Ten inches of rain can make an aquifer look great and still make a cotton producer feel sick to their stomach. We sit down with the UGA Cotton Team to sort through what that kind of October weather does to an already-open crop, why “not optimal timing” is an understatement when fields are defoliated, and how to make the next decision with the forecast you actually have. We also share a quick season snapshot, including boll opening progress, harvest progress, and why early reports of strong color, trash, micronaire, length, and strength matter when conditions suddenly turn wet.

From there, we get honest about the ugly stuff: lint on the ground, tagging, higher trash potential, and the unsettling sight of seeds starting to sprout inside bolls after warm, wet, overcast stretches. We talk about what sprouting can do to fiber quality, what the gin may have to manage, and why the best move is often being mentally prepared for more variability instead of hoping it goes away.

We then pivot into practical cotton defoliation strategy, because products only work as well as the timing allows. We break down how temperature swings and sunshine drive efficacy, why spraying ahead of a cold front can cost you an extra trip, and how to think about cleanup options when you’re staring at bottom leaves or regrowth after rain delays. Finally, we shift to cover crops, including cereal rye, oats, and wheat, with a clear message from early data: cultivar choice is a major driver of biomass, sometimes more than seeding rate or whether you drill or broadcast. We close with a detailed, field-tested look at drone defoliation do’s and don’ts: flight height, swath width, droplet size, gallons per acre, label restrictions, and the drift risk that never fully disappears.

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Cotton can go from “almost ready” to “overdue” in a hurry, and that’s the tension driving this conversation from the University of Georgia Cotton Team. With bolls cracking fast across Georgia, we talk through the real-world decisions behind putting on defoliation, throwing it off, and knowing when the crop is truly at the finish line. We also share what we’re seeing from the road and in trials, plus the small details that separate clean harvest prep from a frustrating one.

Even though insect pressure feels quiet, we explain why late-planted, lush cotton can still draw cotton jassids as other fields get defoliated, and why whiteflies stay on the watch list in the latest acres. Then we get honest about end-of-season “autopsies”: missing fruiting positions are not a slam-dunk diagnosis for plant bugs, but boll feeding signs, stink bug damage, and knotty growth can help you judge whether you were too aggressive, just right, or behind. One trial takeaway stands out for cotton jassid control: bifenthrin shows very little activity, and we discuss what that might mean for biological control and beneficial insects in a year where pressure isn’t off the charts everywhere.

We also shift into irrigation termination at cutout, including why a full soil moisture profile matters before you walk away, how late-season water use drops, and how diesel costs change the economics of “one more shot.” To zoom out, we dig into water balance and drought reality across the state, why rainfall distribution during bloom can still limit yield, and why a “dry harvest” doesn’t erase a long-term deficit. Finally, we cover drone defoliation best practices (height, swath width, gallons per acre, drift risk) and wrap with harvest safety and yield monitor calibration reminders so your data is trustworthy when you compare fields.

If you farm cotton, advise growers, or scout fields, you’ll leave with practical next steps for cotton defoliation timing, late-season cotton pest management, irrigation management at cutout, and harvest prep. Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, share this with a grower who’s making these calls right now, and leave us a review. What’s the biggest harvest decision you’re wrestling with this week?

Cotton can look “done” and still trick you into spending money in the wrong places. We sit down and work through the late-season calls we’re getting right now, especially the big one: when to terminate irrigation. We share the questions we ask before we give an answer (last irrigation, last rain, planting date, current growth stage, whether you’re at cutout or beyond) and why those details matter more than any one-size-fits-all rule as the crop winds down.

Weather is the wildcard, and we talk honestly about how a dry stretch can flip to a wet cycle that slows harvest and complicates defoliation timing. We also zoom out to discuss drought impacts using water balance thinking, plus how wildly different rainfall can be even within the same county. The takeaway is simple: make decisions for your farm, your fields, and your maturity, then move fast when conditions line up.

From there we shift into harvest readiness, because the best yield on paper can still be lost to poor setup or bad timing. We cover picker maintenance and daily checks, cleaning out last year’s lint and debris, and watching humidity so you do not pick too early or push too late. We also hit safety and logistics as machines and module trucks start running, and we repeat a line we believe in: just because the picker can run faster doesn’t mean it should.

We finish with late-season insect management and defoliation strategy, including how boll age affects plant bug and stink bug decisions, why you often have to live with whiteflies but still manage them until defoliation, and what we’re learning about jassids as they shift to late, greener cotton. We explain why timely defoliation is not only an agronomic win but also an insect pest management win, helping shut down reproduction and reduce what carries into next year. If this helps you, subscribe on your favorite podcast app, share it with a friend who’s gearing up to pick, and leave us a review so more growers can find the show.

You can feel it in the field right now: some cotton is ready to roll, some is two weeks behind, and the temptation is to keep spending money just to feel like we are “finishing” the crop. We sit down after a busy Cotton and Peanut Research Field Day to get real specific about late season cotton management in Georgia, starting with the decision that can drive a lot of profits or regrets: when to terminate irrigation.

We walk through what cutout actually means from the plant perspective and why nodes above white flower (NAWF) is still the backbone for our recommendations, even in a season with oscillating weather, scattered rainfall, and uneven growth. We also pull water use numbers that show how fast cotton demand drops near cutout and first open boll, why a near full soil moisture profile can carry you further than you think, and how to avoid chasing top bolls that rarely pay you back. If you have been irrigating well past 10 percent open out of caution, this conversation gives you a clearer way to scout, stage, and decide when it is time to walk away.

From there we shift into the practical realities of harvest season: equipment safety around today’s large cotton pickers and module handling, plus pesticide stewardship that still matters during defoliation. We close with what we are seeing in late season insect pressure including plant bugs, stink bugs, jassids, and especially whiteflies, with a blunt reminder that you cannot get behind and then catch up. If you care about cotton yield, input efficiency, and timely defoliation, this one is built for you.

