Cotton acres continue rising in southern portions of the Sunflower State. In 2020, southern Kansas farmers planted 195,000 acres of cotton that produced 300,000 480-lb bales of cotton lint and 99,000 tons of cottonseed with a combined economic value of $97,164,000!
The 6th Annual Great Plains Cotton Conference is scheduled for February 7 at the Sedgewick County Extension Center, 7001 W 21st St, Wichita, KS 67205. The Kansas Cotton Association, Cotton Incorporated, and Kansas State University are sponsors for the event.
Presentations will be focused on all things cotton, including irrigation scheduling, nutrient management, policy updates, cotton classing, pest management, economics and market outlooks, and cotton industry updates related to Kansas and the Great Plains. Nationally recognized speakers from Kansas, Texas, Tennessee, and North Carolina will be presenting with an additional panel discussion on See-n-Spray technologies in the late afternoon.
Registration opens at 7:30 AM, with morning sessions beginning at 8:15 AM and lunch at 12:00 PM, sponsored by Phytogen. Afternoon sessions begin at 1:15 PM and will wrap up at 4:00 PM.
CCA CEUs for Kansas have been requested.
Tentative Agenda and Topics
7:30 Registration and visit sponsors’ booths
8:15 Welcome to the Great Plains Cotton Conference – Gary Feist - Kansas Cotton Association, Shelley Heinrich - Cotton Board, and Gaylon Morgan – Cotton Incorporated
8:30 Policy Updates in Cotton and Cotton Trust Protocol – Tas Smith, NCC
9:20 Harvesting Practices to Maximize the Value of Cotton - John Wanjura, USDA-ARS, Lubbock, TX
9:50 Agronomic Management of Cotton - Logan Simon, KSU
10:20 Break
10:35 Insect Scouting and Management Options – Anthony Zukoff, KSU
11:05 Harvest-aid Decisions and Applications to Optimize Yield and Quality – Jenny Dudak, OSU
11:55 Lunch sponsored by Phytogen, and visit sponsors’ booths
1:15 Weed Management and Herbicide Resistance Update - Sarah Lancaster – KSU
2:05 Cotton Marketing Opportunities and Risks - Bailey Thomen – Cotton Risk Management Consultant, StoneX Financial Inc.
3:00 Panel Discussion – Cotton Marketing 2025
- Ellen Batchelder – Cargill
- Jeremy Gifford & Aubry Heinrich - PCCA
3:50 Audience feedback and conclude
Logan Simon, Southwest Area Agronomist – Garden City
lsimon@ksu.edu