Lubbock, Texas
April 26, 2007
Bayer CropScience
recently hosted the second annual FiberMax One Ton Club™ awards
banquet in Lubbock to honor the 2006 class of One Ton Club
growers. The club recognizes growers who plant FiberMax® cotton
seed and produce 2,000 lbs of lint cotton or more per acre on at
least 20 acres.
Despite a season highlighted by drought in 2006, 78 growers were
accepted into the FiberMax One Ton Club for achieving one-ton
yields in Texas and Arizona, bringing the total number of
members to 185 since the club was established in 2005.
According to Jeff Brehmer, U.S. marketing manager for FiberMax
and AFD™ cotton seed, the number of One Ton Club members will
continue to increase as more high-yielding, high-quality
FiberMax varieties are introduced. Current members have achieved
one-ton yields with 10 different FiberMax cotton seed varieties
to date.
“We were excited to honor 2006 One Ton Club members in Lubbock
during our annual awards banquet, which is held in conjunction
with the Texas Gin Show,” Brehmer said. “These growers are
top-class producers who set out from day one to produce
high-yielding, high-quality cotton.”
During the awards program, renowned Texas cotton economist Dr.
Carl Anderson congratulated 2006 One Ton Club members, noting
they embody the message he has been preaching for 30 years: the
need to produce high quality cotton that is in demand worldwide.
With FiberMax, he said, growers have found the combination of
both yield and quality, which is critical in today’s cotton
market.
One Ton Truck Winner
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J.W. Hawkins, a cotton grower from Brownfield,
Texas, receives the keys to his new Ford F350
Super Duty King Ranch truck from Jeff Brehmer,
U.S. marketing manager, FiberMax. Hawkins won a
two-year lease on the vehicle in a drawing at
the FiberMax One Ton Club banquet. Hawkins
produced 2,023 lbs of lint cotton per acre with
FM 960RR on a 120-acre pivot. |
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A highlight of the FiberMax One
Ton Club banquet was a drawing for a two-year lease on a Ford®
F350 Super Duty King Ranch truck. J.W. Hawkins from Brownfield,
Texas, won the lease and said he was thrilled to accept the
prize. The veteran producer has been farming for more than 45
years and noted the amazing advancement in cotton yields and
quality in recent years.
Hawkins produced an average of 2,023 lbs per acre with FM 960RR
on a 120-acre pivot. “Our FM 960RR was a beautiful patch of
cotton and was uniform all season long,” he said. “We knew we
could produce 2,000 lbs because we’d seen others do it with
FiberMax cotton. We really pushed our FM 960RR cotton hard to
achieve high yields in 2006.”
Other awards were presented during the banquet, including
highest yield, high loan rate and highest gross value per acre:
- Highest Yield: Kent
Vaughan, 2,574 lbs per acre, FM 960BR
- Highest Loan Value: Mike
Grigg, 59 cents loan value, FM 960B2R
- Highest Gross Value Per
Acre: Kent Vaughan, FM 960BR
Aggressive Production Plans
According to Steve P. Nichols, U.S. agronomic manager for
FiberMax and AFD, One Ton Club growers start out with aggressive
production plans and follow a number of best management
practices throughout the season.
“In general, One Ton Club growers employ fertility programs
aimed at high yields, and many rotate their cotton with crops
like corn, wheat and peanuts,” Nichols said. “The majority of
members manage their cotton for earliness through timely
planting, proactive plant growth regulator management and timely
harvest.”
This fall, Bayer CropScience will distribute qualification forms
for growers who will be eligible for membership in the FiberMax
One Ton Club based on their yields in 2007. For more information
on the FiberMax One Ton Club, contact Molly Little at (806)
765-8844.
Bayer CropScience LP is the U.S. business of Bayer
CropScience, which has its global headquarters in Monheim,
Germany. Bayer CropScience, a subsidiary of Bayer AG with annual
sales of about EUR 6 billion, is one of the world’s leading
innovative crop science companies in the areas of crop
protection, non-agricultural pest control, seeds and plant
biotechnology. The company offers an outstanding range of
products and extensive service backup for modern, sustainable
agriculture and for non-agricultural applications. Bayer
CropScience has a global workforce of about 19,000 and is
represented in more than 120 countries, ensuring proximity to
dealers and consumers. |
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