Choosing The Right Variety

An important component of the Hansens remaining profitable in the cotton business was identifying a cotton variety that fits their needs.

"I like having a choice in varieties," Hansen says. "We look for something that will perform for us on a consistent basis – one that will help us moderate our costs in these economic times."

Hansen has remained proactive throughout the years in finding what cotton varieties work best for him. He has participated in innovation trials and closely monitored the performance of different varieties from nearly all of the seed companies.

The key, Hansen says, is finding a variety that offers consistency, endurance and toughness, while limiting input costs. Without those qualities, it will be hard to survive growing cotton during the scorching hot, bone-dry summers of Texas – even under pivots.

Hansen's exhaustive search for varieties that can withstand adverse conditions led him to PhytoGen cottonseed. He dedicated all of his cotton acres to the brand last year, but divided his acres among PhytoGen brand PHY 375 WRF and PHY 440 W.

"I've grown PhytoGen for about five years now in a large number of acres, and we've put it up against some other varieties that have been in large-acre plots," Hansen says.

The consistency, toughness and endurance of PhytoGen was put to the test this year as record-setting temperatures dried out the Texas landscape.

"It got to the point where we really needed some rain right around first bloom," Hansen says. "Phytogen muscled up and made good cotton even without the water it needed."

article source : cottonfarming