FiberMax Welcomes Record Number of Growers Into One Ton Club

Overcoming a two-year drought in the Southwest, a record number of FiberMax growers achieved one-ton yields during the 2012 season.

Bayer CropScience honored those 194 growers at the eighth annual FiberMax One Ton Club awards banquet in April in Lubbock, TX, including a record 117 first-time members.

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The FiberMax One Ton Club recognizes growers who produce 2,000 pounds or more of lint cotton per acre on at least 20 acres using FiberMax cotton seed. This year, growers from Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas joined the club, which has inducted 527 members during the last eight years.

“It is our honor to recognize these FiberMax growers for their outstanding achievements, especially considering the drought and adversities they have overcome,” said Jeff Brehmer, U.S. product manager for FiberMax cotton. “These growers use innovative production practices and push FiberMax germplasm to reach its greatest potential.” 

According to Brehmer, growers have produced One Ton Club yields with 27 FiberMax varieties since the inception of the club.

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“During the last few years, we have seen an increasing number of growers qualify for the One Ton Club each year, with a greater number of FiberMax varieties represented at every banquet,” he reported. “This year, growers qualified for the One Ton Club with ten different FiberMax varieties, which demonstrates the wide adaptability of our germplasm across varied production scenarios.”

One Ton Truck Winner

The banquet featured a drawing for a two-year lease on a Ford Super Duty F-350 King Ranch truck. Duane Braden, a six-year One Ton Club member from Garden City, Texas, and his wife, Carla, won the lease.

Braden averaged 2,505 pounds per acre using FM 2484B2F and FM 9160B2F. He said the key to his One Ton Club success was water, fertilizer and FiberMax varieties that provide top yield and fiber quality.

“We had good water and fertilizer, and we had a little bit of rain during the growing season that helped us along,” Braden said. “FiberMax varieties yield well for me, and they have high-quality fiber.”

Other Honorees

Individual awards for highest yield, highest loan value, highest gross value per acre, most acres and most varieties were also presented during the banquet:

Highest Yield and Highest Gross Value Per Acre – Vance Smith, Big Spring, TX (2,910 lbs/A and $1,579 per acre)

Highest Loan Value – Justin Schwartz, Garden City, TX, and Todd Suter, Coyanosa, TX (58 cents loan value)

Most Varieties (3) Achieving One Ton Club Yields – Apple Creek Farms Inc., Garden City, TX; Duwane Billings, Seagraves, TX; and Charles Braden, Garden City, TX

Most Acres – Jack Crowl, Stinnett, TX (877 acres).

In addition to these awards, three growers – Rob Knorr of Maricopa, AZ, Troy Ritter of Groom, TX and Aaron Wilson of Lockney, TX – won drawings to each receive 15 bags of FiberMax cotton seed.

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