Battle Between Cotton and Mother Nature Continues
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HUMBOLDT, Tenn. — Cotton farmers’ fields show signs of an unusual growing season, which serve as a reminder of the challenges faced months ago. “We got off to a late start with the spring rain and it pushed everything later. We’re hoping for the hot weather in August and September to thne push the cotton along a little bit,” Jason Luckey said, a local cotton farmer. The first fall freeze did not come as a surprise cotton farmers especially with a late cotton season. Staying ahead of the clock is all they could do, explained Luckey. “We got it out a few days before but as you can see the leaves didn’t fall off and some of the leaves are still stuck,” Luckey said. “As far as whether the bulbs will open we will let mother nature keep running her course and hope they do.” After making it through the freeze, Luckey said that he is hopeful for the rest of the season. “Earlier in September I was really discouraged about the late cotton, but as we had a hot September and that kinda pushed it a little, but as I got out here in the later cotton they are mature,” Luckey said. This will continue the long waiting game until at least the end of November for the cotton farmers. “A very trying year. It is one of the most with early spring rains and trying to get things planted and then the cooler nature summer,” Luckey said. “It’s definitely been a year that’s probably in my later stages where I will say I remember the year of 2013.” Cotton experts estimate the state will suffer roughly $20 to 40$ million in loss of revenue from the bad cotton crop in West Tennessee.
