Happy Farming Thursday, y’all! I could tell you all about peanuts since I worked with over 30,000 tons of them this year, but instead I am gonna take it back to home-sweet-Triple-D-Farm’s-specialty-home: cotton.
Cotton, in my opinion, falls into the category of crops that are more difficult to grow. Even in the rich Delta soils, the “summer snow” requires much upkeep when it comes to weed and insect defense. (I’m probably just biased after multiple summers spent wading through the waves of cotton, chopping out the treacherous pig weeds while being eaten alive by mosquitos and the sun…)
In 1996, Biotech (Bt) cotton was introduced as a way to help farmers combat weeds. It altered the seed so that the plants could withstand shots of Roundup, while the weeds around them burned to the ground. This reduced the need for special equipment like hooded sprayers and gave farmers more freedom in their field applications. In the 16 years since its introduction, Bt cotton has taken command of a whopping 94 percent of the market. This shouldn’t seem surprising, yet, recently I have noticed more attention towards the transition back to conventional cotton.
Some farmers claim to have higher yields with conventional, but do the numbers really outweigh the increased labor and equipment cost? Charles Allen, Extension entomologist with Texas A&M AgriLife, says years of studies have proven both conventional and Bt cotton are profitable. There are also concerns with the Bt cotton infrastructure that is beginning to show some unintended consequences. The weeds in the Roundup Ready Bt fields have been growing more immune to Roundup over the last few years and researchers are afraid that we might have created a “super weed” through the adaptations.
While going back to conventional cotton may be an answer, therein lies another problem. Though this type of farming is not a long forgotten method, it is very rare. Likewise, many in the industry have no knowledge or skill of working with conventional cotton. With the declining market prices of cotton in recent years, the number of consultants, custom applicators, sales reps and entomologists that specialize in cotton have steadily dropped as well, leaving fewer and fewer people to assist in the switch back to conventional or to find new methods to defend against the “super weeds.”
“Every human resource in agriculture is a valuable one, with the world population expected to top 9 billion by 2050. Trying to build the agriculture infrastructure—not just in cotton— is as urgent as it has ever been in the past 30 years,” Allen says.
From a small farmer’s perspective, getting the “most bang for your buck” is the way of life, and thus, Bt may be the only way. But for more large scale farmers who have more access and funding, conventional may produce higher yields.
If Bt cotton continues to dominate the market, it is almost guaranteed that we will have super weeds that will continue to grow and change with whatever biotechnology throws at them, making the combat process nearly impossible in the future. On the other hand, if conventional cotton is encouraged, smaller farmers may be pushed out of the market altogether. Super weeds or super farmers?
This is just one view point on Bt vs. conventional cotton. There are many other things that play into cotton production that I didn’t even touch on, so before you make any assumptions, do your homework! (This is a prime example of why ag policy was one of my favorite classes and why the USDA has a LOT on their plate when putting together plans and laws. There are so many unforeseen and independent factors that affect agriculture and every option must be considered to make the best decision in “making the puzzle fit.”)
Is anyone else singing “jump down, turn around, pick a bale of cotton, gonna jump down, turn around, pick a bale a day!”? That’s been stuck in my head for the entirety this blog for some weird reason…hmm…
(Reference: Ben Potter’s article in Farm Journal for the interview of Mr. Allen.)
Until tomorrow, have a great one!
Thank a farmer. And remember: good things come to those who work their a$$es off.
Love always,
Addie
“I have not taken a serious task upon myself and I fear a greater one that is in the power of any man to perform in the given time- but it is too late to go back.” –Eli Whitney
Breaking out of the Bootheel 