I Listen - Honest, I do - Cotton Grower

By Henry Gantz|February 24, 2009

One of the things I like most about my job — maybe the thing I like most about my job — is getting out and about and visiting with you in the industry.

I am a big mouth sometimes (okay, I admit it: most of the time), but there are occasions when I actually listen. And when those occasions occur, I hear you say very profound things that just don’t make it into a two-page story.

To wit:
• Marianna, AR, farmer/ginner Larry McClendon, our 2006 Cotton Achievement Award winner, on the WTO’s contentions that American cotton farmers are causing gloom, despair and agony on their West African counterparts: “Those complaints are 100% unfounded. I am sympathetic to what has gone on in West Africa. But the bottom line is this: The West Africans make half the yield of the rest of the world. Their crop is sold to quasi-governmental organizations for roughly 50% of the world price. World price is quoted everyday and they should be able to get it. But if you make half a crop and sell it for half the money, you are going to struggle. What we do here has very little to with that outcome.”
• Richard Bransford, Arkansas farmer/ginner featured in the cover story on the high cost of irrigation: “We have had some very dry years. I spent more money on diesel and electricity for irrigation than I used to spend for everything else. We spend way too much, but we water it every time we think it needs it. We have 32 wells to cover everything – cotton, rice and beans – and we almost never shut them down, and my fuel bills show that.”
• Neal Isbell, a grower from Colbert County, AL, when I asked him what the most significant changes in the cotton industry have been since he started farming in 1970: “You don’t have enough paper to write it all down.”
• In January, former Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns visited Tunica, MS, to lay out the Bush Administration’s 2007 Farm Bill proposals. In his opening remarks, Johanns said that in his travels thoughout the U.S., he had listened to farmers and ranchers, and they agreed with the Administration’s stance. Upon hearing that, one attendee whispered, “He hasn’t been listening to me.” It turned out the remark was spot on, and many of the proposals have been dumped. On Sept. 10, Johanns resigned. Maybe he did listen after all.

Speaking of listening: We’ve been hearing a lot from growers, consultants and Extension about seed traits, and we’re responding with a new initiative called TraitTalk. This is going to be a significant multimedia effort through a new Website at www.TraitTalk.com, a twice monthly e-newsletter, and regional TraitTalk Forums in select areas. Created by the Cotton Grower editorial team, and sponsored by Bollgard II and Roundup Ready Flex, you’ll find a wide range of information to help you make better cropping decisions this season.