With the majority of our cotton acreage yet to be planted, many have asked how late should I plant? To answer that question, you must estimate current lint yield potential. Dr. Shawn Butler, who recently finished his PhD in the UT Cotton Agronomy Program, compiled data from 10 field trials in Tennessee, Mississippi and Missouri to assist those interested in estimating lint yield potential based on planting date and plant population (not seeding rate, but actual plants emerged per acre). The figure above was generated with that data.
Reports of blanks in wheat heads began trickling in last week and by this week became common. The impacted areas appear to run northeast from Hardeman/Fayette Counties through Madison county and into Henry County. The injury I’ve observed has ranged from light to severe, with the worst injury appearing on acres that were planted in early October. From the windshield, the injury will likely not be noticeable; at a distance, the wheat may simply appear to be maturing rapidly (see image above). Estimated yield loss from the picture above equaled 40%. 
Last week was beautiful. As we were all in the midst of figuring out life during unprecedented times, nature appeared to thumb her nose at the COVID-19 pandemic; dogwoods in full bloom, crappie moving into shallow water, tree shaking gobbles echoing through t-shirt temperature mornings. But after almost a week of beautiful weather in West Tennessee, Easter brought a cold and unfortunately hazardous front through the area that will likely stay with us through the week. As I write this on Monday, the forecast for nighttime temperatures sits in the mid to lower 30s for the next several days. These temperatures likely summon difficult memories of the Easter Freeze of 2007. With that in mind, I wanted to pass along a little information that will hopefully put you at ease. 
