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Trying something new benefits cotton growerBy Jennifer M. Latzke Jeff Harrell isn't afraid to try new things around his family's diversified crop and livestock farm near Halfway, Texas. One such innovative idea has proven beneficial to the Harrell farm. Harrell and his wife Adeela, farm about 1,500 acres of irrigated land in the West Texas cotton country, where skip-row cotton tends to be the norm. However, in recent years the Harrells have switched to an Ultra Narrow Row planting system, which has turned out to be economical and efficient for their operation. Skip-row cotton is just what its name sounds like. Typically, a cotton grower will plant either 40- or 30-inch row spacings with two planted rows and one blank row across the field--skipping a row every two rows or so. These skipped rows allow for more moisture and nutrients to go to the planted rows of cotton, which is beneficial in areas prone to drought. Blank rows allow sunshine and air to circulate through the rows, which in turn reduces boll-rot, an issue found in humid regions such as the Mid-South and Southeast. Additionally, skip-row planting can reduce seed costs, technology fees, and chemical expenses in each field. Ultra Narrow Row production, however, uses 10- to 14-inch row spacings, and doesn't skip rows. UNR production can typically yield 8 to 10 percent more lint compared to 30-inch row cotton. UNR systems can work because it uses all of the farmland, and yet farmers don't give up the ability to go in and spray their fields with herbicides and other chemicals during the cotton season. The drawback can be reduced quality cottons, however, because of increased trash. The Harrells have grown cotton for many years, and Ultra Narrow Row cotton was something Jeff Harrell was interested in trying out, but not without thinking the change over thoroughly. The area the Harrells farm is dependent upon water from the Ogallala Aquifer, which has declined in recent years. Finding new ways to grow cotton and other crops on their existing water resources was a priority for Harrell. "Our goal is to raise no less than two bale cotton," he said. "With narrow row spacing we could make three bale cotton and conserve our water," he added. With continuous rows of cotton, the plants end up shading the ground, which helps the soil retain moisture. The shade also helps control weeds in the field. And, there aren't wasted blank rows. With UNR cotton production, Harrell said they may plant a little more seed, but they notice that their plants aren't as tall as with skip-row production and they mature a little faster. "We plant a little more seed, but we don't have to have as big of a plant as before," he said. Rather than growing tall, the plants grow wider and bushier. And, most importantly on the windy Rolling Plains, the closer row spacings help protect seedlings from high winds. To compensate for the quality discounts UNR cotton may bring, the Harrells plant biotech cotton varieties, mostly Bayer CropScience's 9063B2RF and 958LL, and choose mid-season cottons with higher quality traits that work best in their area. These biotech varieties, especially the FiberMax varieties, make up for the quality discounts UNR cotton usually brings. "We get the best of both," Harrell said. "We get the increased yields from planting ultra narrow rows, and still have the quality cotton." The Harrells use center pivot irrigation, and some drip tape irrigation. "We have put as much as 20 inches or more of water on our cotton, but this year we had a lot of rain and we only had to apply about 11 inches of water," Harrell said. He added they like to start running water through their drip tapes three to four weeks before planting so that the water has a chance to reach the upper layers of soil in preparation for the seeds. "We also rely on some rainfall, but we like to plant with some moisture on top of the soil," he said. "Two years ago, we had a lot of dry weather and it was a challenge to get uniform emergence, if not downright impossible." Harrell added they like to fertilize their cotton through their drip tapes. To apply herbicides and other chemicals throughout the growing season, the Harrells now use a hooded sprayer on the field. By planting RoundUp Ready Flex varieties, the Harrells can apply RoundUp through a longer period into the growing season. "We used to cultivate cotton every 10 days," Harrell said. "But now, we like to spray RoundUp twice, once at the fifth or sixth true leaf stage and again around the first of July." This reduces the number of trips through the field, thus reducing fuel expenses and soil compaction. Planting and harvesting the different row spacing required a change in the Harrells' equipment. A local friend helped the Harrells out by building a new header for their John Deere cotton stripper by adjusting the number of batts on the header. And the Harrells bought a new planter so they could plant on 20-inch spacings. The new planter would also benefit the Harrells' corn and other crops, which are also in 20-inch rows. The Harrells use a minimum tillage approach to their cropland, reserving deep tillage to control highly compacted acres. "We may no-till some acres, but that depends on the crop rotation," he said. "We use a finishing plow to get rid of the weeds, really." In addition to cotton, the Harrells also grow sorghum, corn, wheat, and some millet for seed. They also have a few crossbred cows. They use their crop rotation to help control what little fusarium wilt they have in their cotton acres, and as a way to further conserve their water resources. In the end, the proof of the success of UNR cotton on the Harrell farm is in the gin sheet. Last year, even in the midst of a massive drought in West Texas, the Harrells had two fields that brought an average of four or more bales per acre. They had such a successful year that they even qualified for Bayer's FiberMax One Ton Club, which honors growers who raise at least 2,000 pounds of lint cotton or more per acre on at least 20 acres. It all proves that a little ingenuity and innovation never hurt anyone. Jennifer M. Latzke can be reached by phone at 620-227-1807, or by e-mail at jlatzke@hpj.com. 11/12/07 Date: 11/8/07 Advertisement
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