Arizona cotton grower Dennis Palmer says he may plant upwards of 3,800 acres of mostly extra-long staple (ELS) varieties in the Safford area of southeastern Arizona.

Palmer, the recipient of the 2016 High Cotton Award from Western Farm Press, was still planting cotton in late April. Alternating hot and cold spells and “horrible winds” in April made for what Palmer characterized as “a horrible spring” planting season.

“The one thing I’ve learned is Mother Nature is always in charge out here,” he said.

Still, Palmer is optimistic about his water availability and the growing season to boost his planting intentions a little higher than what he grew last year.

Though much of Arizona’s cotton planting intentions appear to be in the short-staple Upland varieties – growers there told the NCC in a recent planting intentions survey that they’ll plant 137,000 acres of Upland cotton , a 54 percent increase over what they grew last year – Palmer will do the opposite.

He says he will devote about 75 percent of his acreage to the ELS varieties Phytogen PHY 805 and Deltapine’s DP 348 RF. The balance of his acreage will be planted in Upland varieties, including DP 1044 B2RF.

Palmer says he likes growing ELS cotton in his region. He says the Pima varieties do well with yields between two and three bales common.