There's no magic bullet to pin down the potassium deficiency issue Southeast cotton growers face. The K-problem has been a moving target for several years, varying from field to field, within a single field and year to year.
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A burgeoning denim manufacturing operation, near the bank of the Mississippi in eastern Louisiana, is gradually making a name for itself producing fabric for boutique jeans brands around the U.S. Vidalia Mills is a vertical operation, using BASF’s e3 cotton as its primary raw material.
Vidalia management purchased a massive former Fruit of The Loom distribution center during the second half of 2018, converted portions of it to manufacturing operations and began producing denim in 2019. Located in the eponymous small town across the river from Natchez, Miss., Vidalia sources cotton from producers stretching from Texas to the Carolinas.
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As the 2021 crop production season begins, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will contact approximately 1,100 Louisiana producers to determine their plans for the upcoming growing season.
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The LSU AgCenter Northeast Research Station will host a soil health forum on March 17.
The forum is supported by the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation and National Resource Conservation Service. The Patrick F. Taylor Foundation awarded a grant to the LSU AgCenter to fund a four-year research project on reducing nutrient runoff from crop fields.
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Five Louisiana cotton industry members have been named to leadership positions in the National Cotton Council (NCC) for 2021 including Ted Schneider, a Lake Providence producer who was re-elected as NCC vice chairman.
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Pointe Coupee farmer George LaCour was reelected to the Cotton Council International board of directors.
Ted D. Sheely, a producer from Lemoore, Calif., was elected president of Cotton Council International (CCI) for 2021. CCI is the National Cotton Council’s (NCC) export promotion arm and carries out programs in more than 50 countries globally under the COTTON USA trademark.
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Average spot quotations were up 5 points from the previous week, according to the USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service’s Cotton and Tobacco Program. Quotations for the base quality of cotton (color 41, leaf 4, staple 34, mike 35-36 and 43-49, strength 27.0-28.9, and uniformity 81.0-81.9) in the seven designated markets averaged 77.40 cents per pound for the week ending Thursday, February 4, 2021.
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U.S. cotton producers intend to plant 11.5 million cotton acres this spring, down 5.2 percent from 2020 (based on USDA’s February 2021 estimate), according to the National Cotton Council’s 40th Annual Early Season Planting Intentions Survey.
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The February USDA WASDE report did not elicit the pronounced market reaction observed last month. However, the grains exhibited technical selling in the futures market. With that, the corn and soybean markets will be watching for changes in South American production (weather) and export activity which could trigger technical influence in the market as the U.S. planting season approaches.
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Cottonseed companies from across the Cotton Belt provide information about their headliners for the upcoming season to assist growers in making varietal choices.
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As it did throughout 2020, the National Cotton Council will seek any necessary COVID-19-related assistance for its members in 2021.
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Agricultural producers who have not yet enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for 2021 must do so by March 15. Producers who have not yet signed a 2021 enrollment contract or who want to make an election change should contact their local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) office to make an appointment. Program enrollment for 2021 is required in order to participate in the programs, but elections for the 2021 crop year are optional and otherwise remain the same as elections made for 2020.
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Louisiana pesticide applicator recertification looks a little different than in years past. Beginning in the late summer of 2020 the LSU AgCenter worked with Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) to provide different options for commercial pesticide applicators to become recertified to meet state and federal requirements.
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Van Murphy, a cotton grower from Quitman, GA, was elected Chairman of the Board of Cotton Incorporated at the Cotton Board and Cotton Incorporated Joint Meeting in December 2020. Murphy brings a long history of service and experience to the Chairmanship, a two-year term that commences in 2021.
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Several Webinars about crops to be grown this upcoming season have been scheduled by the Louisiana Agricultural Consultants Association.
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