Home > Crops & Livestock > Crops > Cotton > News > Cotton forum addresses soil, insects, weeds (Distributed 01/25/08) Testing soil and properly managing weeds and insects can help cotton farmers grow a successful 2008 crop, experts told approximately 60 cotton producers and other industry representatives at the Louisiana Cotton Forum held Jan. 23 at the Delhi Civic Center. Rain Slows Cotton Harvest A rainy weather pattern has soaked fields, wet down cotton fiber and slowed the cotton harvest in the central and northeast parts of Louisiana. Only 7 percent of the cotton has been harvested in Louisiana as of Sept. 24, 2007. LSU AgCenter Experts Continuing Studies Of Saltwater Contamination In Southwest Louisiana [Image: Watering test plants at Rice Research Station] LSU AgCenter scientists hope they will soon be able to make recommendations for farmers whose fields were hit with saltwater contamination from Hurricane Rita’s storm surge. Meetings Bring Farmers Together To Consider Options After Storms [Image: Farmers attending workshop on options after storms] Farmers attending workshops in Acadia and Calcasieu parishes Tuesday (Oct. 25) learned about assistance for dealing with hardships caused by two hurricanes that struck the state this summer. Similar sessions, organized by the LSU AgCenter, were planned for New Iberia, Hammond and Raceland over the next few days.  more articles... Hurricane Rita Adds To Problems For La. Cotton Crop [Image: Modules of cotton after hurricane] The 2005 Louisiana cotton crop took significant hits when the second hurricane in less than a month roared into the state this past weekend (Sept. 23-25). Katrina Hurts Timber, Sugarcane; Shrimping Biggest Seafood Loss; Citrus ‘Down the Drain’ Agricultural damage in Louisiana has been estimated in excess of $1 billion, including $610 million in lost timber, $145 million in sugarcane and $151 million for seafood. Commercial Corn Hybrids with Superior Resistance to Aflatoxin [Image: Steve Moore] Aflatoxin is a highly carcinogenic contaminant produced in corn grain infected with Aspergillus flavus fungus. Aflatoxin is especially widespread in Louisiana when high temperatures and drought conditions prevail during the grain-filling period.