Farmers Gather to Discuss New Cotton Gin
Farmers, ag dealers, and crop consultants gathered in Branford to discuss the potential for the newest cotton gin in the southeast. Mr. Van Murphy, General Manager of BCT Gin, said their organization...
View ArticlePalmer Amaranth Ahead of Cotton Planting
Planting time is rapidly approaching and I am concerned about our level of preparedness for dealing with Palmer Amaranth in our cotton production. Many of you may know these weeds have been found to be...
View ArticleStrip Tilling Cotton (Video)
B&L Farms in Live Oak Strip tilling cotton on April 25, 2013. Soil was a little slick, with 2″ of rain 4 days ago. Weather refuses to get “April-like,” with highs barely in the 80s. We have...
View ArticleParaquat/Fomesafen Mixing Recommendations (Revised)
Area farmers are putting out pre-emerge herbicides behind the cotton planters this week. I have recommended using a herbicide program for resistant Palmer Amaranth including the use of fomesafen...
View ArticlePlanting….And Replanting….Cotton
Here in Columbia County I have been working with a farmers to setup cotton planters and make adjustments. We are setting up this KMC Strip-till rig and John Deere planter to plant about 2.25 seeds...
View ArticleFlorida Wheat Harvest (Video)
B&L Farms of Live Oak, FL have kicked off wheat harvest here in North Florida. This was these young farmers first year growing wheat after their interest was piqued by a farm tour hosted by William...
View ArticlePalmer Amaranth a Challenge in Cotton (Part 2)
While we appear to be winning the battle. I can see we are missing weeds with multiple methods of control, and we need better control to win the war in the long term. One thing I will say, I wish we...
View ArticlePalmer Amaranth Control a Challenge in Cotton (Part 1)
We have been aggressively fighting Palmer amaranth (pigweed) in the cotton fields of Columbia County. Most of our farmers are planting varieties tolerant to Liberty herbicide, which is no silver...
View ArticleCotton Week: Rainfall Leaching Plant Nutrients
We have been blessed with rainfall this spring throughout North Florida, and it has ensured excellent stands in our planted crops and kept our crops free from moisture stress. In most cases the amount...
View ArticleCotton Week: PGR
I don’t think there is anyone in this industry that would disagree the use of Plant Growth Regulator (PGR) in cotton is more of an art than a science. Because cotton growth is such a complex...
View ArticleCotton Week: Scouting for Stinkbugs
We have a really good cotton crop on our hands in this area, primarily a result of timely planting, good stands, and sufficient rainfall. The challenge with cotton isn’t typically making the squares,...
View ArticleCotton Week: Cleaning Up Late Weeds
For many of our cotton farmers this is their first year to grow cotton. We have struggled with the challenges of managing Palmer amaranth as they have throughout the cotton belt. Some of this is...
View ArticleCotton Week: Wrap-up
I have shared some of the observations and activities from area cotton fields in posts this week. The USDA estimates Florida cotton acreage is up 16% from 108,000 acres in 2012 to 125,000 in 2013. The...
View ArticleAgronomic Row Crops Field Day July 30th
Please Join Us: Agronomic Row Crops Field Day Suwannee Valley Agricultural Extension Center 8202 CR 417, Live Oak, FL 32060 Tuesday, July 30th, 2013 Registration 5:00 pm, Visit with Industry...
View ArticleCotton Defoliation (Video)
Area farmers recently gathered in Wellborn and Ft. White, Florida to discuss The Why, When, and How of Cotton Defoliation. Many of our mid-April planted fields are at 70-80% open bolls, and later...
View ArticleFarmers Report Good Cotton Yields (Video)
Our area had a large increase in cotton acres in 2013 due to favorable prices and interest in crop rotation. Many farmers in the area have been talking about their crops and I am hearing reports...
View ArticleCotton Harvest Kickoff (Video)
Many area farmers have told me that they grew cotton previously in 1994 or 1995. I looked back on price charts and see that cotton was $1.10 per pound in the spring of 1995, so it is not tough to...
View ArticleCotton Variety Trial (Video)
One of our local cooperating farmers has harvested the UF/IFAS On-farm Cotton Variety Trial. This plot has been put in by the Fulford Farm in Monticello, FL for the past two years. The yield data are...
View ArticleWhat Can I Plant to Make Some Money?
In my recent Extension Advisory Committee meetings before wrapping up for 2013 one thing that was emphasized was economic sustainability must continue to be a component of UF/IFAS Extension...
View ArticleBelle of the Ball
I was caught off guard this week when a reporter from WCJB-TV, Lauren Lettelier, contacted me about the increase in cotton farming in our region. Her interests included a particular emphasis on...
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