Doane Daily Cotton Commentary

DTN: Opening Cotton | Closing Cotton

COTTON NEWS:

Closing Rice, 3-11: Continued free fall after USDA lowered grain exports (Read More)

K.Good's Farm Policy News, 3-11: Jobs Bill; Insurance- SURE; Competition; Climate; and Trade (Read More)

Closing Rice, 3-10: Sharply lower again. (Read More)

USA Rice Federation Daily, 3-10: Treasury Department To Implement Congressional Mandate for U.S.-Cuba Agricultural Trade. (Read More)

Closing Rice, 3-10: Sharply lower again. (Read More)

Hurricanes: AccuWeather Calls For More Active 2010 Season: Expect a 2010 hurricane season more like the one in 2008 than 2009. (Read More)

Diesel, gasoline prices up yet another week, 86 cents above year-ago price: Average U.S. diesel price running 86 cents a gallon above same period a year ago. (Read More)

K.Good's Farm Policy News, 3-10: FAPRI; Biofuels; Disaster Payment; Climate Change; Farm Bill; Trade. (Read More)

Closing Rice, 3-9: Small rebound today. (Read More)

Fight That Urge To Plant Into Vegetation - AMS Ag Report, E-Central Louisiana: How does the lineup of rice herbicides really compare to other crops? (Read More)

Rice Advocate, 3-5: Cuban Trade and Travel, H.R. 4645 (Read More)

Bayer Cuts Ignite Price: Also ramps up production. (Read More)

Arkansas: Rice Research News,3-3: "Roy J" is new high-yield and lodge resistant variety (Read More)

Diesel prices up 3 cents a gallon, 3-3: Gas prices also continue to increase (Read More)

Rice Advocate, 2-26: Producers Applaud Introduction of Cuba Trade and Travel Bill (Read More)

East-Central Louisiana 2010 Burndown And Planting Lags: Ruts remain a major issue for rice farmers (Read More)

Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation (CALT), 2-8: The Death (for the moment) of the Federal Estate Tax. (Read More)

Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation (CALT), 2-9: Top Ten Agricultural Law Developments of 2009 (Read More)

Mississippi Field Notes (Central Miss.), 2-8: Make sure your planting seed are good.| (Read More)

Texas Rice, Winter 2009: Cold Tolerance at Germination and Seedling Stages in Rice. (Read More)

Rice Industry Fears Job Losses, Economic Fall-Out from Ag Budget, 2-3: Farmers Applaud Sen. Blanche Lincoln, Other Ag Leaders for Opposing Plan (Read More)

EXCEL: The Louisiana: Projected 2010 Rice Farm Cash Flow Model: A Rice Production Farm Income and Expense Producer Decision Tool (Read More)

MANUAL: The Louisiana: Projected 2010 Rice Farm Cash Flow Model: PDF file with instructions for using the Excel spread sheet planner (Read More)

Louisiana: Rice Research Station News, 1-29: Two New Clearfield Varieties for 2010; Scout for Blast Early in the Season; White Tip Nematode; Comparison of Cruiser and Dermacor Seed Treatments; Blackbird Baiting Program. (Read More)

Diesel prices drop for second week in a row: National average down 4 cents, less in Gulf states and California (Read More)

Liberty-Link Traits Not Found In 2009 U.S. Rice Crop: Contamination cost sales, disrupted trade (Read More)

Louisiana: Projected 2010 Rice Farm Cash Flow Model, 1-25: A Rice Production Farm Income and Expense Producer Decision Tool. (Read More)

Soybeans still in the field? Look at them as a cover crop.|: Mississippi Field Notes (Central Miss.), 1-24 (Read More)

Tractor sales will remain weak in 2010, says association: Lower commodity and farm income numbers continue to depress buying enthusiasm (Read More)

10 Questions And Answers About Liberty-Link Soybeans: Overview from Georgia about where they fit with Roundup resistance in Palmer pigweed (Read More)

Rice Advocate, 1-15: USDA Proposes Cuts to Crop Insurance in SRA Negotiations. (Read More)

Virginia Cotton:

Dry Conditions Dictate Cotton Management

By Johnny Parker, Agronomist

Commonwealth Gin, Windsor, Virginia

July 1, 2009 - It has been more than 3 weeks since we have gotten a general rainfall across the entire region. That has created some very dry conditions in the local row crops. Perhaps a few areas got spotty showers since then, but even those areas are dry now. 

In addition, there is very little chance of rain for the first part of July, so we are definitely going through our annual dry spell right now. Perhaps a 30% chance tonight followed by another slight chance this coming Sunday may benefit an isolated area or two. 

Based on these conditions, I would get any weedy cotton fields cleaned up because the competition from weeds is much greater in dry conditions. Also, I would probably delay Pix applications until the conditions change. Over the last several days of looking at a lot of cotton, I have only seen one or two fields that had enough growth to apply Pix and if they did not even really need any.

Insect Update

The first of July is a good time to walk your fields to look at the insect situation. I have only seen two fields drop below 80% square retention so far, and you could see quite a few squares on the ground. I am expecting plantbugs to slowly build over the next several weeks and stinkbugs will also be a concern once we have bolls on the plants. 

Don’t over react to these insects right now because some square loss is easily compensated for and could even be beneficial in dry conditions. The highest risk for insect damage is from the second through the 5th weeks of bloom. Only the fields being stripped of squares would be considered urgent. 

I am seeing more plantbugs early this year compared to the last two years which have been light. Therefore, my recommendation is to look at the fields for now to be sure there are no surprises.  The best place to spot check is better land with good cotton growth.

 

Commonwealth Gin provides advice on production and marketing of cotton. Information contained herein is from sources believed to be reliable, but is not guaranteed as to accuracy or completeness. No responsibility is assumed with respect to any statement, nor with respect to any expression of opinion herein contained. All views are the opinions of the author and no statement should be construed as an offer to buy or sell a commodity. This publication is for information purposes only.