Cotton Incorporated recently joined forces with USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Partnerships for Data Innovations (PDI) on an effort to standardize and centralize cotton research data. At last week’s Beltwide Cotton Conferences, Cotton Incorporated Senior Director of Agricultural & Environmental Research Ed Barnes said the project actually grew out of discussions at last year’s Beltwide and it is really just …
EPA Announces Sustainable Pest Control Initiative
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler was in Mississippi on Monday where he announced a $2 million dollar initiative that encourages smart and sustainable pest control in agriculture. The initiative, which is an extension of EPA’s Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program (PESP), expects to award grantees up to $200,000 to implement sustainable pest management practices that align with the …
Former NAFB President Art Sechrest Passes
The National Association of Farm Broadcasting sadly notes the passing of 1984 NAFB President Art Sechrest. Sechrest joined NAFB at WVLN Radio in 1961 then continued his broadcast career at Illinois Farm Bureau and WJBC Radio. Art was noted for his professionalism, kindness, and solid presence reporting on the air. He served as NAFB President in 1984, was named 1991 …
Cotton Council CEO Wraps up Beltwide
National Cotton Council President and CEO Dr. Gary Adams is pleased with the first ever virtual Beltwide Cotton Conferences this week. “Attendance was really quite strong,” said Adams in a wrap up interview. “Hopefully, we actually provided an opportunity for some people to participate where they might not have otherwise.” Adams gave an update on the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol …
COVID and Cotton Supply Chains
The Beltwide Cotton Economic Economics and Marketing Conference included a presentation by Cotton Incorporated Senior Economist Jon Devine on how the COVID pandemic impacted cotton supply chains in 2020. Devine says the retail segment was hit the hardest, building on already declining sales in stores. “I think the transition was already underway in terms of pushing clothing purchases away from …
Hurricanes May Have Increased Cotton Seed Coat Fragments
The National Cotton Council is pleased that USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service will be collaborating with the Georgia Department of Agriculture to study the significant increase in seed coat fragments being found in 2020 season Southeast cotton classing samples. The AMS Macon, GA Classing Office has reportedly classed 2.2 million samples, of which approximately 895,000 contained seed coat fragments. In addition …
U.S. Cotton Market Outlook from NCC
National Cotton Council Vice President of Economics and Policy Analysis Jody Campiche gave her annual cotton market outlook Tuesday during the Beltwide Cotton Conferences. Campiche discussed the impacts of COVID-19 on retail demand, which dropped more than 80 percent in April, as well as unharvested acres due to drought in the West, and quality issues from hurricanes in the Southeast. …
New Ag Committee Leadership is Cotton Friendly
Presumptive new leadership in both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees for this coming Congress includes two lawmakers with cotton roots. Agricultural economist Bart Fischer, Co-Director of the Agricultural & Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University, gave a policy update Tuesday during the virtual Beltwide Cotton Economic Outlook conference. He says while the political landscape is still somewhat uncertain …
EPA Pesticide Program Update for Cotton
The 2021 virtual Beltwide Cotton Consultants Conference Tuesday included an update from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs on crop protection products important to cotton growers. Michael Goodis, Acting Deputy Director, provided information on a number of pesticides, including dicamba. In this excerpt from his presentation, Goodis explains the process that went into determining the final registration …
Weather Forecasting Tops Cotton Consultants Conference
From drought to hurricanes, weather is the single biggest variable for any farming operation, so first up this morning for the 2021 Beltwide Cotton Consultants Conference General Session was atmospheric scientist Eric Snodgrass with Nutrien Ag Solutions. Snodgrass took participants on an interesting journey from the Dust Bowl of the 1930s to what weather may lie ahead in the next …