Tough economic conditions make tough farmers. Surviving today's markets
require it. Knowing which inputs to cut and which ones to keep is a critical
factor affecting profitability at current lint prices. Timing becomes paramount
as well. Even small glitches in the successful completion of a task can
add up to big problems when you're fighting the calendar, as well as the
bank.
For Paul Good, who grows cotton and other row crops near Macon, MS, it's a matter of constantly tweaking the system, weeding out that which doesn't work so well, and replacing it with something that's a little bit better.
"We have to do things better than average to pencil in a profit in today's economic environment," Good says. "You get to a point where you just can't cut anymore. You have to find other ways to improve yield or make the operation more efficient."
Good and his family grow cotton, soybeans and corn, using corn primarily as a base for rotation. He follows a three-year rotation with about a third of his cotton going back into cotton and then into corn the following year.
Last season, Good planted approximately 96 percent Bt cotton. "It was a difficult decision," he says. "We finally decided the savings in labor would justify planting it. Other than that, we don't see much of an advantage in saving on insecticide applications. The premium we pay for technology fees takes care of that."
The Boll Weevil Eradication program has been in effect for three years where Good farms. While Good has saved some money on boll weevil applications, he's had to spray more for plant bugs since the program's initiation.
"Historically, we don't have a lot of weevil pressure in this area," he says. "But I do think the program has increased our yields about 75 pounds per acre."
Good grows cotton on 30-inch rows. "We've been growing it that way for eight years, and it's worked very well," he says. "Our biggest concern is getting it bedded up in a timely manner. This ground is very heavy, so we try not to do anything to destroy the soil structure."
Good tries to minimize tillage as much as possible. He's even gone to no-till on some of his ground.
"There are a lot of advantages to a minimum till and crop rotation," Good says. "It takes more aggressive management, but the benefits can be significant. With heavy ground, it's obviously a benefit to minimize the trips you take across the field."
Another advantage is increased organic matter in the soil that further helps reduce problems with compaction. Due to the structure of the soil and the winter weather patterns in the area, Good is always eying the calendar and planning the next step.
"It's easy to get behind," he says. "Just a few days can make a big difference, not only for the immediate task, but also for everything that follows."
One of his biggest challenges is ground preparation. "We try to do all of our land prep in the fall," Good says. "It's not too difficult when you're following corn, but it's much more difficult when you're following cotton with cotton. We start harvesting as early as possible to give us more time."
Actually, Good begins structuring the crop for an early harvest at planting. He applies TEMIK with a fungicide in-furrow on all of his cotton at planting.
"Thrips are our number one concern, but we get a lot more than thrips control out of TEMIK," Good says. "It promotes early growth and vigor, and matures the crop faster."
A shorter season enables Good to begin harvesting earlier. Usually, it's a once-over operation with the stalk chopper running right behind the picker.
"Normally, we just don't feel like we have enough time to scrap cotton," he says. "What we gain by scrapping, we lose in land prep."
After the stalks are chopped, Good takes care of any liming needed to adjust the pH of the soil. Then, he generally uses a sub-soiler to improve root growth and water penetration for the following year. The final step is preparing the bed for the following season.
"Because we're working with heavy ground, it's a challenge to get everything done," Good says. "The economics are also a challenge. We've cut every operation and every input that's feasible. We still constantly evaluate what we're doing, however, to make sure we're getting everything done as economically as possible."