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Cutting off inputs is easy to say and hard to do when the crop still looks good, the heat won’t quit, and diesel bills keep climbing. We sit down as the Georgia cotton crop moves quickly toward open bolls and talk through the decisions that matter most right now: when to terminate irrigation, how to judge cutout using nodes above white flower (NAWF), and how to avoid spending money that no longer returns yield. We also put real numbers on the cost of water and explain why refilling the soil moisture profile before you “walk away” can be the difference between confidence and regret.

Then we shift into late-season risks that can sneak up fast. We cover disease timing in bloom, including when to start looking for target spot and why areolate mildew can cause rapid defoliation if conditions stay favorable. We talk leaf wetness, why night irrigation can help both irrigation efficiency and disease management, and how fungicide resistance changes product choices and the value of well-timed applications.

Finally, we get practical about what we’re seeing in the field: surprise plant bug pressure, spider mites thriving in hot and dry weather, and whiteflies reaching extreme levels in some areas. We explain why spray coverage and canopy penetration matter, why drones require extra caution for drift and performance, and how conserving beneficial insects becomes a farm-wide priority once whiteflies are in play. We close with defoliation timing, harvest prep, and key dates for upcoming UGA field days. Subscribe on your favorite platform, share this with a grower who’s making these calls today, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

A rain map can lie to you. One farm gets 2.7 inches with standing water, another a mile away stays dry, and suddenly your irrigation plan, insect pressure, and spray plans all change. We’re coming to you from a busy stretch of the Georgia cotton season with a fresh look at fields around the Plains Experiment Station and an honest check on where the crop sits statewide.

We walk through the latest crop progress numbers, what we’re seeing in fruit retention, and why an “average” crop can still jump to above average fast if the right rains land in the right places. Then we dig into irrigation scheduling reality: sensors that trigger day after day, shallow refills that never rebuild deep moisture, and why supplemental pivots can struggle when the profile is already drained. We also unpack drought monitor questions and water balance, because a dry spring can haunt you even after a wetter July.

From pest management to late-season decisions, the message stays the same: scout and stay timely. Plant bugs have been lighter, stink bugs stay a regular part of producing cotton in Georgia, and whiteflies are building where we expect them and showing up in fringe areas too. We share how to think about chemistry choices so you do not make whiteflies worse, plus a clear update on cotton jassids in 2026, what hopperburn and leaf puckering look like, and how quickly populations can grow in hot, dry weather. We also explain why timely defoliation matters not just for cotton, but for reducing pest carryover and protecting nearby vegetables.

You’ll also meet our new research entomologist, Dr. Alana Jacobson, and hear what questions she’s excited to tackle with emerging pests and extension-driven research. If this helped, subscribe on your favorite podcast app, share it with a grower or consultant, and leave a quick review so more people can find practical cotton production and scouting guidance.

Cotton can look great from the road and still be quietly losing yield in the rows. We sit down with a roundtable of Georgia Extension agents (Savannah Tanner - Emanuel County, Will Brown - Appling County, and Seth McAllister - Terrell County) to compare notes from across the state: where the crop stands after a rocky planting season, how far along fields really are from early square to peak bloom, and what those growth stage differences mean for every decision you make next.

We dig into the calls agents are getting right now, starting with weather-driven challenges like herbicide programs that “fell apart” after leaching rain, and the scramble to keep pigweed, spiderwort, and nutsedge from escaping under the canopy. We also talk cotton pest management in real terms: aphids fading as fungus moves in, plant bug pressure that feels lighter than last year in some areas, stink bug scouting that is about to matter more, and the big question that keeps coming up, cotton jassid. The message is consistent across counties: scout for jassids, but do not stop scouting for everything else.

Then we tackle fertility and plant health problems that can fool even experienced growers. After side-dress applications and sudden downpours, the question becomes whether nutrients leached and if you should reapply. We walk through why yellow cotton is not always nitrogen, how sulfur deficiency can show up fast, and why documenting weak spots now is the best way to solve nematodes, fertility issues, and pest injury while the evidence is still in the field. If you’re looking for practical Georgia cotton advice you can use this week, this conversation is built for that.

Subscribe on your favorite podcast app, share this with a grower or consultant, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What are you seeing in your cotton fields right now?

Cotton can look “fine” from the road and still be one storm, one missed spray window, or one miscalibrated spreader away from losing yield. We break down the early July Georgia cotton picture, including the latest acreage numbers, where the crop sits on squaring and bloom, and why that stretch of heavy rain after drought created two problems at once: delayed fieldwork and nutrients that may have moved before plants could use them. If you are seeing yellow cotton, we talk through what might be happening and how to think about recovery without guessing.

From there we get practical about irrigation scheduling as cotton water use ramps up during squaring and bloom. We share what monitoring wells and sensor data suggest about drought risk returning fast, plus how isolated summer storms can make your neighbor’s situation totally different from yours. One of the most important takeaways is learning to separate heat stress from true moisture stress, since mid-afternoon wilting can happen even with adequate soil moisture, and adding water at the wrong time can hurt yield.

We also dig into fertility and equipment: dry spreader width issues, liquid nozzle variation, clogged screens, and why quick calibration checks can prevent streaking and under-application when every pound of nitrogen counts. We close with longer-term field stewardship and pest management, including why fallow fields can create erosion and weed seed bank headaches, how low-cost summer cover crops can help, and the latest integrated pest management updates on aphid fungus, rising plant bug pressure in key areas, and what “jassid detection” really means in Georgia right now. Subscribe, share this with a cotton grower or consultant, and leave a review so more folks can find timely, research-backed cotton production advice.