Owen Taylor, Editor
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OVERVIEW

Here is our first AgFax Southeast Cotton Harvest Report for 2011.

Thanks to everyone who completed our very brief survey.

If you are on our next survey request list, please take a minute (or less) to let our community of readers know how harvest is progressing in your area.

HARVEST REPORTS

Georgia, Burke County, Extension: "We have harvested 65% of the crop. Irrigated cotton is averaging about 1,250 lbs/acre and dryland cotton is averaging about 450.”

• What helped this season?: IRRIGATION!

• What hurt this season?: Drought and pigweed.

• Do different next year?: Continue our efforts to control pigweed.

• How are your other crops turning out?: Fair.

Alabama, Cherokee County, Grower: “We have picked about 60% of the crop (as of 10/31). Average yield is about 900 lbs/acre.”

• What helped this season?: Plenty of rain in July and light plant bug pressure.

• What hurt this season?: August drought and heat.

• How are your other crops turning out?: Corn was excellent 150-plus bu/acre. Beans have been 35 to 40 bu/acre.

North Carolina, Lenoir County, Grower: “We have finished harvests. Average yield was 150 lbs/acre.”

• What helped this season?: I don't know.

• What hurt this season?: Dry weather and heat.

• How are your other crops turning out?: Wheat was good, tobacco was sorry, corn was good. Our cotton was sorry. Beans look fair.

Virginia, Surry County, Extension: “We have picked abouyt 60% of the cotton crop (as of 10/31). Average yield, so far, is about 750 lbs/acre.”

• What helped this season?: Timely summer rains.

• What hurt this season?: Hurricane Irene and weekly rains with cloudy days, which limited defoliation and harvest.

• Do different next year?: The 2011 crop looked to be one of the best in a long time, but an unusual fall is making harvest a challenge. We will market cotton more agressively on rallies.

• How are your other crops turning out?: Corn, peanut and soybean yields are good to excellent. We just need good drying weather to get back in the fields.

Alabama, Central Alabama, Grower and Dealer: “We are at approximately 65% to 70% harvested (as of 10/31). Cotton averages anywhere from 500 lbs/acre  dryland to 1,300 lbs/acre dryland. Our irrigated cotton ranges from 1,200 to 1,600 lbs/acre, thus far.”

• What helped this season?: Rain where it fell on a timely basis.

• What hurt this season?: Intense heat and less than timely rainfall.

• How are your other crops turning out?: Corn ran from 12 to 120 bu/acre dryland. Our soybeans are running from 4 to 40 bu/acre. Overall, peanuts are running from 2,800 to 4,800 lbs/acre on the small amount of acreage we have in central Alabama.

North Carolina, Sampson, Harnett, Cumberland and Johnston Counties, Grower and Dealer: “We have picked 50% of our cotton crop (as of 10/31) Average yield, so far, is abour 450 lbs/acre.”

• What helped this season?: Nothing, really, but rain where we got it.

• What hurt this season?: Hot and dry conditions – and a lot of both.

• Do different next year?: We will have more wheat and beans in this market next year and less corn. Cotton acreage will remain about the same.

• How are your other crops turning out?: Less than average.

Georgia, Bulloch County, Grower: Nothing harvested yet.

• What helped this season?: Some timely rain.

• What hurt this season?: Lack of rain, excessive heat.

• How are your other crops turning out?: Fair.

South Carolina, Marlboro County, Grower: “We’ve picked about 70% of the crop (as of 10/31). Average yield, so far, is about 600 lbs/acre.”

• What helped this season?: Weed control especially pigweed control.

• What hurt this season?: Excessive heat in July and August, along with dry weather.

• Do different next year?: Cotton acres will be reduced due to current wheat and soybean futures that will result in a shift in acres to doublecrop grain and soybeans. Expect to shift remaining cotton acres into a Phytogen variety to have access to Ignite postemergence. As for marketing, we will discontinue use of a cooperative marketing pool and market cotton ourselves through a merchant/gin. Forward pricing will be necessary.

• How are your other crops turning out?: Peanuts are averaging 3,750 to 4,000 lbs/acre. Corn averaged 120 bu/acre. Soybeans not yet harvested but I estimate they will average 35 to 40 bu/acre.

North Carolina, Northampton County, Grower: “We have completed harvest. Average yield is about 850 lb/acre.”

• What hurt this season?: Hurricane Irene.

• How are your other crops turning out?: Very well.

Georgia, Ben Hill, Irwin, Coffee and Appling Counties, Consultant: “We have completed harvest on 40% to 50% of our crop (as of 10/30). Average irrigated yields, so far, are ranging from 1,400 to 1,600 lbs/acre. Dryland cotton is averaging 600 to 800 lbs/acre. We do have one area where dryland cotton is going 1,200 to 1,400 lbs/acre.”

• What helped this season?: No boll rot, excellent weed control, light insect pressure and variety selections.

• What hurt this season?: Poor stands and dry and hot weather.

• Do different next year?: We will know what varieties can and will come up in hotter-than-normal planting conditions.

• How are your other crops turning out?: Irrigated peanuts are ranging from 5,000 to 6,000 lbs/acre, while dryland peanuts are running 500 to 2,500. In one area, dryland peanuts are yielding 4,500 to 5,800.

South Carolina, Marlboro County, Grower: “We have completed harvest. Average yield was about 800 lbs/acre.”

• What helped this season?: Irrigation.

• What hurt this season?: Drought.

• How are your other crops turning out?: Good for the conditions.

Georgia, Mitchell County, Grower: “We’ve picked about 75% of the crop (as of 10/31). Yield is about 875 lbs/acre, which doesn't tell the whole story. Not much has been ginned yet. But by estimating modules, I'm guessing that the dryland we've picked, so far, ranged from 500 to 700 pounds, while the irrigated ranged from 1,200 to 1,500 lbs/acre. Most of what we lack is irrigated, so I expect the average yield to increase considerably.”

• What helped this season?: IRRIGATION! Abnormally light insect pressure helped, also.

• What hurt this season?: Drought, obviously, although it's a mixed blessing, as we normally lose a good deal of cotton to boll rot, but didn't lose anything this year.

• How are your other crops turning out?: Corn did exceptionally well where we had enough water but nothing at all in the dry corners, even though they were planted at a considerably lower population. Peanuts did very well, depending on variety. Our peanuts are mostly irrigated, but some of the dryland ones were much better than expected.

ALSO AT AGFAX.COM

Alabama: Row Crop Harvest in Full Swing 10-31. USDA

Georgia: Cotton Official Dryland Variety Trial - Athens 10-31. On the Farm

South Carolina: Little Rain Allows Peanut and Cotton Harvest to Resume 10-31. USDA

Virginia: Cold, Rainy Weather Slow Field Activities 11-01. USDA

Roundup-Resistant Bluegrass Confirmed In Tennessee 10-31

Georgia: Cotton Official Dryland Variety Trial - Tifton 10-31. On the Farm

Georgia: Cotton Harvest Progresses with Mostly Pleasant Surprises 10-31. USDA

Doane Closing Cotton Commentary

DTN Cotton: Open | Close

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