Cotton Specialists Corner

Cotton Insect Management During Squaring and Bloom

If you’ve ever looked at a cotton field and thought, “Do I really need to spray again,” this conversation is for you. We sit down with Dr. Jeremy Green (Clemson) and Whit

Deer vs. Cotton

Deer don’t have to destroy every acre to break a farm’s budget. When a herd gets concentrated along a field edge, a few nights of feeding can wipe out cotton terminals, s

A Practical Guide To Residuals, Nozzles, And Timing In Cotton Weed Control

A herbicide pass that misses is not a “learning moment” in cotton, it is a bill you pay all season. With drought across the Cotton Belt and budgets under pressure, we sit

Why Cotton Futures Jumped And What Growers Can Do Next

Cotton sat in the high 60s and low 70s for what felt like two years, then the market snapped higher and started swinging hard. We wanted to know what actually changed, so

Smarter Cotton Fertility Plans When Water And Prices Are Uncertain

Cotton fertility decisions can feel like a gamble when you’re staring at dry soil, volatile input prices, and a cotton market that can change fast. We sit down with soil

What The New Dicamba Labels Mean For Cotton

Dicamba is available again for over-the-top use in XtendFlex cotton, but the path back comes with a label that demands planning, discipline, and proof that we can keep ap

Preparing for Planting: Seeding Rates, Seed Quality, and Planter Prep

Cotton seed is expensive, but the real question isn’t “How many seeds did you plant?” It’s “How many healthy, evenly spaced plants actually carry yield to the picker.” We

Cotton Jassid: What Growers Must Know

We trace how the cotton jassid moved from scattered detections to a widespread, fast-moving threat and share what actually stopped yield losses. We explain scouting on th

Unraveling the One Big Beautiful Bill: What Cotton Growers Need to Know

When the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was signed on July 4th, 2025, it marked a turning point for America's cotton farmers after years of economic hardship. But what e

Episode 56 - Southeast Crop Update

Drs. Guy Collins (NCSU), Keith Edmisten (NCSU), Sudeep Sidhu (UF), and Josh Lee (AU) join host Camp Hand (UGA) to discuss planting conditions, acreage reduction, and crop

Episode 55 - Mid-South Crop Update

Drs. Shelley Pate-Kerns (Louisiana State University), Brian Pieralisi (Mississippi State University), Zachary Treadway (University of Arkansas), Tyson Raper (University o

Episode 54 - Southwest Crop Update

Drs. Randy Norton (University of Arizona), Ken Lege (Texas A&M AgriLife), Jenny Dudak (Oklahoma State University), Logan Simon (Kansas State University), and Benjamin McK

Making the case for increasing cotton demand: Polyester's contribution to microplastic contamination in the environment and our bodies

Drs. Jesse Daystar (Chief Sustainability Officer, Cotton Inc.) and Richard Venditti (Professor, Dept. of Forest Biomaterials at NC State) join host Camp Hand (University

Episode 52 - History and Importance of the Boll Weevil and its Eradication

Entomologists Drs. Ray Frisbie (Texas A&M), Ron Smith (Auburn University), Phillip Roberts (University of Georgia), and agronomist Dr. Steve Brown (Auburn University) joi

Episode 51 - How Growers Across the Belt are Making it Work in 2025

Extension Cotton Specialists Drs. Ken Lege (Texas A&M Agrilife), Tyson Raper (University of Tennssee), and Mike Jones (Clemson University) join host Camp Hand (University

Episode 50: Added to the Severe Challenges of Current Production, the Devastation of Hurricane Helene

Drs. Keith Edmisten and Camp Hand, cotton specialists at North Carolina State University and the University of Georgia, respectively, join host Dr. Steve Brown to discuss

Episode 49: The USDA Cotton Classing System -- Procedures, Benefits, Grades and More

Byron Cole, Deputy Director of the Grading Division, and Greg Townsend, Area Director of the Visalia Cotton Classing Office, join host Steve Brown to discuss the USDA Cot

Episode 48: Thoughts about the JD Round Module Picker and Calibration of the Module Handling System

Dr. Wes Porter, Extension Ag Engineer at the University of Georgia, joins host Steve Brown to talk about the JD roll picker, with a few thoughts about the comparable stri

Episode 47: Irrigation Management, Irrigation Termination in Cotton

Extension Cotton Specialists Drs. Randy Norton (University of Arizona), Brian Pieralisi (Mississippi State) and Camp Hand (University of Georgia) join host Steve Brown to

Episode 46: Stink Bug Management in Cotton

Cotton Entomologists Drs. Scott Graham (Auburn University) and Phillip Roberts (University of Georgia) join host Steve Brown to discuss management of this common pest ...