Agricultural News
OSU's Seth Byrd Says Cotton Producers Need to Watch for a Speedy Finish to Crop
Thu, 16 Sep 2021 09:43:43 CDT
Oklahoma cotton producers are just weeks away from harvesting a beautiful 2021 Oklahoma cotton crop. The first part of the season made for a rocky start, but consistent summer rains enabled farmers to grow a healthy crop. Now, dry, warm weather is speeding up the pace of bolls opening.
Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Cotton Agronomist Dr. Seth Byrd told Radio Oklahoma's own KC Sheperd that producers need to watch their fields closely as cotton finishes up.
"We are starting to see bolls cracking in a lot of places," Byrd said. "In the forecast, the highs are still in the 90s. If the forecast holds true things are going to move pretty rapidly."
Byrd said in similar conditions, it is not unusual to see fields of cotton go from 10% open to 50% open in a short period of time. He said right now, producers should be getting ready for harvest, including getting products if they do not already have them.
This year's cotton crop has a lot of green leaves still attached to the plant and producers should include dealing with that in their harvest strategies. Byrd suggests producers look at the 2020 Oklahoma Cotton Harvest Aid Guide offered by OSU Extension, below. The 2021 guide will be out any day now, so keep a look out on the cotton.okstate.edu website.
Check out KC's end-of-August interview with Dr. Byrd on how the crop was faring at that time.
Hit the LISTEN BAR below to hear what products Seth Byrd tells KC he suggests producers consider depending on their specific operation.
Photo: Imagery From Life
03148_CottonHarvestGuide2020.pdf
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