White

Texas Producers Cope With Drought

Tommy Horton

Fortunately, producer Benny White of Lamesa has been through this scenario before, and he's usually prepared for any kind of weather event. When you've been farming for 48 years, there are no surprises.

White, who will plant 2,800 acres of cotton this year, has 1,600 of those acres irrigated either in a drip system or with center pivots. Even though the drought conditions have made it difficult, he still believes he can come close to duplicating his 3.5-bale crops of recent years.

Last year White had one of his best seasons when he became a member of the FiberMax One Ton Club.

"We have an advantage over the farmers north of us in the High Plains," he says. "We get more heat units for a longer period of time, and our growing season is a bit longer."


source : cottonfarming

Texas Producers Cope With Drought

Texas Producers Cope With Drought

Tommy Horton

Despite blistering hot temperatures and severe drought, Texas cotton producers are coping as well as can be expected as they try to finish planting this year's crop.

It's never easy producing cotton on the High Plains, and this year is no exception. Drought conditions definitely had an impact on planting season, and now it's a question of getting an early stand, if possible.

Fortunately, producer Benny White of Lamesa has been through this scenario before, and he's usually prepared for any kind of weather event. When you've been farming for 48 years, there are no surprises.

White, who will plant 2,800 acres of cotton this year, has 1,600 of those acres irrigated either in a drip system or with center pivots. Even though the drought conditions have made it difficult, he still believes he can come close to duplicating his 3.5-bale crops of recent years.

source : cottonfarming

Similar Challenges

Grain Storage Solutions Are
'In The Bag'

Charley Knabb

Similar Challenges

Though Bibb dealt with minor issues in unloading his 2008 crop bags concerning leakage and moisture, he recognizes the potential to cause greater damage.

"All the same problems you have with a module are similar here," he says. "You've got to be wise about using them."

Of any losses sustained during his first year with bags, Bibb says, "I lose as much in my grain bins each year as I did with bags. It's a good thing and I'd do it again."

Regardless of cotton's future, grain bagging systems are gaining in popularity. According to the Harrells, business should improve in 2009.

While some farmers will build more bins to handler larger amounts of grain, others will find their answers "in the bag."

source : cottonfarming

Efficient Farm Operation

Grain Storage Solutions Are
'In The Bag'

Charley Knabb

Efficient Farm Operation

Although Mount Level Farm is a private grain storage and farming operation, it has incorporated grain bag storage into its strategies for segregating different grain commodities and handling overflow. And while the farm has built bags on-site within protected areas of the granary, Sorrell speculates that some of the practices incorporated may be duplicated at other area storage facilities.

"If you look at the carries in the market, sometimes 30 to 60 days makes a huge difference on basis," he says. "These things (bags) are really good for a 30-to-60 day deal."

Cotton farmers will understand after hearing the story of Richy Bibb from Tunica, Miss.

"It's a module builder for grain," he says. "If you put wet cotton in that module, its not going to be good. If you put wet grain in that bag, it's probably not going to turn out the way you want it to."

source : cottonfarming

Grain Storage Solutions Are ‘In The Bag’

Grain Storage Solutions Are
'In The Bag'

Charley Knabb

Blues travelers along legendary U.S. Highway 61 in the Mississippi Delta are always treated to numerous sights and sounds as they travel through the land of cotton. During the last two years, however, the new attractions have little to do with the blues – and even less to do with cotton.

From Sikeston, Mo., to Vicksburg, Miss., turnrows once marked with rows of cotton modules in the fall are now lined with long, white plastic bags. Laid out like huge, mutant caterpillar larvae, they symbolize the fundamental truth about today's cotton industry.

The bags are filled with grain. Corn, soybeans, milo, wheat and even rice are stored within them and, though they have their critics, many say grain storage bags are a sight that cotton country should become accustomed to seeing.

source : cottonfarming

We did everything we could to work with EPA on this

Miss. Flood Project May Be Revived

Tommy Horton

"We did everything we could to work with EPA on this," he says. "I really feel betrayed. We showed them how the flooding affected wildlife, trees and our farmland. That's why I'm hopeful this lawsuit will give us a chance."

Flooding definitely has an effect on wildlife, according to Trey Cooke, executive director of Delta Wildlife, a Mississippi organization focused on restoration, enhancement and management of wildlife habitats in the state.

"It's unnatural for wildlife to be forced to contend with this type of flooding," he says. "Right now, turkey populations have been decimated in the Yazoo back-water area due to consecutive flood events. This is a prime example of how flooding affects more than just agriculture."

source : cottonfarming

Economic Impact On Farmers

Miss. Flood Project May Be Revived

Tommy Horton

Economic Impact On Farmers

Nobody understands the economic impact of backwater flooding more than South Delta farmers.

Clifton Porter farms 1,300 acres of soybeans and corn in the area and believes the pump project makes perfect sense when viewed objectively.

