This past week in Southeast agriculture we found out Teel Warbington is CEO of family business and High Cotton winner; what you need to know about disasters before crop insurance sign up; North Carolina’s herbicide problems getting worse; and Florida’s citrus industry is now a quarter of what it used to be -- plus much more.

Crop insurance: Know this about disasters before signing up

One of the biggest risks in farming besides price is production risk. Crop insurance pays most often on drought in the Southeast. But South Carolina’s epic flood at harvest in 2015 resulted in catastrophic losses for the majority of row crop farmers in the state. Crop insurance is not designed to make you whole and some lessons were learned in South Carolina.

Required training to use auxin pesticides: dates, locations announced

Cotton and soybean varieties with tolerance to auxin herbicides 2,4-D or dicamba are nearing commercialization. Prior to making applications of dicamba to dicamba-tolerant cotton or soybean or 2,4-D to 2,4-D-tolerant cotton or soybeans in Georgia, growers will be required to attend the training “Using Pesticides Wisely.”

Teel Warbington: CEO of family farming business and High Cotton winner

Three generations of Warbingtons farm together around Vienna, Ga., and each generation and individual contributes to the operation’s success. But someone has to keep the family business on point. That’d be Teel Warbington.

For the Warbingtons’ efficient and environmentally sound cotton production practices, based largely on Teel’s dedication to details, George “Teel” Warbington is the 2016 Farm Press/Cotton Foundation High Cotton Award winner for the Southeast region. He will be honored, along with producers from the Delta, Southwest, and West, at an awards breakfast Feb. 26 at the Mid-South Farm & Gin Show at Memphis.

2016 High Cotton winners represent the best of the best

2016's High Cotton Awards will be presented in a different venue, but they will still recognize the best of the best when it comes to growing quality cotton and taking care of the land and water.

For the first time, the High Cotton Awards, which are sponsored by Farm Press Publications through a grant to The Cotton Foundation, will be held in conjunction with the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show at Memphis.

‘Old-fashioned’ romance in the pasture and the rules of ‘engagement’

While other ranchers praise the efficiency of artificial insemination, we have found that our livestock are more old-fashioned when it comes to ranch romance.

In keeping with that biological tradition, breeding season continues to showcase dating and mating dynamics that cross more than just fence boundaries.

North Carolina's herbicide, weed problems getting worse

Herbicide-resistant weeds continue to pop up in North Carolina and farmers need to be prepared in 2016.

Speaking at the 2016 Road Show Production Meeting at the Vernon James Research and Extension Center Jan. 28, Wes Everman, North Carolina Extension weed specialist said herbicide resistant common ragweed and herbicide resistant common water hemp have been confirmed near Elizabeth City. And herbicide-resistant palmer Amaranth remains a major headache for North Carolina farmers.

Florida citrus industry only a quarter of what it used to be

The USDA’s forecast Feb. 10 of 69 million boxes of oranges, weighing 90 pounds each, represents a decline of more than 71 percent since the peak of citrus production at 244 million boxes during the 1997-98 season.

Citrus greening disease is largely the reason for the reduction in Florida citrus production.

The “Cadillac Treatment” for high-yield dryland soybeans

Jim Dunphy calls last year’s study on maximizing dryland soybean yields “the Cadillac treatment” because he took steps to achieve a high yielding situation as possible.

DuPont and Dow reveal structure, locations for new US-based ag company

DuPont and The Dow Chemical Company Feb. 19 announced the U.S. sites and structure for the agriculture company that will be created following the separation of DowDuPont into three independent, publicly traded companies.