I realized last Friday that I forgot to put up a post for the week so I made myself a note not to forget. Other than conferences and end-of-year reports, there isn’t much going on right now.
Cotton: There is a little bit of cotton that needs sprayed but not much. Pretty much now were just waiting on the pickers to get around to it. I mentioned this a few weeks ago but I would really look into contracting some of the next year’s cotton crop, not the whole thing but 10%-20% might not be a bad bet. Speculative prices were a driver for the price increase so the market could remain volatile in the short term. We’re estimated to have good global demand next year with India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Turkey increasing consumption which is good for prices however the Phase One Trade deal ends at the end of 2021 and China is way behind on their promised purchases. I’m not yet sure how the end of the trade deal will affect prices but it could depend on if China wants to play hardball. They need cotton but they will not be obligated to purchase it from us. 2022 crop is a year away but it’s a lot to think about.
Production Meetings: I am currently working on scheduling production meetings. Hopefully, I’ll have those dates out to yall soon; they will be live and in-person this year. I will say that the format from UGA’s side will change some this year so meeting times may change from years past. We may have a few more breakfast or dinner meetings than lunch meetings; well see how it shakes out.
Ag Appreciation Dinner: Don’t forget about the Ag Appreciation Dinner on November 29th here at the Extension Office. We will start at 6:30. Sam Gay is cooking seafood and we will announce the Farmer of the Year. You can RSVP to the Extension Office or to the Tift County Chamber of Commerce.
Nematodes: Get those nematode samples before the cold pushed them further down in the ground. If you choose to use UGA, I need the samples brought in before 2:00 on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. This way we can make sure they get to the lab in time.