Arizona Family Keeps It
Producing quality on the V.I.P. farm has also been consistent through the years. Staple averages between 36 and 37, and the farm has earned five- to six-cent premiums on its loan cotton.
A disciplined schedule is implemented each year when planting begins on April 10 and continues for the next four weeks. Ideally, planting is finished by May 10. Harvesting usually starts around the middle of October and continues for another four weeks. Crop development is also enhanced by timely Pix applications. The first application is made in mid-July and another is made in mid-August.
"By giving the crop two shots like this, it evens things out and gives us a uniform appearance," says Dennis. "We then defoliate the cotton twice and get all of the bolls open. Then, we go in and pick it in a hurry. This really seems to help with our quality."
Families Build Trust
Is there a key to having three families successfully manage such an operation?
That question may be hard to answer in one simple sentence, according to Verle, Dennis and Matt.
"The biggest thing we have going for us is trust," says Dennis. "I know that Matt is a better farmer than me, and I thought I was pretty good.
"There are things that my father (Verle) can't do that I can do, and then there are things that he and Matt can do that I can't do."
With children and grandchildren growing up on the farm, and all three homes so close to each other, the Palmers have re-defined how families can run an operation.
"Our world is pretty much centered around the farm and families," says Verle. "Being here in the mountains makes it very special. The other day we threw a birthday party for one of the granddaughters, and you would've thought we were at Disney World. It was that much fun."
Maybe it's because he's the eldest of the family, or perhaps it's his love of nostalgia, but Verle enjoys looking around and seeing more than cotton fields.
He still marvels that he can stand in a field and stare at a snow-capped mountain 11,000 feet in elevation.
"Where else can you go play golf and look up and see snow on the mountain?" he asks with a laugh. "If we wanted to, we could go up and play in the snow and then drive back down to our farm and take our coats off, and it's like summer again. That's how beautiful this place is."
source : cottonfarming
Producing quality on the V.I.P. farm has also been consistent through the years. Staple averages between 36 and 37, and the farm has earned five- to six-cent premiums on its loan cotton.
A disciplined schedule is implemented each year when planting begins on April 10 and continues for the next four weeks. Ideally, planting is finished by May 10. Harvesting usually starts around the middle of October and continues for another four weeks. Crop development is also enhanced by timely Pix applications. The first application is made in mid-July and another is made in mid-August.
"By giving the crop two shots like this, it evens things out and gives us a uniform appearance," says Dennis. "We then defoliate the cotton twice and get all of the bolls open. Then, we go in and pick it in a hurry. This really seems to help with our quality."
Families Build Trust
Is there a key to having three families successfully manage such an operation?
That question may be hard to answer in one simple sentence, according to Verle, Dennis and Matt.
"The biggest thing we have going for us is trust," says Dennis. "I know that Matt is a better farmer than me, and I thought I was pretty good.
"There are things that my father (Verle) can't do that I can do, and then there are things that he and Matt can do that I can't do."
With children and grandchildren growing up on the farm, and all three homes so close to each other, the Palmers have re-defined how families can run an operation.
"Our world is pretty much centered around the farm and families," says Verle. "Being here in the mountains makes it very special. The other day we threw a birthday party for one of the granddaughters, and you would've thought we were at Disney World. It was that much fun."
Maybe it's because he's the eldest of the family, or perhaps it's his love of nostalgia, but Verle enjoys looking around and seeing more than cotton fields.
He still marvels that he can stand in a field and stare at a snow-capped mountain 11,000 feet in elevation.
"Where else can you go play golf and look up and see snow on the mountain?" he asks with a laugh. "If we wanted to, we could go up and play in the snow and then drive back down to our farm and take our coats off, and it's like summer again. That's how beautiful this place is."
source : cottonfarming
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