Bayer Opens Cotton Research Center In Dawson

Bayer has invested $4.4 million in its new Southeast Cotton Breeding Station located in Dawson, Ga., with the goal of improving the performance of its cotton varieties for Southeastern farmers. Bayer officials, cotton growers, crop consultants and other members of the Southeast cotton community attended the grand opening Bayer held for the station Oct. 20. 

 

The 150-acre station has enough field space to evaluate 12,000 nursery rows of cotton. The station also includes two buildings with more than 13,440 square feet of research space to evaluate the cotton.

 

The research fields surrounding the buildings were bursting with picture-perfect cotton waiting to be harvested the day of the grand opening.

 

According to Bayer, each nursery row is a potential variety line that will be evaluated for yield and agronomic traits. Lines that show promise will be studied further in a multi-location, multi-year yield trial program. 

 

"We think this is going to be real influential to Southeast cotton breeding," Dr. Margaret Shields, manager of the Bayer U.S. Cotton Breeding team, said in her welcoming remarks. 

 

Shields told the audience Bayer began its Southeast research program in 2008 after buying the Stoneville cottonseed brand. The program was previously located just south of Albany.

 

 

Any question as to why Bayer located its new research station in Georgia was made clear when Monty Christian, vice president of Bayer Cotton Business, took the stage and placed two miniature cotton bales wrapped in UGA fabric on the podium.

 

"Georgia is known for producing two and a half million bales of cotton annually that generate over 50,000 jobs in Georgia," Christian said. "Each of these UGA bales represent one pound of cotton. If you take 500 of these it represents a 500-pound cotton bale. Picture two and a half million bales of cotton produced in Georgia. If you lined them up end to end they would wrap around the world twice."

 

The station, which will employ 10 to 15 people when fully staffed, is lead by cotton breeder Dario Mesquita. Nino Brown, a graduate of the UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences (CAES) doctorate program, serves as assistant cotton breeder for the station. Jody Butler is the station testing manager.

 

"I expect big things from this group. We're going to be focused on bringing you new trait varieties developed specifically for this region," Christian said. "This facility is going to strengthen the job economy here, but in the long-term it's going to advance the Southeastern cotton industry. Bayer is the type of company that believes in research. Nearly ten percent of every dollar we earn goes back into research."

 

 

Dr. Robert Shulstad, UGA CAES assistant dean of research, recalled how Georgia farmers rebuilt the cotton sector in the 1990s after the boll weevil made it a minor crop in Georgia for many years.

 

"We have about 1.6 million acres of cotton in Georgia now, but in the 1980s when I got to Georgia there were only about 250,000 acres," Shulstad said. "But Georgia farmers invested in eradicating the boll weevil and building the industry back up. We are very pleased that Bayer will have this commitment [to the cotton industry]," Shulstad said. 

 

After the ribbon cutting event, attendees toured the facility where they saw the equipment researchers will use to plant the research plots, gin the research cotton, evaluate the fiber, process and store seeds.

 

 

"The Southeast has evolved into one of the main cotton producing areas, but the South has always struggled to make the yields that the Midwest, Arizona and Texas have due to their arid environment," said crop consultant Bubba Lamberth of Camilla. "We have growers here that could do it, but our humid environment and rain from the Gulf of Mexico and the hurricanes we deal with make it difficult. We've got to have varieties that are humidity and storm resistant."