AgFax Cotton - Louisiana

By AgFax Media LLC, AgFax.com

LOUISIANA CROP REPORTS:

Gary Wolfe, La-Ark Agricultural Consulting, Ida, Louisiana:

"We haven't had any big rains but are receiving enough little rains to cause problems and it's still in the forecast. A little dryland cotton has been picked but it was probably a bit too wet and the cotton didn't pick well. After the stalks were shredded, the ground was kind of white with cotton that was left behind. 

"Again, that was dryland cotton and it wasn't going to be that good anyway. This was a case where a grower has a good deal of ground to cover and he had to start somewhere. With our dryland cotton, pest pressure has been light and we only had to spray a couple of times. 

"We're hoping that we can make some progress next week. The forecast has had a 50% to 60% chance of rain every day, but a drying trend is supposed to come into play next Tuesday. We're seeing a little regrowth.

"The main change I expect for 2019 will be more cover crops. Where we had some this year, cotton held up better on droughty ground. This won't be a huge, sudden change but the trend is shifting to more cover cropping."

Dan Fromme, Louisiana Extension Cotton and Corn Specialist:

"Maybe 1% to 2% of the cotton has been picked and a lot of fields have been defoliated. But we're kind of sitting here now (9/11) with wet and cloudy conditions, so things have shut down. We have some really good cotton if we can just get it out of the field.

"Most cotton is pretty well open. If it hadn't been for rainy conditions, we would be hitting it pretty hard now. Usually, Louisiana gets pounded, but we haven't had as much rain from these last systems as they're reporting in other parts of the Midsouth. So far, I haven't seen any sprouting, so we've been fortunate in that regard. With sunshine and dry weather, it shouldn't take long to get back in the field."