"We did everything we could to work with EPA on this," he says. "I really feel betrayed. We showed them how the flooding affected wildlife, trees and our farmland. That's why I'm hopeful this lawsuit will give us a chance."

Flooding definitely has an effect on wildlife, according to Trey Cooke, executive director of Delta Wildlife, a Mississippi organization focused on restoration, enhancement and management of wildlife habitats in the state.

source : cottonfarming

Current water levels

Miss. Flood Project May Be Revived

Tommy Horton

Current water levels in the backwater area have reached a level of nearly 92 feet, flooding more than 100,000 acres of farmland along with 200,000 acres of trees for wildlife habitat.

Nimrod is convinced that if a judge hears the case, proponents of the pump project have an excellent chance of winning.

"I think the decision could come down in a year and a half," he says. "We don't believe EPA had the legal authority to veto this project."

Cost factors also weigh heavily in the $220 million project. Nimrod says more than $70 million was for large scale reforestation to "appease the environmental groups."

source : cottonfarming

Responding To EPA

Miss. Flood Project May Be Revived

Tommy Horton

Responding To EPA

EPA used its authority under the Clean Water Act to "deny using waters as a disposal site for fill material when the agency determines it will have an unacceptable effect on municipal water supplies, shellfish beds and fishery areas, wildlife or recreational areas."

In response to the EPA action, the Mississippi Levee Board may bring a lawsuit against EPA within the next few months, according to Peter Nimrod, chief engineer for the Levee Board.

He believes there is a provision in the Clean Water Act that allows for an exemption from an EPA veto – specifically when a project has already been reviewed, authorized and received funding from Congress.

Current water levels in the backwater area have reached a level of nearly 92 feet, flooding more than 100,000 acres of farmland along with 200,000 acres of trees for wildlife habitat.


source : cottonfarming

Recent heavy rains in the region

Miss. Flood Project May Be Revived

Tommy Horton

Recent heavy rains in the region have once again caused serious flooding in backwaters and called attention to a problem that was supposed to have been resolved by a flood control project first approved by Congress in 1941.

This project was initially proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a way to protect farmland and wildlife from excessive flooding on the backwaters of the Mississippi River's tributaries. Specifically, the area is near the confluence of the Yazoo and Big Sunflower Rivers north of Vicksburg, Miss.

After decades of negotiating between the Mississippi Levee Board and the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA vetoed the entire project in August of 2008.

Responding To EPA

source : cottonfarming

Miss. Flood Project May Be Revived

Miss. Flood Project May Be Revived

Tommy Horton

The battle lines are about to be drawn again in the South Delta, and this time the final decision on the embattled Yazoo Pump Project might be decided by a judge.

Recent heavy rains in the region have once again caused serious flooding in backwaters and called attention to a problem that was supposed to have been resolved by a flood control project first approved by Congress in 1941.

This project was initially proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a way to protect farmland and wildlife from excessive flooding on the backwaters of the Mississippi River's tributaries. Specifically, the area is near the confluence of the Yazoo and Big Sunflower Rivers north of Vicksburg, Miss.

source : cottonfarming

With pressure from growing populations

SE Producers Aware Of
Irrigation's Impact

With pressure from growing populations, persistent droughts and increasing demands from industry and agriculture, Georgia producers are paying closer attention to the types of water conservation measures that Texas producers and other arid regions are accustomed to using. Plus, the ongoing "water wars" between Georgia, Florida and Alabama, coupled with the start of real statewide water planning in Georgia, mean that our use of water in agriculture is on folks' minds.

Recent research in irrigation has been pretty exciting. Are there other things we can can look forward to in the areas of Low Energy Precision Application (LEPA), drip, deficit or furrow irrigation?

Producers are indicating to us researchers that there is definite interest in using drip irrigation in the Southeast. We are responding by working with great folks like Cotton Incorporated and the Georgia Cotton Commission to develop projects that will expand our knowledge base of practices like drip irrigation. We certainly have more to learn in terms of system design, installation and operation/management.


source : cottonfarming

Can a cotton producer in Georgia

SE Producers Aware Of
Irrigation's Impact

Can a cotton producer in Georgia learn anything from a Texas producer in the area of effective irrigation?

Many Texas producers operate in a more arid environment, which is often affected by limited water resources. Texas producers are very concerned about evaporative losses and timely, efficient application of irrigation water. Producers in Georgia are, for the most part, blessed with abundant (but not unlimited) water resources in a humid environment (less evaporative losses).

With pressure from growing populations, persistent droughts and increasing demands from industry and agriculture, Georgia producers are paying closer attention to the types of water conservation measures that Texas producers and other arid regions are accustomed to using. Plus, the ongoing "water wars" between Georgia, Florida and Alabama, coupled with the start of real statewide water planning in Georgia, mean that our use of water in agriculture is on folks' minds.

source : cottonfarming

Do you think drip irrigation will ever be as popular ?

