In this video, hear from three coastal plain cotton producers as they share their stories and experiences to improve the health and productivity of their farms. Adding cover crops to a cropping system can increase organic matter, control problem weeds, and help reduce moisture evaporation. But how do you get started?

Researchers in the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, are studying the use of both annual and perennial cover crops called “living mulches” in cotton.

This week’s podcast, sponsored by NewLeaf Symbiotics, features Dennis Burns, AgCenter Agent and Research Coordinator with Louisiana State University. Burns will discuss why 60-inch cotton is gaining interest, an experiment with corn, soybeans, and cotton in a 60-inch bed, how adding cover crops to 60-inch cotton had an impact, and more.

A 2-year study at the University of Western Sao Paulo and Sao Paulo State University in Brazil found applying potassium (K) to a grass cover crop grown before cotton in sandy soil lowered production costs and resulted in cotton with a higher market value, according to an article on Science X news website.

After corn is chopped and combines move through fields, crop residue and stubble remains, leading some growers to tillage processes, yet soil experts continue to encourage growers to leave the stubble for the sake of soil health. According to the most recent Agricultural Resources Management Survey on the production practices of corn, cotton, soybean and wheat, data shows that roughly half (51%) growers used either no-till or strip-till at least once over a four-year period. Read more in this article from the Star-Herald (Scottsbluff, NE).

Wrangler announced plans for a new jean that celebrates the benefits of regeneratively grown cotton. Global cotton farmers who can demonstrate and document soil-carbon and biodiversity improvements are invited to apply for their cotton to be purchased for a Wrangler Retro Premium submission as part of The Jeans Redesign project from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF).