Unified front crucial for agriculture industry
Mark Lange, president and CEO, National Cotton Council, understands and appreciates the importance of agricultural commodity organizations presenting a unified front to Congress in order to get the best farm program possible.
New farm bill a shaky prospect
Anyone willing to bet on whether a new farm bill will be enacted by the end of September or the current one extended for another year “could lose money either way,” says Representative Mike Conaway, R-Texas.
Cotton quality a top priority
Back in the day, and that would be a day not all that long ago, cotton quality was a good thing to have, but not as high a priority as it has become recently.
Food safety battle rages over funding
If Congress doesn’t provide additional funding to the FDA, the Food Safety Modernization Act will not be effective in preventing increased problems in the years ahead if proposed user fees are rejected because of opposition by the food industry.
Cotton facing complicated year in Washington
Cotton, along with other U.S. farm commodities, will face” quite a challenging and complicated year in Washington” fighting budget pressures and working through a farm bill debate.
EPA allows farmers a weapon against cotton root rot
Topguard was a fungicide few would have predicted to play a role in cotton root rot control. Topguard is an older chemical, used in other parts of the world since the 1980s. It was more recently brought into the United States to deal with soybean rust. The EPA has granted Texas a Section 18 emergency exemption to use Topguard to control cotton root rot.
Cotton Belt set for La Niña phase in 2012
Warmer than usual water in that area creates El Nino conditions and typically wetter and cooler conditions across the Cotton Belt. Cooler water temperatures push thunder storms westward and create drier and warmer conditions for the Southern U.S. A La Niña phase can cause rainfall patterns to deviate significantly from normal, Zierden said, typically 20 percent to 30 percent less in the Southwest and as much as a 50 percent drop in parts of Florida.
2011 a battle of will for Texas cotton grower
Even with 2011 offering him the worst growing conditions he’s ever faced, Shawn Holladay, who farms near Lamesa, Texas, says his commitment to stay with his cotton production plan and to keep his land worked and ready to make a crop at all times never wavered.
Trapping feral hogs a test of patience
Trapping wild pigs is a lot more complicated than setting a trap and waiting until a pig stumbles into it. Successful trapping requires reconnaissance, bait selection, attention to detail in building the trap — and, perhaps most important, patience.
Weather concerns reigned over cotton industry in 2011
Weather, to no one’s surprise, topped the list of 2011 concerns for cotton consultants and their clients. Weather issues included the gamut from record-setting drought, unrelenting heat, devastating floods, humidity and hail stones as big as lemons.
