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Griffins are known as astute cotton managers who have continually achieved top cotton yields in both the good years and lean years.

John Hart, Associate Editor

August 6, 2021

8 Min Read
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Johnny Griffin, left, and son Mac are taking steps to produce the best yielding cotton crop they can in 2021. They are hopeful this is the year everything will fall into place. The Griffins farm 3,000 acres of soybeans and cotton in Bertie County near Lewiston-Woodville, N.C.John Hart

Like farmers everywhere, Johnny and Mac Griffin are hoping that 2021 will be the year where everything falls into place with cooperative weather, good yields, and a bountiful harvest at a profitable price.

“So far, everything is looking good.  But it is early,” said Mac Griffin in a June 23 interview with Southeast Farm Press.

Mac farms with his father Johnny Griffin in Bertie County near Lewiston-Woodville, N.C. They said both their cotton and soybean crops are progressing nicely. 

“Farmers are always hoping for the ideal year. I have never planted a single cotton crop where I didn’t’ think the one we are planting is going to be the best we ever had. You have to be optimistic, it’s early now, but we hope for the best,” Johnny said.

And optimistic they are. But they are also taking steps to make sure they get the best yields they can. The Griffins are known as astute managers who have continually achieved top yields in both the good years and lean years.

Goal: Three-bale cotton

“I’m operating from a theory that you want the crop to be the best it can be from the time it comes out of the ground until you harvest. My goal is to raise three-bale cotton, but we rarely do it. We have had some. I hope to get 950-1,000 pounds per acre consistently. We have been fortunate in keeping it in that range,” Johnny said.

The Griffins farm 3,000 acres. This year, they have 2,400 acres of cotton, 550 acres of soybeans, and 20 acres of sunflowers. They have an equal amount of heavy river land and lighter sandier land. They tailor their fertility program to each soil type. They use soil samples, but also rely on experience to determine rates.

And how do they achieve such noteworthy yields?

A good fertility program that is ongoing, combined with precision agricultural practices and adapting new technology is key. 

“Our soil samples never call for phosphorous on the sandy land, but we still like to put some phosphorous on that ground. For our clay river land, we always have to add a little phosphorous. At the end of the day, we will put out about 300 pounds of high potassium fertilizer on our sandy land. We call it a maintenance dose,” Johnny explained. 

Starter fertilizer is vital. They like to apply 11 to 12 gallons of 17-17-0 2 x 2 starter fertilizer on all their land. For their clay river land, they like to use DAP with potassium. They will then side-dress all their land from mid- to late-June with 350 pounds of 16-0-13. 

“Every fall, we plant a heavy wheat or triticale cover crop. In the spring, we put a ripper shank down through that cover crop. We practice precision farming with guidance on our tractors, etc. We have been no-till since 2002,” Johnny said.

Quest for quality

A quest for quality drives everything they do. Johnny acknowledged that each year’s cotton crop across the farm always includes “the good, the bad, and the ugly.” He noted they have some of it all.

“This is our new norm every year. About 30% to 40% of the crop is gorgeous, 30% to 40% is just fine and for about 20% of the crop, the jury is still out, “Johnny said.

Certainly, variety selection is first and foremost for the Griffins. They are members of the Deltapine New Product Evaluator (NPE) program and have been NPE members since the program began in 2008. They use the NPE program to drive their varietal decision making. 

“The NPE program gives us a year to look at new varieties and to know what works for us. We know the varieties have already been looked at for four years before they go into the NPE program. We’re growing the varieties in real world conditions. We don’t give our NPE plots tender loving care. We treat it just like any acre of cotton. When a variety performs for us, we know we have a good one, “Johnny said”

Added Mac, “We’re looking for varieties that perform with all of the right fiber characteristics; good mic, long staple, high strength, and a good yielder. That’s what we’re looking for.”

This year, the Griffins planted DP 2038 and DP 2115. Both are new releases and are Bollgard 3 and XtendFlex varieties. They are viewed as good replacements in the Southeast for DP1646, a Deltapine variety that has been considered a rock star since it was released in 2016. “DP 2038 has really blown DP 1646 out of the water. Last year, DP 2038 was our best performing variety,” Mac said. 

Both Johnny and Mac agree Deltapine varieties perform well under stressed conditions, which is important since they are 100% dryland producers.

