The Stoneville® cotton brand has always been about increasing the economic value of an acre of land
“WHEN WE THINK ABOUT WHAT GOES IN A BAG OF STONEVILLE COTTON, WE CERTAINLY LOOK AT PUTTING THE STRONGEST GENETICS WITH THE HIGHEST YIELD POTENTIAL, OUTSTANDING FIBER QUALITY, AND DESIRABLE AGRONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS THAT WE CAN DELIVER.” – STEVE NICHOLS |
A century later, Threet, BASF’s cotton operations manager, remains impressed with Walker’s consideration to put growers first. “Just think about it: [Walker’s business plan] wasn’t about getting rich and having a company that made a lot of money,” said Threet, who has worked on the Stoneville cotton brand for more than 30 years. “It was about creating value for growers and the cotton industry.” Nichols and Threet are doing their parts to ensure Stoneville cotton varieties maintain outstanding value while providing the utmost in quality. Nichols, who has been in his role for four years, previously worked with the Stoneville cotton brand in a similar role for 12 years at Bayer CropScience before Bayer sold the brand to BASF in 2018. Nichols also worked closely with Stoneville cotton varieties while conducting cotton research at the Delta Research & Extension Center, Mississippi State University as an assistant research professor from 1999-2006.
Nichols currently manages a group of BASF agronomists who are technically skilled in weed science, entomology, plant pathology and soil fertility, among other areas. His team works closely with the cotton breeding team and conducts agronomic performance trials of experimental varieties when provided to them from the breeding team. The agronomic team evaluates yield, disease and pest tolerance and the geographic regions where varieties will perform best. “We determine best management practices, such as whether a variety should be placed on a light sandy loam soil, a mixed soil or a heavier textured soil,” Nichols said. “We also look to see if a variety is a good fit for dry land, irrigated land or both.”
When all the Agronomic Performance Trials and variety testing is complete, Nichols and his team have a robust data set showcasing how a variety can perform across varying soil types and irrigation schemes. “We have a strong understanding of what the genetics are capable of, and from there we match varieties to the production region and fields where they perform best to help ensure growers achieve a return on investment per acre that keeps them profitable. This goes all the way back to the original mission of Stoneville cotton when the company originated 100 years ago.”
“JUST THINK ABOUT IT: [GEORGE B. WALKER’S BUSINESS PLAN] WASN’T ABOUT GETTING RICH AND HAVING A COMPANY THAT MADE A LOT OF MONEY. IT WAS ABOUT CREATING VALUE FOR GROWERS AND THE COTTON INDUSTRY.” – DON THREET |
QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
A major reason Stoneville cotton has been around for 100 years is grower trust, said Nichols, who chalks that up to the brand’s consistent performance over the years as well as continued strong leadership managing the brand. “Stoneville cotton doesn’t always win every field trial, but the brand always registers a solid and consistent performance,” Nichols said, describing Stoneville’s