From walking the fields with farmer Cecil Parker in Vidalia and working alongside longtime LSU AgCenter Agent Glen Daniels while a student at Vidalia High and Copiah-Lincoln, Matt Foster is now representing the state of Louisiana as an LSU AgCenter Assistant Professor and cotton, corn and grain sorghum specialist.
Foster will be a featured speaker at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Outlook Forum on Friday in Washington D.C.
Read MoreKody Beavers and Louisiana State University AgCenter are the 2023 recipients of the Agricultural Achievement Award.
The award is presented each year to a farming operation and university that have worked together cooperatively to promote innovation, efficiency, quality, safety, conservation, and environmental practices. The award is presented at the Southern Cotton Ginners Association annual meeting.
Read MoreLSU AgCenter’s cotton, corn and grain sorghum specialist Matt Foster will be a featured speaker at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Outlook Forum on Feb. 23-24 in Washington, D.C.
Foster will provide an overview of cotton research and production in Louisiana, and focus on advances in biotechnology, which are enhancing cotton production.
Read MoreU.S. cotton producers intend to plant 11.4 million cotton acres this spring, down 17.0 percent from 2022, according to the National Cotton Council’s 42nd Annual Early Season Planting Intentions Survey.
Read MoreLouisiana US Senator Bill Cassidy joined Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) in pressing Chinese fast fashion company SHEIN for answers and calling for increased transparency following reports that its products are made with cotton from Chinese slave labor.
Read MoreNortheast Louisiana crop consultant Hank Jones has been honored as the 2022 Cotton Consultant of the Year.
Read MoreWhen I was a kid we plowed deep, planted black cottonseed and sprayed the heck out of the crop. We have solved a lot of problems since then and a great many of those problems have been tackled at the beginning stage of growing the crop.
Starting with the right seed is the most important decision a grower can make when planting season rolls around.
The changes to seed and plant traits in my lifetime have been miraculous, from seed coatings that protect the seed and young plant from disease to the genetic alterations that control our biggest pests.
Read MoreVolatility will continue to rule the cotton market in 2023 with China remaining the dominant force when it comes to demand.
Speaking at the annual meeting of Southern Cotton Growers/Southeastern Cotton Ginners at the Marriott Myrtle Beach Grand Dunes in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Cotton Incorporated Senior Economist Jon Devine said volatility in prices, volatility in supply and demand, and uncertainty about choppy business conditions in each stage of the supply will impact the market.
Read MoreTwelve new commercial cotton varieties will be available for cotton producers in 2023. It’s a diverse showcase featuring increased yield potential, higher quality and new technology.
Read MoreMovement in cotton benchmarks was mixed over the past month.
Despite relatively wide intraday changes, movement in the March NY/ICE contract, values were constrained within the range between 79 and 89 cents/lb that has held them since early November.
Prices for the December NY/ICE 2023 contract, reflecting market expectations for the 2023/24 crop year, have followed a gentle upward trend defined by a series of higher lows. That trend pulled prices up from 75 cents/lb in early November to values over 80 cents/lb.
The A Index was stable over the past month, holding to levels near 100 cents/lb.
The Ag Achievement Award, which is presented each year to a farming operation and university that have worked together cooperatively to promote innovation, efficiency, quality, safety, conservation, and environmental practices. Kody Beavers and Louisiana State University AgCenter, are the 2023 recipients of the award.
Read MoreCotton production can be financially stressful and for many cotton producers in Oklahoma and Texas, the 2022 crop was a disappointment. Price and yield prospects withered like cooked cabbage as the hot and dry growing season wore on. However, it is not too early to be thinking about plans for the 2023 cotton crop with most of the short crop harvest just behind us.
Read MoreResearchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service have bred four cotton lines that can be used to make self-extinguishing textiles when exposed to fire. The hope is that these cotton lines will reduce the need for flame-retardant chemicals to be embedded in consumer products.
The new cotton lines were developed from cultivated varieties with a novel flame-retardant trait. When exposed to an open flame, the fabric from the new cotton lines self-extinguished compared to regular cotton fabric, which burned entirely in seconds.
Read MoreThe visionary cotton producers who formed the Cotton Research and Promotion Program in the 1960s knew that to stay relevant in our industry they had to come together to tell the story of U.S. cotton.
Over the years, the story of cotton’s advantages over synthetic fibers has evolved, expanded and become multi-faceted with different messages targeting different audiences. One of the most important messages recently has been that U.S. cotton farmers are committed to sustainability and continuous improvement on their farms.
Read MoreThe Cotton Board has promoted Emily Wyonzek to Vice President of Operations for the organization.
Bill Gillon, President and CEO of The Cotton Board, stated, “Emily has demonstrated the kind of dedication, management skills, and commitment to innovation that are the hallmarks of successful leaders. Among other things, she has directed the Human Resource operations of The Cotton Board, managed our four Regional Communications Managers, and helped guide the strategic priorities of the organization. Specifically, along with our Director of Communications, Emily and her team have used the Cotton & Coffee platform and strong Cotton Incorporated tour participation to ensure producer stakeholders in the Cotton Research and Promotion Program are more aware of the great work being done by Cotton Incorporated.”
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