Writer: Rod Santa Ana III, (956) 968-5581,r-santaana@tamu.edu
Contacts: Charles Stichler, (915) 336-8585,c-stichler@tamu.edu
John Norman, (956) 968-5581,j-norman@tamu.edu
WESLACO – A lingering drought, insect pest populations and low commodity prices weigh heavily on the minds of Lower Rio Grande Valley cotton growers as they prepare to plant their 2000 crop.
An auditorium full of growers attended a cotton pre-plant seminar recently at the Texas A&M Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Weslaco to bone up on the latest research information available that might help them grow a more profitable crop.
“Go with the information you have today to grow the crop that will bring you the best results,” said Charles Stichler, a Texas A&M cotton agronomist based in Uvalde, who provided growers with detailed tips on row spacing, limited water cotton management and fertilization timing techniques.
Other experts provided information on available cotton varieties designed specifically for South Texas, transgenic cotton, financial risk management, market prices, new developments in the industry, state and federal rules and regulations and discussion of a new growers’ organization forming locally.
Despite concerns that field conditions may be too dry to germinate seeds that are planted, most Valley growers are expected to begin planting their crops in mid-February.
“If we get one more inch of rain,” said Stichler, “we’ll have enough pre-plant soil moisture without having to irrigate.”
Also of concern are boll weevil populations that are being trapped in numbers higher than they were last year at this time. While the higher counts won’t necessarily translate into pest problems throughout the growing season, the situation deserves scrutiny.
“If we continue to have high boll weevil numbers in late April and early May, that could signal a big concern for an early infestation of pests,” said John Norman, cotton integrated pest management (IPM) entomologist at the Weslaco Center. “The concern with these pre-season early counts is that we’ve been seeing increasingly higher numbers each of the last three years. But at this point it’s just an early warning sign that growers should be vigilant and act if their pest counts continue to increase into the spring.”
Norman said that on the brighter side, cotton market prices are now slightly higher than they were a year ago.
“Last year, just before planting, the price was at about 45 cents per pound,” he said. “This year, the price is at about 60 cents per pound on the spot market, which means growers, if they were selling right now on contract, would get about 54 to 55 cents per pound.”
While those prices may be higher than last year, Norman said they are still far below what is required for a profit.
“The break-even price for Valley growers is above 72 cents per pound. And it may be even a bit higher for those who grow on irrigated land. Although they get more yield than dryland growers, they still spend more to make their crop.”
Growers here last year planted almost 250,000 acres of cotton on both irrigated and dryland fields and are expected to plant roughly the same amount this year. Harvesting should be completed by late summer, since state laws require growers to destroy stalks by Sept. 1 to remove boll weevil over-wintering sites.
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