Cotton Marketing News:  Christmas in July

Cotton Marketing News: Christmas in July

The calendar says July; but for the cotton grower it’s Christmas.  This week’s USDA monthly supply and demand numbers were an unexpected gift.  The market reacted positively and let’s hope prices can sustain the new-found optimism. Even if prices...
Crown Rot Creeps In

Crown Rot Creeps In

Figure 1. Young peanut plant in Jackson County exhibiting symptoms of crown rot (Aspergillus niger). Photo by Ethan Carter. The severity of crown rot varies from year to year, despite its general presence in peanut fields early in the season. Caused by Aspergillus...
Panhandle Cotton Insect Situation

Panhandle Cotton Insect Situation

  Cotton throughout the area is squaring heavily and most of our oldest cotton is probably a week away from first bloom. There are reports of some fields being treated for tarnished plant bugs feeding on pinhead squares. It’s important to scout fields carefully...
Five Tips to Reduce Pesticide Spray Drift

Five Tips to Reduce Pesticide Spray Drift

Erdal Ozkan, Agricultural Engineering, Ohio State University Due to concerns for production costs, safety, and the environment, it is important to maximize the pesticide deposit on the target. One of the major problems challenging pesticide applicators is spray drift,...
Spotted Wilt Virus showing up in Jackson County Peanuts

Spotted Wilt Virus showing up in Jackson County Peanuts

Always unpredictable, spotted wilt disease of peanut in the southeast has ebbed and flowed over the years.  For many years, the disease was moderate to severe at the North Florida Research and Education Center near Mariana, Florida.  Then in 2010, the incidence...