As more aggressive action has been taken to confront the climate crisis under the Biden Administration, environmental sustainability issues have become more relevant. Interest in the value of cover crops as a means to preserve and improve cropland has continually increased. Cover crop use has once again been on the rise (2017 Census of Agriculture) as our producers continually seek …

As we roll into September, it is time to start thinking about defoliating our cotton crop. As I have driven around the state in the month of August, I have already seen a number of fields ready to defoliate, particularly dryland fields in Southwest Georgia that were planted in late April/early May. I know that the weather in the past …

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – National Cotton Council Chairman Ted Schneider said the U.S. cotton industry applauds USDA for promoting sustainable farming practices through its Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities — including the new Climate Smart Cotton Program led by the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. The Louisiana producer stated that, “The U.S. cotton industry is committed to sustainability and to protecting the environment. The $90 …

Terminating Insecticide Applications: The decision to terminate insect controls can be challenging in some fields but a few basic considerations will assist in that decision. When evaluating a field a grower must first identify the last boll population which will significantly contribute to yield (bolls which you plan to harvest). In some situations the last population of bolls which you will harvest is …

 Articles in this month’s issue include:  High Abandonment Acres for U.S. Cotton Projected Due to Drought (Yangxuan Liu) Importance of End of Season Irrigation Termination and Disease Control in Cotton (Bob Kemerait, Wesley Porter, David Hall, Jason Mallard) Weather and Climate outlook for September 2022 and Beyond (Pam Knox) Late Season Management Considerations for Diseases and Nematodes (Bob Kemerait) Terminating …

Farmers and ranchers have been leasing land as a strategy to expand their operations for generations. Today, approximately 39% of farmland operated in the United States is leased, with most farmers operating a mixture of leased and owned land (Bigelow 2016). Leasing farmland is also an affordable way for young and beginning farmers to get started and gain economies of …

Every year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) releases its projected harvest acres for U.S. cotton starting in August. The report provides updated information about expected U.S. cotton production. In 2022, the U.S. planted 12.3 million acres of upland cotton, the highest in 3 years, which was mainly due to historically high cotton prices during …

Heirs property has become an important topic in agriculture. The term “heirs property,” describes a form of ownership where at least some of the owners have acquired the property through inheritance. As the property passes down through the generations, more and more people are co-owners, making the property unmanageable. As time passes, some owners may not be able to be …

In a recent report by the Agricultural & Food Policy Center (AFPC), we provided an overview of the agricultural provisions included in the recently-passed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022. The IRA was a Senate-led compromise that broke the months-long logjam over the Build Back Better (BBB) Act that had been stalled in the Senate. As noted in Figure 1, …

Trade is very important to production agriculture in the United States. Over the last decade, 2011 to 2020, agricultural exports have accounted for over one-third of U.S. gross farm income, 33.7 percent (USDA ERS and FAS). U.S. gross farm income ranged from $399.4 billion in 2016 to $470.3 billion in 2014 while U.S. agricultural exports ranged from $137.2 to $154.5 …

The Risk Management Agency (RMA) is responsible for rating crop insurance in an actuarially sound way. Unlike private insurance companies, RMA is not driven by profit when determining rates. Premium rates do not include the cost of sales, underwriting, loss adjustments, or the operating costs of RMA. Legislative language instructs that “the amount of the premium shall be sufficient to cover …

PERRY/TIFTON, Ga. – The Georgia Cotton Commission, Georgia Peanut Commission and the University of Georgia Extension Cotton and Peanut Teams, will co-sponsor a joint research field day on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, in Tifton, Georgia. The field day will start at 8:00 a.m. at the Tifton Campus Conference Center (TCCC) in the North Parking Lot. After a brief welcome, field …