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By Ken E. Legé, Ph.D.

Panhandle: 

Good to very good planting conditions persist throughout most of this upcoming week, but be aware of the rainfall and cooler temperatures forecast for the weekend and the first part of next week.  With the favorable temperatures for the better part of this week, I’m sure many of you will be able to cover quite a few acres of cotton.

As always, monitor soil moisture and temperatures closely, as each field is unique and present a different planting situation.

Southern High Plains

From a temperature perspective, good to very good planting conditions persist throughout most of this upcoming week; however, most of you are awaiting rainfall before planting cotton, and hopefully we have relief coming toward the weekend and first part of next week.

If you have some irrigated fields that you’ve been able to pre-water, you could certainly plant those the first part of this week.  However, I realize most of the irrigated fields will need to wait for a rain to plant, as will, of course, all dryland fields.

Continue to pray that the rain will materialize this upcoming weekend!

April 17, 2023

By Ken Legé, Ph.D.

The High Plains planting conditions forecast report shows DD60 accumulation over a week and a half in Lubbock, and Plainview, Texas, with predicted planting conditions for the next five days — this takes into account air temperature forecast.  In the comments section, I have placed comments that also take into account things like soil temps (via the mesonet) and the rain and air temp forecast.

This week’s report is simple:  I recommend waiting for better conditions, hopefully later next week, as we are forecast to experience temperatures that would be very conducive to chilling injury or even seedling death.

While this report only shows the forecast for Lubbock and Plainview, the intention is to check your local forecast and consider the temperature and other factors in making a well-informed planting decision.

Additionally, North Carolina State University has developed a very good tool to develop a similar planting conditions forecast to a specific location.  Find it here:  Cotton Planting Conditions Calculator – Products | North Carolina State Climate Office (ncsu.edu)  Simply scroll on the map to your specific location (you can drill down to an individual field, if you want), and hit ‘submit.’

Another good rule of thumb to consider during this time of year:  the soil temperature at seed depth will be within 1⁰F of the low temperature (which is usually around dawn) for a 24 hr period.

By Kara Bishop

On February 14th, the Farwell community gathered in the high school gymnasium to celebrate the Williamses and their contributions to the cotton industry. 

The Williamses have produced cotton near Farwell, Texas, for four generations, according to Southwest Farm Press reporter Shelley Huguley. In the last 10 years they’ve expanded their operation 150 miles north to Dalhart. They produce cotton, corn, wheat and sorghum on roughly 18,000 acres of farmland. 

“My involvement with the Williams family began long before I came to work for Plains Cotton Growers,” said Steve Verett, producer in Crosby County and former executive vice president of PCG. “I met Bert first, which is Mark’s dad and one thing that always amazed me is how their family operation supported Bert, Mark, Mark’s two brothers and Bert’s son-in-law. They were all able to live off of one operation and were very successful farmers.” 

According to Verett and Shawn Holladay, producer in Dawson County and National Cotton Council chair, Mark was an influential contributor to PCG.

“Mark was always ‘looking over the hill,’ and futuristic in his approach to farming,” Verett added. “He was one of the first farmers to realize the water was depleting in Parmer County and started growing cover crops before we really even called them that.”

Holladay said Mark mentored him and encouraged him to increase his involvement in producer organizations. 

“I had been farming for a little over a decade when I began to get involved with Lamesa Cotton Growers,” Holladay added. “It wasn’t long before I expanded into the Plains Cotton Growers organization and Mark really took me under his wing. I owe a lot to him.” 

Mark served on many organizations and, according to his friends, “so supportive of his community and industry. If you wanted something done, he would help you.” 

He served as American Cotton Producers chairman, Plains Cotton Growers president and was the inaugural Southwest Council of Agribusiness president. Mark fought for the 1996 Farm Bill and remembers standing on stage with House Ag committee Chairman Larry Combest when President Bill Clinton signed it into law. 

“I can’t tell you what he means to me personally,” Verett added. “He was on the PCG officer team when we started ramping up our political advocacy. He is a lifelong friend and was a great encouragement to me over the years.”

The Williams farm includes Mark and his sons Ryan, Russel and Reagan, each playing different roles in making the operation successful. And while this award was given to the family, Ryan says it really belongs to his father. “This award is for my dad. He’s the one who deserves it.” 

Contributions from Shelley Huguley’s story in Southwest Farm Press were made to this story. Read Huguley’s article here.

The Plains Cotton Growers Inc. 66th Annual Meeting will be held on March 28, 2023, at the Overton Hotel and Conference Center in Lubbock, Texas.

This year, online registration is available and highly encouraged.

What’s New

• Tyne Morgan, host of the U.S. Farm Report will emcee the event and provide an agriculture industry outlook.
• Keynote speaker John Kriesel will present during lunch, which is provided to all attendees.
• PCG has partnered with the High Plains Journal and StoneX Group to provide workshops following the annual meeting.
• High Plains Journal Cotton U Workshop
  • Legacy panel featuring unique farm partnerships
  • Breakout sessions:
    • Weed Management Challenges in 2023 by Dr. Pete Dotray
    • Sustainable Farming with the Water is Gone by Barry Evans
    • 2023 Farm Bill Outlook by Robbie Minnich
  • Farmer panel moderated by Crosby County Producer Steve Verett
• StoneX Cotton Marketing and Hedging Workshop
  • Introduction to StoneX by Donna Hughes
  • Wheat and Small Grains Outlook by Dr. Mark Welch
  • Cotton Outlook by John Robinson
  • Crops, Fertilizer and Interest Rates Hedging by Jared Morgan
  • Risk Management Strategies- Futures, Options, and OTC Products by Bailey Thomen
  • CEU Credit Course by Texas AgriLife Extension Service
• Cotton U Social Event

We are excited for this year’s event! Pre-Registration is highly encouraged.

The Emergency Relief Program (ERP) Phase 2 Calculator is now available. This tool can help you determine eligibility for Phase 2 and provide an estimated program payment calculation.

Enrollment began yesterday (Jan. 23, 2023) and runs through July 14, 2023.

If you have any questions, call the office at 806-792-4904.