Fall, 1992 (v5n1)
(Editor's note: This article was written by Brian Baker, with
California Certified Organic Farmers. It appeared in the CCOF
Statewide Newsletter, Spring 1992, Volume 9, Number 2, and was
adapted for Sustainable Agriculture by David Chaney, UC SAREP.)
The first ever organic cotton conference was held in Visalia on
March 11, 1992. The conference was organized by the California
Institute for Rural Studies with support from UC SAREP, California
Certified Organic Farmers, the Committee for Sustainable Agriculture
and several other organizations and companies. It was attended
by more than 250 people from every facet of the cotton and textile
industry, including approximately 75 growers and 45 pest control
advisers. The agenda covered all aspects of growing, processing
and marketing organic cotton.
Representatives from clothing and textile manufacturers at the conference said that there is an increasing demand for organic cotton, with significant premiums going to the few growers who now raise the crop. In California, that includes two San Joaquin Valley producers certified through California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), Cal-Organics and Sally Fox, both in the Kern chapter. Several other CCOF growers have expressed interest in growing cotton on CCOF certified acreage in 1992. In addition to the limited acreage in California, four Texas growers produced organic cotton certified by the Texas Department of Agriculture on 600 acres last year.
Growing Concerns
What are the chances for increasing the acreage of organic cotton
in California? The answer to that question depends on how well
growers can alter their conventional production practices to suit
the requirements of organic certification and the quality standards
of ginners and textile manufacturers. Some of the key areas discussed
at the conference are summarized here.
Soil fertility. While cotton is a relatively heavy feeder
when compared with other field crops, the nutrient requirements
are not as high as most vegetables. Cotton could present a useful
rotation crop for organic growers who also produce canning tomatoes,
vegetables, grains and forage crops in the San Joaquin Valley.
Presenters noted that a fertility program based on compost, manure,
and the right cover crops could adequately meet the nutrient requirements
of cotton.
Pest management. Cotton accounts for more pesticide use
than any other crop in California. The principal insect pest
in the San Joaquin Valley is the lygus bug. Lygus can be managed
by rotation of non-host crops and by strip-cropping with a preferred
host, such as alfalfa, which traps the lygus. Other pests include
mites and caterpillars such as the beet armyworm and cotton bollworm
(Heliothis zea). These worms can be managed with beneficial
insects and Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).
Pest pressure is considerably greater in the Imperial and Palo
Verde valleys. Pink bollworm is a significant problem in these
areas, but has been mitigated somewhat by the mandatory short
season that breaks the insect's reproductive cycle. Another serious
cotton pest in the Imperial Valley is the sweet potato whitefly.
Once established, cotton can hold its own against weeds. A program
of rotation, preirrigation and timely cultivation can keep hand
labor costs to a minimum. Mechanical harvesting requires relatively
weed-free fields.
Defoliation. The biggest question for California organic
cotton producers is how to defoliate the crop prior to harvest.
Under conventional production practices, this is accomplished
using synthetic chemicals. In fact, almost half of the pesticides
used on cotton in California are defoliants (two of the three
currently registered in California are on the SB 950 list for
possible suspension).
Defoliants serve three purposes: 1) they make mechanical harvest
easier by eliminating the leaves that may jam the picker; 2) they
prevent the staining of the cotton by chlorophyll that would still
be in live leaves; 3) they reduce the moisture content of the
seed cotton by stopping evapotranspiration in the canopy.
While it is possible to mechanically harvest cotton without defoliation,
it is more difficult than with defoliation and can reduce quality
by several grades. The presence of foliage results in a higher
moisture content of the harvested cotton, which in turn requires
greater care and attention during the drying and ginning process.
Moreover, as the cotton is stacked into large "modules"
in the field, it may actually begin to compost if the cotton is
too moist. (The modules are a convenient way to transport and
store seed cotton before it is ginned.) In some cases the decomposition
process may produce temperatures in excess of 130 F. Additionally,
San Joaquin Valley growers are required to plow down their crop
residue by December 20 for pink bollworm control. This date necessitates
early defoliation in order to complete harvest and land preparation.
Under these circumstances, natural defoliation by frost is not
a possibility.
CCOF growers have used several different naturally occurring materials
to defoliate, with little success. Other possibilities explored
included a machine developed in the 1960s that defoliated cotton
with heat from propane gas. While the defoliation and quality
were comparable with chemical defoliation, the cost of the machine
and fuel made thermal defoliation uncompetitive. Variations of
this machine may be economically feasible if it is linked to the
power take-off or electrical system of the tractor.
Perhaps the best way to prepare a crop for harvest is to manage
the nutrients and water so that the cotton plant will naturally
stop growing. Cotton harvested without defoliants may have a
small amount of green staining, and should be ginned immediately
after harvest. If the cotton could be picked into trailers, rather
than built into modules, excessive moisture and decomposition
could be reduced.
The steps in processing from the gin to finishing are largely
mechanical. A few production aids may be used in spinning and
weaving. Finishing and dying are mostly chemical processes.
These stages of the manufacturing process will require the most
attention if apparel manufacturers want to label finished products
"organic"
Information about the organic cotton conference and future events
can be obtained from Will Allen at the California Institute
for Rural Studies, (916) 756-6555 or (209) 544-9677. For more
information about CCOF Certified Organic Cotton, contact CCOF
at (408) 423-2263.
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