Guest Blog: As Harvest Begins, Make Your Cotton Contamination-Free

Courtesy Georgia Cotton Commission

By Chris Chammoun

 

Chammoun

The United States cotton industry has long enjoyed a reputation of producing some of the highest quality cotton in the world. This reputation has been earned by our American cotton farmers for their diligence in consistently producing a high-quality cotton crop even given the challenges imposed annually by Mother Nature. One new challenge surfaced in recent years that has the potential to damage the quality of cotton grown in the United States. The challenge is keeping cotton free of contamination by foreign materials. 

 

Foreign material is any impurity, whether organic or inorganic, that gets unintentionally    mixed with cotton in the various harvest and post-harvest processes. Foreign materials can range from plastic grocery bags to leather gloves. These contaminates have the potential to make it through the various stages of textile production and end up ruining many yards of cotton yarn.

 

While there is not one obvious source or type of contamination in cotton, there are things that can be done at different stages to help mitigate contaminates entering the cotton stream. For cotton growers, the easiest thing to do is to be diligent in inspecting your cotton harvester for any excessive grease, fluid leaks or foreign materials that may have accumulated on the harvester. Also be aware of any debris that could be potentially taken up during the harvest process. Debris such as plastic grocery bags and plastic mulch are very lightweight and can easily be picked up by the harvester. Once these items enter the harvester they may be torn or shredded, affecting an entire module of cotton. 

 

For cotton gins, contaminates may be found at the gin or transferred from the field by module trucks. Ginners need to be aware of any foreign material found on equipment or on the gin floors. Take extra time prior to ginning the first module to inspect all equipment to ensure that there are no contaminates located in or around the ginning equipment. Inspect module trucks for foreign materials such as plastics or rope that may have been picked up in the field. Also be sure to educate all gin employees on the proper techniques used to safely unwrap round modules and be sure to not use torn module covers for traditional modules that may introduce contaminates into the cotton. 

 

For warehouse operators, contaminates may be found in or around the areas in which cotton is stored. Be meticulous in inspecting equipment to ensure that no grease, oil or fuel are present on equipment surfaces that handle cotton. Train and educated all warehouse employees on the proper handling techniques for cotton bales to maintain the integrity of the bale packaging so that contaminates are not introduced when moving, loading or unloading bales.

 

With these simple guidelines for growers, gins and warehouses, we can all work together to ensure that we make contaminate-free cotton this harvest season. This is a must if we are to maintain the integrity of cotton grown in the United States and especially to maintain the cotton industry in Georgia.

 

Chris Chammoun is the director of public affairs for the Georgia Cotton Commission. For more information about cotton contamination or about the commission, visit www.georgiacottoncommission.org or call 478-988-4235.



Guest Post: Georgia ACC Soybeans Announces Funding Projects

Courtesy Greg Mims, chairman, and Billy Skaggs, executive secretary, Georgia Agricultural Commodity Commission for Soybeans

The Georgia Agricultural Commodity Commission for Soybeans recently approved $213,910 in funding for a wide range of research projects as well as select promotional activities. At its March board meeting, the commission reviewed and approved funding for 11 projects.

The research projects funded included: soybean production research, soybean stem canker research, the continuation of soybean IPM sentinel plots, development of RR2Y/LL soybean varieties, soybean variety evaluation and continued research on kudzu bug resistance. In addition, the commission approved funding in support of the Georgia Weather Network, the Georgia-Florida Soybean Association and a new Extension soybean yield contest.

Like producers of other commodities, such as cotton, peanuts and dairy, Georgia’s soybean farmers collectively invest a portion of their revenue to fund research and promotion efforts. This collective investment is called a check-off. The Soybean Check-off is a nationwide effort supported entirely by soybean farmers with individual contributions of 0.5 percent of the market price per bushel sold each season.

Success for soybean farmers in today’s market takes more than just a good harvest. Increasing demand for soybeans is an essential part of the equation. The Soybean Check-off helps facilitate market growth and creation by funding research at land-grant universities as well as promotional efforts. In Georgia, more than 75% of the check-off funds collected go to fund research – which is crucial in the development of new varieties, improvements in production efficiency, and advancements in insect and disease management.

By investing in research and building demand, the US Soybean Check-off helps ensure a strong and profitable future for soybean farmers in Georgia and across the nation.

For more information about the commission, email gasoybean@gmail.com.

Guest Blog: Quest to Feed a Hungry World Continues

Courtesy Georgia FACES

ANGLE

By J. Scott Angle, dean of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Agricultural scientist Norman Borlaug was known as many things during his lifetime: Nobel Peace Prize winner, father of the Green Revolution, a persistent pioneer in the battle to end hunger. Few can dispute that during his 95 years, he was responsible for saving more human lives than anyone in history.

Today, he would have turned 100.

“You can’t build a peaceful world on empty stomachs and human misery,” Bourlaug once said.

Today, we are reminded he was a living example of the power of science to improve the world. He was the picture of practicing what you preach. He certainly did his part to fill empty stomachs and end human misery.

Borlaug developed dozens of cereal grain varieties that grew well in Asia, Mexico and Africa – areas of the world that had spent years facing mass famine and starvation. Scholars say he prevented as many as 1 billion deaths.

"There can be no permanent progress in the battle against hunger until the agencies that fight for increased food production and those that fight for population control unite in a common effort,” he said during his 1970 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech.

