During its first decade, the FiberMax One Ton Club has recognized 806 cotton growers who produced 2,000 pounds or more of lint cotton per acre on at least 20 acres using FiberMax cotton seed. Growers have used 37 different FiberMax varieties to produce One Ton Club yields.

At the recent 10-year anniversary banquet in Lubbock, Texas, Bayer CropScience and FiberMax cotton seed honored 183 new one-ton producers.

Lee Rivenbark, head of Seeds North America for Bayer CropScience, remembers those early days when growers first started achieving yields that were previously unknown in West Texas.

“By elevating the use of water management, equipment and technology, these innovative growers showed they could successfully manage for high yields and high quality with FiberMax cotton,” Rivenbark said. “We began to hear stories about 2,000-pound cotton yields, and we needed to come up with a way to recognize producers who grew four-bale cotton. Then a grower told us, ‘It’s not just four-bale cotton. It’s a ton of cotton.’” 

Through the last decade, FiberMax growers across the Southwest have refined agronomic practices and brought new innovations to produce high yields and excellent quality, even during a three-year drought and other challenges. At last year’s banquet, one Texas grower was recognized for producing 6.9 bales to the acre with FiberMax cotton.

“The piece we can’t forget is the expertise these growers bring in this harsh and difficult environment,” Rivenbark said. “I don’t know where the top end is. But wherever it is, we’ll be shining a spotlight on the growers who make the One Ton Club.”

One Ton Truck Winner

This year, FiberMax One Ton Club members from Texas, Arizona, California and Oklahoma qualified for a chance to win a Ford F-350 Super Duty King Ranch truck in the FiberMax One Ton Club Sweepstakes. Willem and Ruth Hartman, first-year One Ton Club members from Pampa, Texas, won the One Ton Club truck. The Hartmans averaged 2,321 pounds per acre on 54 acres, using FM 2011GT, with a USDA loan value of 57.23 cents.

Best of the Best

Individual awards presented during the banquet included highest yield, highest gross value, highest loan value, most acres and most varieties:

Highest Yield and Highest Gross Value per Acre:
Larry Hancock, with 3,260 pounds and $1,854.94 per acre with FM 2334GLT

Highest Loan Value:
Mark Pratt, 58.17 cents with FM 2322GL and FM 1830GLT

Most One Ton Club Acres:

Chris Matschek and Doyle Schaefer, 425 acres with FM 1944GLB2 and FM 2484B2F

Most Varieties Achieving One Ton Club Yields
Eleven farming operations made One Ton Club yields last season with two varieties.