Interviews
Winners rarely shy away from new cotton technologies
08 Jan '11
5 min read
Southwest winner Eric Seidenberger has also been working to handle water more efficiently on his 2,950 acres, 2,150 of them in cotton and the rest in wheat and grazing land by installing drip irrigation on much of his acreage. Drip irrigation, reduced tillage, terracing and grassed waterways all are critical parts of his production and conservation programs, which are aimed at achieving the highest yields at the lowest costs while protecting the land and water.
Seidenberger installed his first drip irrigation in 2003, a 45-acre block. He says drip offers at least three advantages: consistent high yields; improved water efficiency; and cost savings through reduced tillage.
Although he has more years of experience, W. Bruce Heiden, who finished his 58th crop in 2010, is still one of the most progressive and forward thinking cotton producers in the Far West. Heiden has faced numerous challenges, ranging from multiple insect pests that threatened not only to reduce yield but to take markets from Arizona cotton to urban encroachment that has only slowed down with the recession in the national economy.
Peter Ellsworth, University of Arizona IPM specialist and one of several who nominated Heiden for the High Cotton award, said Heiden not only has managed to survive the challenges, but excelled during those periods.
“Even in the years when we struggled to control pink bollworm or later to control whitefly, Bruce's production was always among the highest,” Ellsworth said. He noted that Heiden was a leader in helping the industry move through technology changes, including Bt cotton. He was instrumental in getting new insect growth regulators registered to turn back the whitefly; a pest Heiden said was the most devastating insect to befall Arizona cotton producers.
High Cotton award winners receive an expenses-paid trip to the National Cotton Council-coordinated Beltwide Cotton Conferences. Co-sponsors of this year's awards are Ace Pump Company, All-Tex Seed, Americot/NexGen, Arysta LifeScience, Deltapine, Helena Chemical Company, John Deere, Rio Tinto Minerals – U.S. Borax and Syngenta.
Seidenberger installed his first drip irrigation in 2003, a 45-acre block. He says drip offers at least three advantages: consistent high yields; improved water efficiency; and cost savings through reduced tillage.
Although he has more years of experience, W. Bruce Heiden, who finished his 58th crop in 2010, is still one of the most progressive and forward thinking cotton producers in the Far West. Heiden has faced numerous challenges, ranging from multiple insect pests that threatened not only to reduce yield but to take markets from Arizona cotton to urban encroachment that has only slowed down with the recession in the national economy.
Peter Ellsworth, University of Arizona IPM specialist and one of several who nominated Heiden for the High Cotton award, said Heiden not only has managed to survive the challenges, but excelled during those periods.
“Even in the years when we struggled to control pink bollworm or later to control whitefly, Bruce's production was always among the highest,” Ellsworth said. He noted that Heiden was a leader in helping the industry move through technology changes, including Bt cotton. He was instrumental in getting new insect growth regulators registered to turn back the whitefly; a pest Heiden said was the most devastating insect to befall Arizona cotton producers.
High Cotton award winners receive an expenses-paid trip to the National Cotton Council-coordinated Beltwide Cotton Conferences. Co-sponsors of this year's awards are Ace Pump Company, All-Tex Seed, Americot/NexGen, Arysta LifeScience, Deltapine, Helena Chemical Company, John Deere, Rio Tinto Minerals – U.S. Borax and Syngenta.
National Cotton Council of America
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