDA Climate-Smart Funding
Truterra, LLC, the sustainability business of Land O’Lakes, Inc., and American Farmland Trust (AFT), along with other partners, have received funding from USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities forf a project aimed at scaling production and addressing equity. Truterra and AFT’s Climate SMART (Scaling Mechanisms for Agriculture’s Regenerative Transformation) pilot project intends to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by approximately 7.2 …