I love harvest time and while we have a while before we will be picking cotton in Missouri, a time-lapse video of cotton boll opening from the Texas Gulf Coast sure is getting a lot of people excited about what is to come!

Over the years, we have shared about cotton plant physiology quite a bit — creamy white flowers turning pink and into a boll that does the Jiffy Pop dance to open. Well, this year, Justin Roberts (@horned_ranch on Twitter who is a crop consultant in Sinton, TX) caught a boll opening on video. He has rocked the Twitterverse for sure! Just check it out.

Justin says it took a few days for the boll to go from initial cracking to fully open. It also takes some good sunshine and heat units.

Justin has worked in cotton quite a while — he reminded me we had worked on some projects in Georgia years ago. He has a depth of knowledge in cotton genetics and physiology that makes him naturally curious (he’s say nerdy) about things like this so he set up his camera and let it go for a while. I’m always a fan of this sort of thing but time-lapse video of cotton? Sign me up! I love that you can see the strong sun of mid-day and the shadows of morning and evening come and go.

We laughed about how the breezes coming off the Gulf of Mexico make this branch dance more than you’d necessarily expect. But with 10 years in Texas, he’s grown used to the breezes and wind. I suggested he could set up a stake or brace and duct tape the plant to it (no, I never expected him to agree).

It’s interesting to realize that way geography hits when Justin points out the proximity to the Gulf means there is really no measurable irrigation — wells there pump saltwater!

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In October, I spent several days in Memphis. On one trip, you may remember I got stuck in the mud on a turnrow in a cotton field and I became one of the problems cotton farmers can have when it rains at harvest time! A couple of weeks later, I returned to Memphis and with really nice weather, I decided it was a weekend for me to get back out on a farm. My buddy Bob who had shown one of my city kid niece’s around and he was up to the challenge of taking on another when until he had problems with a picker. So I called Allen’s farm and asked if I could come their way, they were gracious enough to point me to a field where a picker would be rolling.

This October, it was a teenage niece. One who had only a little experience on a cotton farm and it was five years ago!! For those of you who have read my blog since the start (if anyone has stuck with me PLEASE let me know! It feels like it has been forever!) And comparing the photo we took as we headed out, I think you’ll agree that a lot has changed since the two of us went to a cotton field together.

Oh…. and yes, I think it is clear… my niece shares a passion for cotton and agriculture! Granted, she is probably a bit more reserved with her enthusiasm these days, but I loved seeing the excitement of discovery!

Five years later, having organized a bit of a visit, we had a lot more adventure to check out so I’ll be putting together several posts on our day’s adventure! Here are some of the key elements of the day that will be featured in posts are:

• Checking Out a Soybean Field
• Getting Up Close to Cotton
• Picking Cotton & Making Modules
• Riding the Tractor & Moving Round Modules
• Standing on Top of the World
• Visiting the Cotton Gin

The post Two City Girls on the Farm for a Day appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

Saw this video floating around and have to admit, it left me wordless. I see a few familiar faces (after all the cotton industry is pretty small). But somehow, I didn’t know anything about this video til this week! And it was shown at a meeting SIX MONTHS AGO!

Great video that shows cotton from the farm to the runway! Are you wearing Texas cotton? I LOVE IT! Have LOTS of blue jeans to show for it too!

Texas Cotton Association from Studio 84 Productions on Vimeo.

The post Cotton Is Life in Texas — Cotton Farmers Tell Their Story VIDEO appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

This weekend I drove down to Memphis and have to admit, I really enjoyed the fact I wasn’t on a tight deadline! I did well getting on the road early and made great time, well, that is until I reached the part of Missouri that is part of the Cotton Belt. Yes, I moved a lot slower once I got to the Missouri Bootheel!

I was able to resist the urge to check the cotton crop up close for a few exits, but by the time I reached Hayti, it was clear. I HAD TO STOP. Now I could attribute this need to stop to the fact I was sure that some of my blog peeps (ie you) would like to see what the cotton and corn crops look like in the south, but really, it is also because I just wanted to see some cotton myself!

I will let the video do most of the talking….

As you can see, the cotton crop is up and it is growing well. For growth stages of cotton before it starts putting on blooms, we usually talk about the number of true leaves or fruiting branches the plants have. I saw plants that ranged from 4-6 true leaves in this field, but others were 8-12 true leaves.

Although glyphosate-resistant pigweed used to be a massive problem in this area, farmers here have made great progress in controlling the weed through a program approach and that is reducing the seed bank. The fields I saw along the highways were much cleaner than a couple of years ago.

Corn is looking good too. I saw some great looking fields but it was clear that irrigation is making a big difference this year. It has been a really weird spring. It has been drier than normal but more importantly, it has been really hot too! The combination is taking its toll on farm fields across the US and the corner of this corn field shows it.

Cotton can weather the environmental conditions a little bit better but it still needs some moisture.

What questions do you have about these crops?

The post Cotton & Corn Crop Conditions this Week – Video appeared first on Hundred Percent Cotton.

Nothing like getting out in the field with a kid — whether they are from the city or farm.  You suddenly realize how cool it is to know even the slightest things about farming.  And luckily my nieces & nephews have always been up for a stop along the road and some ag education.

Yesterday as we drove out to a friend’s for a Halloween hayride, I spotted the first cotton field ready for harvest.  By the time I pointed and said look, my 7 year old niece screamed with delight “it’s cotton!”  She proceeded to point from one side of the highway to the other doing shout outs. With that sort of enthusiasm I HAD to ask if she wanted to stop.  (I asked because she was “starving to death” and dinner awaited us when we arrived at our friend’s house.)

She greeted the question with gusto and as we pulled onto the turnrow, I asked why don’t we get out for a couple of minutes?  We had to!  I said we could pick a few bolls, and my niece reminded me I had taught her a little about ag cause she asked me if I knew the farmer, saying she didn’t want to get in trouble.  Love that she understands and I assured her I know a lot of the farmers there and thought all of them would be okay with us picking a few handfuls.  I caught part of what happened on video and while I was far too caught up in her enthusiasm, I want to share it with you.

And yes, we may just have to get back out next weekend if it dries enough for pickers to run… imagine how much she’d enjoy the buddy seat and seeing modules made!

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYTgmFBA4SM&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00]

By the way, she had a great time on the hayride too!  AND she got a whole big thing filled with candy.  WHAT A DAY!

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