Don’t weigh your cotton before it is ginned. 

Growers who once worried about the downside of cotton quality — those who focused on avoiding deducts rather than earning premiums — now have opportunities to increase the price paid for their cotton. 

“Make more, get more,” says PhytoGen Cotton Development Specialist Steve Brown, Ph.D. “With the same investment, a grower can realize a nice bump in returns by picking a cotton that yields and has good to excellent quality.” 

Brown says PhytoGen® brand variety PHY 444 WRF is like a double bonus for growers. It yields extremely well and is in high demand for its fiber characteristics.

Beyond variety selection, of course, cotton upside is realized in the steps between harvesting a cotton field and pocketing the check — or checks. 

Post-picking profit points are: turnout, premium payments and seed rebates from the gin. 

“A quick and comparative estimate in the recap sheet from the gin is the calculated loan value,” Brown says, noting the value is generated from the U.S. Department of Agriculture loan chart. The loan value, he points out, is an estimate.

For comparing varieties, growers can look across module reports to compare the micronaire, staple, strength and uniformity. These quality characteristics can be influenced by variety and crop management. Color grade and extraneous matter are influenced by environmental conditions. 

Ultimately, variety selection today demands that buyers look at the whole economic picture, says PhytoGen Cotton Development Specialist Russell Nuti, Ph.D.

“What did it take to grow X variety and how much did that variety return?” Nuti asks. “It is best to sit down and go through your gin recaps to figure profits. We have to drill down to the variety level to maximize profit in today’s market.”