Speakers on tap for the 2020 National Cotton Council's Beltwide Cotton Conferences will take on the most pressing issues facing the cotton industry.

The conferences run Jan. 8-10 at the JW Marriott Austin Hotel, Austin, Texas.

Key conference issues include cotton's economic outlook, sustainability, weed and insect pest resistance, contamination, a developing disease problem and trends in crop management.

"The 2020 Beltwide Cotton Conferences will cover topics ranging from Bt resistance, water restrictions and precision agriculture technology to EPA’s role in the plant protection chemicals’ review and registration processes,” said Gary Adams, president/CEO of the National Cotton Council, which coordinates the annual forum.

"In addition, a special sustainability session will enable participants from the entire cotton value chain to discuss and promote continuous improvement in the sustainability of U.S. cotton. That session also will cover new sustainability programs and best management practices; industry, brand, and retail sustainability goals; market opportunities and downstream perspectives."

Cotton Consultants Conference

The event begins at noon, Wed., Jan. 8, with the Crop Consultants Conference, which features diverse presentations from industry, universities and other cotton entities.

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Key issues, indicated in the latest conference agenda, include water resource monitoring; EPA registration review and comment process; contamination; and insect, disease, breeding, and fertility panels.

Bayer, BASF, FMC, Americot, Phytogen and Syngenta will offer industry updates.

Cotton Sustainability

Sustainability, Adams says, has emerged as an important consideration for the cotton industry, from the field to the final shirt, sheet or fabric for household décor.

Adams kicks off the session with an overview and assessment of the importance of sustainability to the cotton industry.

Other presentations include how retailers and brands position cotton as part of a sustainable future.

Also on the agenda will be updates on the Cotton Trust Protocol and a grower perspective on the sustainability needs of retailers and brands.

Cotton Economics

Bart Fischer, Texas A & M, will offer an update on U.S. ag policy during the cotton economics section, scheduled for Thursday, Jan.. 9.

The session begins at 10:30 a.m. with presentation of the Cotton Marketer of the Year Award. O. A. Cleveland, Mississippi State University, will present the award.

John Robinson, Texas A&M, will cover the cotton market outlook, and Dale Cougot, Olam International, Richardson, Texas, will discuss "China in an Evolving Market."

New Virus

Numerous speakers will discuss a new disease threat, the cotton leafroll dwarf virus, that concerns producers across much of the Cotton Belt. A four-hour block has been devoted to discussing this disease.

Cotton specialists and researchers will look at differences in varietal tolerances, planting dates and aphid management effects on incidence of the virus, as well as reports from states.

Cotton Agronomy, Physiology & Soil

Agronomy presentations will cover irrigation techniques, heat stress effects and alternatives to chemical stalk destruction with dicamba-tolerant varieties.

A cotton engineering section will feature updates on autonomous cotton harvesters and using aerial imagery to survey cotton losses, replant recommendations, and detection of contaminants in the field.

Cotton Ginning Conference

Robbie Seals, USDA, AMS Cotton and Tobacco Program, Memphis, Tenn., leads the cotton ginning conference with an update on the 2019 crop.

Other ginning topics include lint cleaning differences with conventional versus experimental processes, drum arrangement on spindle pickers, and a quality and length uniformity panel discussion.

Weed science presentations include updates on dicamba volatility, evaluations of chemistry efficacy, and ongoing issues with Palmer amaranth.

The cotton improvement conference will consider numerous factors that affect cotton production, including disease and abiotic stress.

The Cotton Insect Research and Control Conference features updates on identification and control of key cotton insect pests including brown stink bug, bollworm and others. Presenters will report on Bt resistance, a growing concern across the Belt. Presenters also will look at biotechnical control options and insecticide efficacy factors.

Graduate students present research findings during several student competition programs.

To help with event planning and scheduling, Beltwide Cotton Conferences attendees are invited to use the BoardBookIt App, an online scheduler that provides easy access to meeting materials, including meeting schedules, hotel maps and meeting reminders.

To receive a temporary link to set up login credentials, contact NCC’s Jana Jackins at [email protected] or 901-274-9030.

For more information and to see the complete Beltwide Cotton Conferences agenda go to https://bit.ly/38nOCq8.