Today, we again face a growing population that will outpace food production if we don’t find a way to double our yields — this time with less land and less water. Borlaug was fast to point out that meeting the challenges that led to the Green Revolution took many scientists, farmers, agencies and organizations working together. The same will be true of the grand challenge before us now. And the solutions will be more complicated than before.

It will take plant breeders and engineers, farmers and processors, transportation and cooperation to feed a hungry world. Technology will drive the future of agriculture and help to curb world hunger. Agriculture may be the sector of our economy where new technology can have the greatest impact in the shortest period of time.

On the 30th anniversary of winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Borlaug said in a speech in Ohio, “The world has the technology – either available or well advanced in the research pipeline – to feed on a sustainable basis a population of 10 billion people.”

Our college has a long history of excellence in developing the next generation of technology to provide food for the world. One area in which we have traditionally been leaders is plant breeding and genomics. Glen Burton, a world-renowned forage breeder in Tifton and a contemporary of Borlaug’s, helped turn our forage and turfgrass breeding program into a world powerhouse.

Today, among our faculty, we have some of the finest plant breeders in the world improving the yield and productivity of everything from soybean and sorghum to peanuts and blueberries. Each understands the consequence of failing to meet the growing demand for food with dwindling resources.

In a recent interview with former US President Jimmy Carter, he reflected on the Carter Center’s work with Borlaug to improve the food supply and farm income in developing nations around the world. They found, especially in Africa, most of their work was with female farmers since the women generally tend the crops. By providing plant varieties better suited to African climates, they were able to put more food on the dinner table and more income in the family budget.

The work these scientists are doing today will ensure that effort continues.

Someone like Norman Borlaug may only come along every 100 years, but our students, our scientists, our engineers, our teachers and our farmers share his drive, determination and curiosity. Those qualities will help usher in the next great revolution in agriculture. The vision for that quest is Borlaug’s lasting legacy to the world.

Guest Blog: How Do Georgia's Working Forests Make Life Better?

Georgia Forestry Foundation launches education initiative and $35,000 contest to promote forestry

By Matt Hestad, communications coordinator for Georgia Forestry Association

One question: how do Georgia’s working forests make life better? If you are heavily ingrained in the forestry community, you know the value of Georgia’s forests. But do your co-workers, friends, children, teachers or elected officials in your community?

The Georgia Forestry Foundation recently launched a new contest and education initiative, “Forestry: AFoundation for Our Future,” to educate students and the public about the value of Georgia’s working forests. Schools and students who participate in the statewide contest will have an opportunity to win a prize valued up to $35,000. The initiative aims to create greater awareness of the economic, environmental and social benefits of Georgia’s 24.8 million acres of forest land.

The forestry community has for many years educated students about forestry via Project Learning Tree, an award-winning environmental education program, and the Georgia TeacherConservation Workshop, a week-long forestry workshop for teachers. This contest is the beginning of a campaign to build on those efforts, aiming to educate all Georgians.

“As more and more people live in and around our state’s cities, fewer and fewer understand the importance of forestry as an economic engine – including the jobs they provide. Fewer and fewer know about the critical role forests play in cleaning our air and water – providing a lot of natural resources that we depend upon to survive,” said GFF Chair Jody Strickland, timberland acquisitions manager for Weyerhaeuser.

As a part of this initiative, the Foundation is inviting fifth through 12th grade students across Georgia to participate in a contest to express the value of Georgia’s sustainable working forests through submission of a creative artwork and slogan. It includes two levels of competition: fifth through eighth and ninth through 12th grades, with one winner from each level. Each winning entry will be awarded a prize valued up to $35,000, which includes:

• $15,000 cash award to the school
• $2,500 cash award and forestry camp scholarship to the student
• Project Learning Tree environmental professional development for up to 20 teachers
• Paid registration for two teachers to attend the Georgia Teacher Conservation Workshop
• Field trip for students in the grade level of each winning student
• Materials featuring the winning artwork and slogan

The winning students, their parents or guardians and two school staff members from each of the winning schools will also be invited (expenses paid) to attend an award ceremony on Sunday, July 20, at the association's annual conference in Hilton Head Island, SC.

“Georgia has much to be proud of in its working forests,” Strickland said. “We’re delighted to expand upon our long-standing education efforts to further the understanding of what these natural resources bring to our state. We look forward to seeing the creative submissions developed over the coming months.”

As students consider how to express the importance of Georgia’s forests, they will learn that almost 25 million of Georgia’s 37 million acres of land are forestland. They will learn that our working forests provide almost $29 billion to the state’s economy annually and offer more than 135,000 jobs to Georgians. And they will learn that research has estimated more than $37 billion of annual value to our state of the benefits of clean air, clean water, carbon storage, wildlife habitat and aesthetics provided by working forests. Above all, they will learn that working forests are renewable and sustainable.

The foundation will use the artwork and slogan from the contest’s two winning schools to create banners for container trucks, interstate billboards, yard signs and other marketing materials that will be used in a campaign to further educate the general public across the state.

The artwork, slogan and entry form must be submitted by April 30, 2014, to be considered in the statewide competition. Only one submission will be accepted per school. The winners will be notified by the Georgia Forestry Foundation by May 16.

For more information on the contest including submission guidelines, entry form, terms and conditions and other resources for schools visit the contest website or call 478-992-8110. If you would like to sponsor or distribute information to your communities about this initiative and the contest, please visit this website.