The 2024 UT Cotton Tour is NEXT WEDNESDAY, Sept. 11 at the West Tennessee Research and Education Center (605 Airways Blvd, Jackson, TN 38305).  Pesticide recertification and CCA points will be available.  Tulum will be catering lunch for us.

We will be spraying a defoliation demo tomorrow at the experiment station that will be along the tour route.  Additionally, we will have presentations from Dr. Sebe Brown on insect control, Dr. Larry Steckel on weed control, Dr. Heather Kelly on diseases, Dr. Avat Shekoofa on irrigation response, and Dr. Nutifafa Adotey on a fertility update.  I’m very happy to report the slate of speakers will again include Dr. Jake McNeal, our new Corn and Soybean Specialist who started last spring.  He will make a few comments about a few of the research trials he has established at WTREC and some preliminary results from a soybean desiccation study. The agenda for the event can be found by following this link. Look forward to seeing you there!

I’ve spent the better part of the past three days walking cotton throughout West Tennessee, and while I’m pleasantly surprised by our earliest planted acres, I’m concerned the crop in many areas may fall well-short of what we might have expected at the end of July. In this blog, I briefly share my thoughts on how I would approach terminating irrigation in 2024 and what I believe may be our best first-shot blend for defoliating our earliest acres. Continue reading →

The 2024 MidSouth Cotton Defoliation Guide is now available online.  You can access the guide by clicking the above image or any of the embedded links within this post. This guide was compiled and is updated yearly by Extension Cotton Specialists from throughout the Mid-South.

A drastic change in weather pattern has brought cooler temperatures and rainfall into the forecast for the remaining days of July.  Recent calls have questioned how we might need to change our approach to plant growth regulation and fungicides, given this abnormal forecast.  In this blog, I highlight a couple of things to consider as we move into next week. Continue reading →

TAPA Meeting Registration : https://tapa.tennessee.edu/meetings/

The Lodge at Pickwick Landing
Below is the direct URL for attendees to book through. Group code is good through June 21!  You are welcome to call directly at 731-689-3135 x 0 or the call center at 888-867-2757 use code 25213. Continue reading →

In almost every cotton-related conversation I had during early May, the conversation quickly turned to our excellent early planting window- a window which opened earlier in 2024 than any of recent memory.  Since then, most have fought to find an opportunity to mud in any acres and many are now considering shifting some farms to soybeans.  In this blog, I attempt to cover yield potential of a late planted cotton crop and highlight several very important factors to consider when planting cotton at the end of our ‘normal’ planting window. Continue reading →

I am happy to report the agenda for the 2024 Cotton Focus has been set and we have a very informative lineup. We will start the morning out with a Cotton Specialist Roundtable with Dr. Brian Pieralisi (MS), Mr. Tyler Sandlin (AL), and Dr. Bradley Wilson (MO) discussing their season observations, tips for 2024, and things they will be watching over the coming year.  Next, we will have Dr. Thomas Ducey with USDA from Florence, SC discussing the emerging field of Biologicals- you will not want  to miss his section!  Our late morning section will include the always valuable updates from Dr. Lori Duncan, Dr. Aaron Smith, Dr. Sebe Brown, Dr. Larry Steckel, Dr. Nutifafa Adotey and Dr. Heather Kelly.  Finally, we will close out the meeting with a catered lunch from Tulum.  Pesticide and CCA points will be available.  Looking forward to seeing each of you there!