About this Session

Wide Row Cotton

By: Dr. Bill Robertson, Owner/CFO at Arkansas Barns, LLC, & Adam Chappell, Arkansas Farmer: Cotton, Rice, Chappell Brothers Farms, LLC

Dr. Bill Robertson, University of Arkansas Cotton Extension Agronomist, and cotton farmer Mr. Adam Chappell, Cotton Plant, Arizona, discuss the cost-saving benefits of planting wide row cotton (76”). Adam follows soil health principles. He plants no till into high biomass cover crop blends. He says he has cut seed cost in half along with eliminating the need for synthetic phosphorus and potassium. Weed and pest control are achieved through the cover crop as well. While many producers say they are concerned about the “green bridge” that cover crops might provide, Mr. Chappell says cover crops provide a diverse habitat for beneficial insects to thrive to provide control. The video concludes with Mr. Chappell offering his advice on how to succeed growing wide row cotton.

Soil Health Institute Virtual Field Days are a production of the Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton project of the Soil Health Institute. Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton seeks to expand adoption of soil health management systems on producers’ farms through farmer-focused education and training events delivered by Soil Health Institute scientists, partnering soil health technical specialists and farmer mentors producing cotton using soil health promoting practices. The project aims to improve soil health and expand sustainable cotton production. Additionally, the project seeks to quantify, expand, and verify the productivity and environmental benefits of the soil health management practices used by cotton producers. Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton is supported through the generosity of the Wrangler® brand, the VF Corporation Foundation, and the Walmart Foundation.

Used with permission from the University of Arkansas System, Soil Health Institute, and Extension