Agricultural News
The 2020 Oklahoma Cotton Crop Was Good, But Could Have Been Better, Says OSU Extension Cotton Specialist Dr. Seth Byrd
Tue, 12 Jan 2021 10:27:40 CST
The 2020 Oklahoma cotton crop was good but failed to meet everyone's expectations, said Dr. Seth Byrd, Oklahoma State University Extension cotton agronomist.
Byrd was recently interviewed by Radio Oklahoma Agriculture Network Associate Farm Director and Editor KC Sheperd.
Byrd is new Beltwide Extension Cotton Specialist of the year, having received the award, sponsored by BASF, during the virtual Beltwide Cotton Conference, Jan. 6.
Overall, 2020 was a good year, Byrd said.
Throughout the growing season Byrd said producers had high hopes for a great year.
Some fields were great but overall, some were disappointed with the irrigated quantity and quality, he said.
Our expectations were high but we ended with a mixed bag, he said.
The early freeze in September really hurt, he said.
The October ice storm didn't hurt as much as we thought because warm weather right after the storm helped the mature crop recover quickly, he said.
We just got lucky, Byrd said.
Acre projections for the 2021 crop call for a slightly smaller crop.
We will probably plant a little bit less, but not a big drop off, Byrd said.
Some of the folks who got into cotton in the last few years may return to other crops they are more familiar with as prices have come up, he said.
My personal guess is somewhere between 520 and 560,000 acres, he said.
There is some optimism about prices with mid 70's (cents per pound) talked about, maybe around 80 cents, Byrd said.
As producers plan for the 2021 crop, the OSU cotton specialist said they should prepare the ground and select varieties.
It depends on the weather this winter and spring, how much rain we have could delay prep work and other things, he said.
Cotton is a challenge to keep up with as there are so much turn over with many new varieties coming out every year, Byrd said.
We're seeing more specific traits incorporated into the varieties to protect against pests and diseases, he said.
Click on the listen bar below to hear more of KC's interview with OSU Extension Cotton Specialist Seth Byrd.
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