Drew's Half Acre - Blame It On the Rain

By Drew Harris
dharris@meistermedia.com

It's Farmers often hear the question, “How’s your cotton looking – are you going to have a good crop this year?”

To the average person, that seems like a logical question. Farmers are on the land every day, checking their plants, managing pests and sometimes irrigating. Shouldn’t they have a good idea what the crop will look like? Not always.

What the average person doesn’t understand is that producers never know what lies ahead. A cotton field can look fantastic for the first few months of the season, only to encounter drought or plant bugs later in the year. Conversely, a season can start out with some hiccups, then perfect weather and good management finish the year off strong. During the process, you never know what it’s going to look like until the cotton hits the gin.

That’s what I’ve learned during the last few months growing Drew’s Half Acre. My plot started off slow with insects and weeds, but rain and good weather came at just the right time. From mid-June to mid-July, the half acre got five inches of rain, enough for the plants to really come on strong. Then came the drought and heat, and things don’t look so good all over again.

As this month’s issue of Cotton Grower goes to press, it’s 105 degrees outside and no rain is in sight. When it comes to weather, cotton growers must be thick skinned and play the hand they are dealt – a lesson that’s hard to learn until you’ve experienced it yourself.

Until next month, see you in the field …

Drew can be contacted at dharris@meistermedia.com or by phone at 901-756-8822, ext. 13.