Cotton Resource DVD is an encyclopedia of production information
Jan 4, 2008 9:44 AM,
By Tim McAlavy
Texas A&M University
The 2005 Cotton Resource CD provided many things Texas producers needed to know about cotton production. The new 2007 Cotton Resource DVD goes even further, serving as a veritable encyclopedia of Texas cotton information, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service specialist. "At this stage of the game, it's as close to one-stop shopping for cotton information as we can get," said Dr. Randy Boman, AgriLife Extension agronomist based at Lubbock. "Many of the common challenges producers encounter are addressed by publications on this DVD."
"Information on the DVD is indexed according to key topic areas," said Dr. Robert Lemon, AgriLife Extension agronomist based at College Station. "The publications address general production problems; irrigation management; soil fertility; insects, weeds, nematodes and diseases; harvest concerns, fiber quality and ginning; and production economics. We also included a list of Internet information resources."
The photo gallery illustrates insects, weeds, grasses, diseases and symptoms of herbicide injury. Bark contamination, irrigation, and insect scouting are covered in short videos, Lemon said.
The DVDs are made possible by a grant from the Texas State Support Committee of Cotton Inc. This funding allowed AgriLife Extension and Texas AgriLife Research to produce and target this resource for AgriLife Extension agents, producers and industry personnel.
Those who want a copy of the free 2007 Cotton Resource DVD can contact Lemon at 979-845-0870 or Boman at 806-746-6101. The contents of the DVD can also be found on the Internet at: http://lubbock.tamu.edu/cottondvd . "The DVD will soon be available at cotton gins, because we know they typically have a lot of traffic in and out," Boman said. "This resource will help answer some of the questions gins receive. We've also made it available to agribusiness representatives and crop consultants, as a key training tool for the cotton industry."
The Texas AgriLife Extension Service is the new name of Texas Cooperative Extension, which provides Texans in all 254 counties with non-biased, research-based education programs and services in agriculture and natural resources, 4-H and youth development, family and consumer sciences, and community economic development. Texas AgriLife Research is the new name for the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, which annually conducts more than $150 million in agriculture and life-sciences research.
