Mike and Elizabeth England proudly show off their bale of cotton, the first of the season, with the help of Butch Roecker, BASF seed advisor and Luke Etheredge, BASF regional agronomist. The Harlingen Cotton Committee recently auctioned off the first cotton bale of the year. The bale was purchased by BASF for $7,000, with additional fundraising add-ons of $3,000, for a total of $10,000. Cotton farmer Mike England grew and harvested the cotton in the Rio Grande Valley. For the seventh year in a row, the first bale was grown with a FiberMax variety. England used FM 1830GLT. The money raised from the first bale goes to students pursuing a degree at Southern Career Institute in Texas. The cotton bale will be delivered to Vidalia Mills in Vidalia, Louisiana. (Photo courtesy of VMLY&R.)
