Owen Taylor, Editor

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OVERVIEW

Here is our third of three Harvest Survey Report for 2010.

Along with asking about harvest progress and yields, we posed 4 additional questions:

• What factors most helped production this year?

• What factors most hurt production this year?

• What changes do you expect to make in 2011 in how you grow or market cotton?

• How are your other crops turning out?

For quick comparison, we've broken out the responses to those questions.

ALSO AT AGFAX.COM

• DTN Cotton Report: Open | Close

• Doane Closing Cotton Commentary

• Cotton Sets Daily Volume Record - 101,516 No. 2 Futures Contracts Traded Yesterday 11-11

• E-Central Louisiana: Which Cotton Varieties To Plant, Which To Avoid. Plus, Rice Acreage Outlook For 2011 11-07. From Roger Carter and his colleagues at Agricultural Management Services, Inc.

• Mississippi: American Society of Agronomy Meeting, November 17, Grenada Co. Extension Office

• Midsouth Roundup-Resistant Pigweed Meeting, Forrest City, Arkansas, November 17.

• Alabama-Tennessee, Controlling Roundup-Resistant Weeds, Huntsville, Ala., December 2

• Mississippi State University Extension Service Row Crop Short Course, December 6 - 8, 10 am, Bost Extension Center, Starkville

• Missouri's Delta Center Schedules Crop Scouting School 11-10

HARVEST REPORTS

Thanks to everyone who took part in this week's survey.

  - Owen Taylor, Editor

Arkansas, Crittenden County, Private Consultant: "We have finished cotton harvest. Our average yield was 1,000 lbs/acre."

• What helped this season?: Dry fall made for a speedy harvest.

• What hurt this season?: Hot and dry conditions.

• Do different next year?: High cotton prices will most likely drive up cotton acres in my area.

• How are other crops turning out?: Rice and soybean yields have both been substantially lower this year.

Arkansas, Jefferson County, Extension: "We have completed harvest. Cotton averaged 1,050 lbs/acre."

• What helped this season?: Good question. With overhead and nighttime heat, there should have been much more damage in my opinion. I suppose timely irrigations must have kept this crop fruiting.

• What hurt this season?: Plant bugs.

• Do different next year?: We'll probably see a slight increase in acreage due to price right now. Those who've put in grain bins or sold pickers won't get back in.

• How are other crops turning out?: On average, corn was good to average. Rice, overall, will be below average, while soybeans are about average for the county.

Mississippi, Panola County, Grower: "We have wrapped up cotton harvest. Average yield was 1,000 lbs/acre."

• What helped this season?: Good harvest weather was about all that was good this year on cotton.

• What hurt this season?: Prolonged extreme daytime and night temperatures. Dryland cotton only got 2 notable rains. A couple of garbage varieties.

• Do different next year?: Continue on-farm trials in multiple locations. Plant only varieties proven on farm for at least two years.

• How are other crops turning out?: Beans were pretty good for the most part. Corn was below normal.

Arkansas, Desha County, Grower: "We have finished our cotton harvest. Average yield was 1,200 lbs/acre."

• What helped this season?: Good planting and harvest weather.

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  What hurt this season?: Heat and no rainfall.

• Do different next year?: Maybe adjust varieties a little and will market by forward contract rather than in a market pool.

• How are other crops turning out?: Corn running close to 200 bu/acre, about normal for irrigated corn. Soybeans running mid 50s (bu/acre) to lower 60s irrigated, as well

.

Louisiana, Caddo Parish, Private Consultant: "We've finished picking the 2010 crop. Cotton averaged 1,250 lbs/acre."

• What helped this season?: Light insect pressure.

• What hurt this season?: Dry weather.

• How are other crops turning out?: Fair.

Mississippi, Panola County, Grower: "We've harvested 90% of our crop. Average yield, so far, is 925 lbs/acre."

• What helped this season?: Timely rain and good insect control.

• What hurt this season?: Nighttime temperatures in excess of 80 degrees in July and August.

• Do different next year?: Drop a few varieties that did not hold up in the heat.

• How are other crops turning out?: Corn yield was slightly lower than expected. Early bean yield was better than expected, and with the later beans the yield was lower than expected. Both corn and bean yields were higher than average.

Mississippi, Noxubee, Lowndes, Monroe, Clay, Chickasaw and Prentiss Counties,  Private Consultant: "We have finished picking for 2010. Yields ranged anywhere from from three-quarters of a bale up to 3-plus bales/acre."

• What helped this season?: Irrigation was the most important factor, of course. But insect thresholds being low and the number of heat units also played a major part.

• What hurt this season?: The heat on the dryland cotton was the most harmful. But, other than that, nothing really hurt us too bad.

• Do different next year?: Not really any changes are expected from people I have talked to, so far.

• How are other crops turning out?: Soybeans did anywhere from 8 bu/acre to 55, and corn did good, considering the heat and drought that it went through at times.

Arkansas, Craighead and Mississippi Counties, Dealer/Manager: "We've finished harvest. Cotton ranged anywhere from 800 lbs/acre on non-irrigated land up to 1,800 on irrigated ground on a few fields. Most of the cotton was in the 1,200 to 1,400 lb/acre range."

• What helped this season?: Early planting, irrigation, timely defoliation and dry weather during harvest.

• What hurt this season?: Hot, dry weather all summer. Also, plant bugs.

• Do different next year?: Planting fewer varieties, reducing nitrogen rates and changing up defoliation programs.

• How are other crops turning out?: Corn and soybeans were average. The earlier planted corn and soybeans were the best, by far

.

Arkansas, Cross County, Extension: "We've completed cotton harvest. Average yield was about 1,300 lbs/acre."

• What helped this season?: Timely irrigation and the warm temperatures helped us producer a tremendous crop.

• What hurt this season?: In fields where irrigation was late or short, yields really suffered. There were a few acres hurt by weed control efforts. Palmer pigweed escaped in these areas, and high rates of Ignite hurt us.

• Do different next year?: We are going to look at possible pre-emerge options to get a handle on Palmer and try to stay on top of the situation.

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• How are other crops turning out?: We are seeing an average soybean crop, at best. Top yields are off 10 bu/acre from what we normally see. July floods hurt a pretty significant acreage in the western part of the county. Intense heat, along with bacterial panicle blight, had a heavy impact on rice yields, with some yields as low as 90 bu/acre. CL151 really took it on the chin from panicle blight. The heat worked Francis and Wells over, too. We lost an average of 20 to 40 bu/acre.

Louisiana, East Carroll, Madison and Tensas Parishes, Private Consultant: "We have finished picking. Yields range from 600 to 1,400 lbs/acre, depending on rainfall."

• What helped this season?: Irrigation, where available, and excellent weather during harvest.

• What hurt this season?: Varieties, heat and dry weather. But mostly heat and varieties.

• Do different next year?: Better variety selection.

Louisiana, Statewide, Extension: "We've nearly completed cotton harvest. Average yield is about 2 bales/acre."

• What helped this season?: The long, dry harvest/picking season. It allowed growers flexibility to time defoliation and harvest to maximize yields.

• What hurt this season?: The very hot summer, especially hot nights that caused or were a factor in excessive square and/or boll shed. Also, plant bugs and spider mites in the Louisiana Delta.

• Do different next year?: There is little doubt the number of acres in cotton will increase next year. The spinning mill in Lacassine wants to increase capacity, but it is difficult to gauge what direct effect that will have on Louisiana cotton growers.

• How are other crops turning out?: Corn did fair this year but was down, overall, at least 20 bu/acre from last year. Sorghum had an average year. Soybeans did very well.