Drs. Keith Edmisten and Camp Hand, cotton specialists at North Carolina State University and the University of Georgia, respectively, join host Dr. Steve Brown to discuss the economic situation facing agricultural producers throughout the US, along with the impacts of hurricanes on cotton production, specifically discussing the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in late September.

Byron Cole, Deputy Director of the Grading Division, and Greg Townsend, Area Director of the Visalia Cotton Classing Office, join host Steve Brown to discuss the USDA Cotton Classing System, including

• Some of the history behind the System
• The processes and diligence of delivering consistent, repeatable analysis of samples within and across Classing Offices
• The actual how-to's of classing
• HVI versus the old way
• Year-to-year challenges and efficiencies
• Extraneous Matter
• Differences between upland and Pima classification
• Possible future improvements

Dr. Wes Porter, Extension Ag Engineer at the University of Georgia, joins host Steve Brown to talk about the JD roll picker, with a few thoughts about the comparable stripper version. We discuss a little history about the concept and talk about advancements in capabilities of these remarkable machines. We specifically address how to calibrate the module handling system and the possible uses of the resulting data.