Beltwide Cotton Conference Update

Our staff and Cotton Farming's editors teamed up this week to jointly cover the Beltwide Cotton Conference in New Orleans, La. The following are our reports, thus far:

Deere Discloses Its Module-Building Picker Concept: John Deere expects to roll out a cotton picker that produces its own modules. While the company does not have an introduction date, it held a sort of pre-introduction press briefing at the Beltwide Cotton Conference to share preliminary details and present a brief video that showed the main features. Company executives admitted that making this kind of early presentation is unusual for John Deere. (Read More)

Beltwide Impressions: Everybody gets something different out of the Beltwide. Thatt is the great thing about this annual event, which brings together people from across the Cotton Belt. Over the 3-day event, we asked a wide range of folks to give us their impressions - what caught their attention, what did they learn? Here are some of their responses. (Read More)

2006 put Avicta Complete Pak to the test: More than one person has asked David Long why Syngenta included Dynasty CST, a fungicide, in its Avicta Complete Pak (ACP), which includes Avicta nematicide and Cruiser insecticide. Even at the Beltwide Cotton Conference this week, some people were wondering why the company addressed 2 very different problems, pests and plant diseases, with one product. (Read More)

Thanks, New Orleans! It was great to be back.: Joe Townsend loves New Orleans, pre-Katrina and post-Katrina. The Mississippi cotton consultant is in good company. (Read More)

Ideas From Farmers At The Beltwide: The Beltwide Cotton Conference includes several sessions that focus on how farmers are adopting new technology and practices to reduce costs and/or improve yields. Carroll Smith with Cotton Farming magazine reports here on presentations about irrigation in Arkansas and cost reduction in Texas and Arizona. (Read More)

Herbicide-Resistant Weeds: A Dilemma in Dixie: Although herbicide-resistant weeds have been around for about 40 years, the problem has grown rapidly since 1990, compounded by an intense reliance on a small number of herbicide across a wide range of crops. Stanley Culpepper, a University of Georgia weed scientist, gave a herbicide resistance status report at the Beltwide Thursday, and it probably was the most comprehensive overview on the subject ever presented to the general cotton industry. (Read More)

Understanding China, Understanding The Future Of Cotton: For the U.S. cotton grower and cotton trade, China is an opportunity and a competitor, and the Chinese cotton industry no longer fits into stereotypes about cheap, low-tech production. (Read More)

CCI Programs Respond To New Export Market For Cotton: As U.S. cotton continues to adjust to the fact that more than two-thirds of its cotton is exported, Cotton Council International is responding with a more aggressive campaign to increase consumption of U.S. cotton in these all- important global markets. (Read More)

Bush administration's Farm Bill direction?: U.S. Ag Secretary Mike Johanns said that the Bush administration's vision of the next farm bill is still undecided, but his keynote address today (January 10, 2007) at the Beltwide Cotton Conference certainly hinted at the likely direction it will take. (Read More)

NCC Chairman says farm program benefits must be defended: National Cotton Council chairman Allen Helms said today that the organization's agenda for 2007 will continue to focus on a defense of the U.S. cotton program, sound trade policy, Farm Bill, as well as numerous non-policy issues such as research, education and technology. (Read More)

Positioning Cotton As The Bio-Friendly Fiber: When J. Berrye Worsham delivered this year's Beltwide report from Cotton Incorporated, the emphasis was on sustainability. (Read More)

Bio-fuel From Cottonseed: When the management of Valley Coop Oil Mill in Harlingen, Texas, decided to begin producing biodiesel from cottonseed, the goal was simple: add value to the cottonseed. (Read More)

Texas A&M Researcher says gin trash has energy potential but urges caution: Can gin trash be a potential source of energy in the future? Calvin Parnell, Director of Air Quality Engineering and Science at Texas A&M University, explored that question and several related topics in detail at the Beltwide Cotton Production . (Read More)

Agriculture Secretary Johanns Will Deliver BWCC Keynote: Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns will deliver the keynote address at the 2007 Beltwide Cotton Conferences (BWCC) to be held at the New Orleans Marriott and Sheraton New Orleans hotels January 9-12. (Read More)

Key Presentations At The Beltwide: Highlights include: China, industry issues, sustainability, and cotton's energy potential. (Read More)

Jack Royal of Leary, Ga., named Cotton Consultant of the Year: First Georgian to win the award in its 26-year history. (Read More)