A Rising Tide Floats All Boats
January 27, 2011 In case you couldn’t tell from this month’s cover, this issue is all about cotton’s recent bull market. As if you didn’t already know, the latter part of 2010 has witnessed cotton make unprecedented price surges.
While editing this magazine is always a labor of love, the truth of the matter is that coming to work is always easier when you’re dealing with pleasant people. Allow me to be the first to say that cotton industry professionals are decidedly more pleasant when cotton futures are hovering above $1.45.
To that end, this has been the most enjoyable issue of Cotton Grower I’ve ever taken part in producing. In any given month, we’ll interview someone from every sector of the cotton industry. In addition to growers, you’re liable to see us hanging out with a seed rep, an equipment manufacturer, a gin man or a chemical salesman.
One thing that’s easy to see during times like these is that a rising tide truly does float all boats. Each of these supportive sectors of the cotton industry benefits when you, the grower, are succeeding. In a very real and measurable way, so do the communities around you. You could say that those of us who rely on the success of cotton growers are your biggest fans. It follows then, that this coming season could give us all something to cheer about.
We hope you learn a thing or two about this bull market from the current issue of Cotton Grower. The bulk of our market analysis is found in our cover story.. Mike Watson of Cotton Incorporated also sits in on our On the Square column with a cautionary tale for these volatile times.
Of course, cotton’s pests don’t care what the market is doing. We take a closer look at just how Georgia’s growers are grappling with glyphosate resistance. It seems that in the five years since glyphosate resistance first emerged on Georgia farms, many growers are beginning to get a firm grip on the issue. Henry Gantz has compiled an excellent roundup of Georgia’s integrated techniques. We examine the issue at the base level by catching up with Bart Davis near Doerun, GA, to see how he overcomes weed resistance and a host of other obstacles on his farm.
In keeping with the theme of this issue, we hope each of you is well prepared for this cotton market as well as the coming growing season. And if these cotton prices put a little more pep in your step this winter, that’s all the better. As always, we hope to see you out there.
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