Thrips main pest worry

Thrips are their main pest worry although plant bugs do present a challenge. To manage thrips, they get their seed treated by Triangle Chemical Company. Johnny noted that they went to treated seed once they lost the use of Temik or aldicarb. “We apply acephate at a five and half to six-ounce rate once that first true leaf is just poking up,” he explains.

The family takes care of plant bugs while they spray for brown and green stink bugs. “We spray in early July when plant bugs start to manifest themselves,” Johnny noted.

As members of the Deltapine NPE program, Johnny and Mac are evaluating the new ThryvOn Technology which is expected to be released by Bayer to battle thrips and tarnished plant bugs. ThryvOn is still waiting for regulatory approval before it will be commercially available in 2022. ThryvOn is the first biotech trait designed to help cotton farmers battle thrips and tarnished plant bugs. ThryvOn will be stacked with Bollgard 3 and XtendFlex technology.

So far, Johnny and Mac like what they see with the new technology in terms of plant health and thrips control. On June 23, Johnny and Mac were joined by Keylon Gholston, Deltapine cotton product manager, who was on their farm to evaluate their NPE and ThryvOn plots. All three noted the cotton looked healthy with no signs of thrips damage.

“The plant health really looks better then cotton treated with acephate. We don’t see any stress from thrips. We hope ThryvOn is going to be the trait of the future. It will work for us if we can miss a spray trip for thrips and just have one less spraying for plant bugs,” Johnny said.

New technology vital

Both Johnny and Mac emphasized that using new technology is the only way to make it in the cotton business today. Both see untold value in biotech seed and the vast array of other innovations such as GPS tractors and baler pickers.

“Farming can be more profitable with new technologies because you can work it with fewer people for one thing. It makes farming doable with a small labor force; that’s the beauty of it,” Johnny explained. “If I were given the option to grow conventional cotton, I wouldn’t want to do it. I don’t want to raise cotton with that old technology.”

Mac acknowledged that the new technology, such as genetically engineered cotton seed, is expensive because of the intellectual property that goes into the development of the products, but it does pay for itself with higher yields at the end of the day.

“New technology makes it a lot more manageable with the current situation of resistance. A lot of effort went into developing this intellectual property. If you have a better product, you have to charge more for it,” Mac said.

Johnny noted that when he began farming back in 1982, a 50-pound bag of Deltapine cotton seed sold for $38 and you could plant five acres with that 50-pound bag. “Today, it cost $538 for a bag of seed that still plants five acres. You have to weigh the value of new technology with higher yields,” he said.

Indeed, technology is vital.

“We’re not running three 12-row cultivators with three men on them. We’re not bedding the land with big tractors, burning diesel fuel, because we’re no-till. It’s a combination of all that, and you just hope to have a good yield. You still have to have a good yield to make a profit,” Johnny said.

“You can’t make 600-pound per acre cotton and make a profit. But you don’t have to have 1,200-pound cotton. It’s nice to get that once in a while and we have in several years, but it’s not the norm,” he added.

And beyond a doubt, the right price is paramount.

“Last year, we booked cotton at 68 cents per pound. This year, we’re booking cotton at 78 to 90 cents per pound. That bump in price is a big help. When we get good quality and a good yield, usually the price is down. It looks like this year the price will stay in that range. Prices ranging from 80 to 85 cents are profitable. Prices of 70 to 75 cents is getting a little bit iffy,” he said.

So, as it stands now, both Johnny and Mac are hopeful this will be the year where everything indeed does fall together. They know it’s early, but they have hope. Both say farming cotton is exactly what they want to do.

“Hopefully there will be an ideal harvest with no hurricanes,” said Johnny.

About the Author(s)

John Hart

Associate Editor, Southeast Farm Press

John Hart is associate editor of Southeast Farm Press, responsible for coverage in the Carolinas and Virginia. He is based in Raleigh, N.C.

Prior to joining Southeast Farm Press, John was director of news services for the American Farm Bureau Federation in Washington, D.C. He also has experience as an energy journalist. For nine years, John was the owner, editor and publisher of The Rice World, a monthly publication serving the U.S. rice industry.  John also worked in public relations for the USA Rice Council in Houston, Texas and the Cotton Board in Memphis, Tenn. He also has experience as a farm and general assignments reporter for the Monroe, La. News-Star.

John is a native of Lake Charles, La. and is a  graduate of the LSU School of Journalism in Baton Rouge.  At LSU, he served on the staff of The Daily Reveille.

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