SE Producers Aware Of
Irrigation's Impact

Do you think drip irrigation will ever be as popular in the Southeast as it is in other regions, such as Texas?

Overhead sprinkler irrigation (primarily center pivot) is the overwhelming choice for most producers in the Southeast. But, increases in irrigated acres will likely occur in field areas that aren't well suited to center pivots (irregular field shapes). In these cases, drip irrigation may be given a strong look by producers. But overall, it is doubtful that drip irrigation will be as widespread as center pivot systems. Our knowledge base on using drip irrigation in Southeast row crops like cotton is also less developed – but we're working on that.

What does the future bode for cotton producers as they evaluate water availability in their irrigation systems?

I once heard a colleague make the comment in a presentation that there are three limiting factors in Georgia crop production – water, water and water. Water availability for agriculture will continue to be of utmost importance to the economic vitality of rural economies in the Southeast. I'm excited to be a part of efforts to help cotton producers understand how to better manage their irrigation systems by using new technologies for measuring soil water status, applying water more efficiently and scheduling more effectively.


source : cottonfarming

Normally

Furrow Irrigation Helps
Conserve Water

Amanda Huber
Southeast

"Normally, the rains stop the second week in June until around early to mid-August," he says. Kelly, who produces cotton on 800 to 1,200 acres of mostly irrigated land, depends on his rotation cycle and economic forces.

"The lake for our irrigation district holds about 135,000 acre-feet of water," he adds. "About the last week of June or the first week of July, we will see how much water is there."

Based on assessed acres, each producer gets a water allocation.

"We start irrigating around the first week in July and stop around the first week in September," he says. "But, we can't get the water immediately. It's 35 miles to the lake, and it takes 24 hours for it to run from the lake to here."

source : cottonfarming

Producer Joe Kelly

Furrow Irrigation Helps
Conserve Water

Amanda Huber
Southeast

 
Producer Joe Kelly is never quite sure how much water he will receive to irrigate his cotton. In good years, such as 2007 and 2008, he received about 18 inches. In 2006, he only had seven inches. His worst year ever – 1981 – he only got three-quarters of an inch.

What Kelly, who farms cotton, milo and hard red winter wheat in Altus, Okla., can plan on is that none of that will come from the sky. It all comes from the lake northeast of Mangum and flows by gravity to his farm through a series of canals, ditches and gates. For Kelly, irrigation efficiency is a necessary part of his operation.

"Normally, the rains stop the second week in June until around early to mid-August," he says. Kelly, who produces cotton on 800 to 1,200 acres of mostly irrigated land, depends on his rotation cycle and economic forces.

source : cottonfarming

Increased Availability

Exploring The Benefits Of Baled Poultry Litter

Carroll Smith
Senior

Increased Availability

According to Argo, his business plan includes building 300 of the poultry litter baling machines in a five-year period to make the technology available to a wider geography. Argo notes that if, say, 10 farmers bought a machine as a cooperative, hired a four-man crew to run it and ship the baled litter to the 10 farmers in the co-op, they could pay for their machine and get their litter.

An interesting note for cotton farmers is that a module truck can be used to move seven of the bales at one time, which would increase the working hours on a piece of equipment that typically is idle 90 percent of the year.

In looking at the big picture, baled poultry litter may not fit everyone's operation, but, in this economy, it's always a good thing to have options.


source : cottonfarming

Buchanan

Exploring The Benefits Of Baled Poultry Litter

Carroll Smith
Senior

Buchanan notes that this is his first experience with poultry litter and in addition to the economics, he believes there are some intangibles to consider, too. For example:

• Will it improve humus in the soil?

• Will it build up micronutrients?

• Will it contribute to the water-holding capacity in soils that have been farmed year after year in cotton?

"We have heard that these things will occur, so we want to see to what extent they occur in this climate where we don't have the rainfall that farmers receive in eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas," Buchanan explains.

The Oklahoma farmer notes that if commercial fertilizer prices return to what they used to be in the past, then poultry litter won't be competitive from an economic standpoint. On the other hand, if Buchanan realizes benefits from the intangibles, then it would be of value to him from that standpoint.

source : cottonfarming

Economics And Intangibles

Exploring The Benefits Of Baled Poultry Litter

Carroll Smith
Senior

Economics And Intangibles

Tom Buchanan, who manages the Lugert-Altus Irrigation District, is one of the 10 western Oklahoma farmers experimenting with baled poultry litter this year on his irrigated cotton land. In the past, he has only had access to commercial fertilizer.

"Last year, when commercial fertilizer went sky high, poultry litter became more economically feasible," he says. "Last winter, we received the baled litter on a flatbed truck, strategically offloaded it at different locations around the farm, cut the plastic off and used a litter spreader to apply it."

Buchanan notes that this is his first experience with poultry litter and in addition to the economics, he believes there are some intangibles to consider, too.


source : cottonfarming