Articles in this month’s issue include:
- Recordkeeping for the Future (Taylor Singleton)
- Considering Diseases and Nematodes between Planting and First Bloom (Bob Kemerait)
- Seedling Vigor (Wade Parker and Camp Hand)
- Are Seeding Rates the Place to Cut? (Camp Hand)
- Cotton Development in the Early Season (Josh Lee, John Snider, and Camp Hand)
- Early Season Irrigation Requirements for Cotton (Wesley Porter, David Hall, Jason Mallard, Phillip Edwards, and Daniel Lyon)
- Do I need to Spray for Thrips? (Phillip Roberts)
- Grasshopper Questions (Phillip Roberts)
- Cotton, Peanut, and Soybean Scout Schools (Phillip Roberts)
Recordkeeping for the Future (Taylor Singleton): Its officially the best time of year (in my opinion) …warm weather and timely rains mean its finally time to put some seed in the ground! I’m always itching to plant something coming out of winter, so its exciting to see planters rolling through fields.
While this month’s newsletter will highlight preplant/early season considerations for you to think about, there’s no doubt you are making a ton of decisions right now. As you think through what the season will likely have in store, and how to prepare for these challenges ahead of time, I would encourage you to think about your recordkeeping practices, and how the notes you keep can support your sustainability for years to come. And by “sustainability”, I mean your ability to continue farming your land in a way that is profitable and environmentally sound.
This year’s Using Pesticides Wisely training included an update on recent changes surrounding pesticide regulations as well what to expect in the years to come. Hopefully by now this is not new information to you, but if so know that when it comes to pesticide registration and use, compliance with the Endangered Species Act (the federal law that protects endangered and threatened species from harm) is set to completely change how we use pesticide products on the farm. While most (but not all) of this regulation is still being proposed and isn’t finalized (yet), we can expect to be required by the pesticide label to implement mitigation practices that prevent/minimize the movement of pesticides out of a treated field through spray drift, surface runoff, or erosion. The good news – several of the practices included on the proposed “mitigation menu” are already implemented on cotton farms around the state (cover crops, conservation tillage, grassed waterways, terraces, etc.). However, if mitigation measures are going to be required by the label in the future, we have to start thinking about how we will document that we are doing these practices. [READ MORE]