Each year, I have the privilege of working alongside some great cotton seed companies to perform some cotton variety trials. In these trials, we typically have mostly varieties that are already available to the farmer, but sometimes we add in a few experimental varieties that certain companies are hoping to bring to the market the following year. We conduct these cotton variety trials each year, in hopes of being able to make better decisions on which varieties will be most suitable in various situations.
This year’s variety trials showed some excellent results. We had one trial that was dry land in Wilcox County, and an irrigated trial in Turner County. These trials were conducted alongside Josh Mayfield of Bayer CropScience, so a majority of the varieties consisted of Stoneville and Fibermax varieties. We saw good results from both of these varieties. Even though the plot in Wilcox County was extremely dry, we were still able to get some good data from the trial by being able to see how tolerant those varieties can be in drought situations.
Attached below are the results of these two trials. We will hopefully be posting an update of a third trial soon. If you have any questions as to how any of these cotton varieties can work for you, call, text, or email me and I will be more than glad to discuss them with you!
In May of 2015, we planted a trial to see how well some of the cotton varieties would perform in some nematode soils. The trial was planted in northeast Turner County under irrigation. In the implementation of this trial, no nematicides or seed treatments were used. We were hoping to see the true tolerance of nematodes in each of these varieties and how they would perform without the use of any treatments.
There were 3 varieties that were in this trial: ST4946GLB2, PHY427WRF, and ST1532GLT. Throughout the entire growing season, we were able to see some great visual responses to each of the varieties. Nematodes were present, which was apparent through leaf discolorations and root galling. However, all varieties seemed to be tolerant of the nematode feedings and overcame any stunting that we’re used to seeing.
At harvest, all 3 varieties performed well. We flew a drone over field ahead of cotton picker, and we were able to get some great visual data of all 3 varieties. There was only approximately 200 pounds difference between the top yielder and the bottom yielder. I am posting a link of the drone footage as well as the yield and gin data results from the trial. If you have any questions in regards to this trial, feel free to contact me to learn more!
On November 2, I was blessed by winning a Young Farmer Award known as the Young Ag Professional Award, representing the South Caucus of Georgia. The Young Ag Professional Award is sponsored by the Georgia Young Farmers Association in cooperation with the Georgia Department of Education and the Division of Agricultural Education.
The purpose of the Young Ag Professional Award is to encourage young men and women who are in the beginning or developmental stages of their agribusiness careers or endeavors. The goal is to provide recognition to those who are showing signs of growth and knowledge both professionally and personally in the field of agribusiness.
After being recognized as the winner of the Young Ag Professional Award in the South Caucus of Georgia, I am now a finalist for the award for the entire state of Georgia. If blessed to win the state award, a plaque and scholarship will be awarded in order to attend the national level at the NYFEA Ag Promise. We are excited to have been recognized for this award in our South GA region, and can’t wait to see what’s in store! Thanks for your love and support!
As most farmers are still in the middle of harvest, I pray that you all have a safe and successful harvest. With the harvest coming to an end soon, it will be time to turn our attention to soil sampling. Soil sampling is vital in the upkeep of the land, so that farmers can capitalize on detection of nutritional deficiencies in each field. Knowing what is in abundance or lacking can help farmers make adjustments through lime and fertilizer, thus optimizing their yield potential for the upcoming crop.
I offer a wide array of sampling venues. Conventional sampling is conducted by breaking down a field and pulling a soil sample per 10 acres. Pulling soil samples this way can help growers increase precision on their sampling compared to most conventional methods.
GPS grid sampling is another venue which has seen tremendous gains over the past few years. GPS grids can be mapped in a field ranging from 1-5 acre grids, with a soil sample being pulled within each grid. GPS grid sampling is done through a computer software called AgFleet, in which the grid data is saved through the software and uploaded into software. That data can then be overlaid and transferred to a software program that can be uploaded into fertilizer trucks, who then can spread the lime and fertilizer according to the GPS grids. This can save growers a tremendous amount of money, because the lime and fertilizer are applied where they are most needed, and helps to create uniformity in each field that have samples pulled on a GPS sample.
However you choose to have your samples pulled, all samples will be pulled with the most advanced sampling technology available. Samples are pulled using a sampler called the Wintex 1000. The Wintex 1000 is a gas powered, hydraulic driven, and computer automated. Through the use of the Wintex 1000, samples are pulled with the utmost precision with each sample taken. The computer automation allows samples to be taken at the same depth each time, allowing the most uniformity possible for each sample taken in each field.
Contact us today for any and all of your soil sampling needs!
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