Tyson Raper, Cotton & Small Grains Specialist, Author at UT Crops News (2024)

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 →

The 2024 Cotton Focus Event is TODAY, Wednesday, Feb. 7th starting at 8AM. We have a great lineup of speakers. CCA, Master Row Crop, and Commercial Applicator Points will be available. Lunch will be provided by Tulum. Please find a copy of the agenda below. Look forward to seeing you there!

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!

The 2024 University of Tennessee Cotton Focus is coming up on February 7th from 8AM to 1PM in Jackson, TN at the West Tennessee Research and Education Center (605 Airways Blvd Jackson, TN 38301). Lunch will be provided and CCA, Commercial Applicator and Master Row Crop Points will be available. Tulum will be catering lunch.

We have several excellent speakers that will provide very valuable insight into several important decisions that we will have to make during 2024. We look forward to seeing you there!

The 2023 Tennessee Cotton Variety Trial Results (PB 1742) are now available online. Included within these results are thirteen large strip trials (CSTs) testing 13 XtendFlex commercial varieties, four large strip trials (CSTs) testing 6 Enlist commercial varieties, and eight small plot trials (OVTs) testing 44 experimental and commercial varieties.

Special thanks to all of the agents and producers who helped generate this data. Additionally, thanks to the USDA Classing Office in Memphis for assisting with this effort. If you have any questions on location response or variety placement, please do not hesitate to reach out directly to your county agent.

While we’ve been steadily moving through harvesting our trials, I’ve been paying close attention to the night temperatures forecast for the three day stretch centered on Halloween. Fortunately, there are only a few acres left that might require any more boll opener; I cannot recall a more productive year harvested in such a short timeframe. Still, for those trying to prepare their latest planted acres for the picker, the time to make that final application of boll opener is NOW. In this article, I briefly cover rates and products I would consider for applications going out today (10/25) or tomorrow (10/26).

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