Harvest

The cotton life cycle is complete and we have harvested and ginned the crop.

The harvest was earlier this year as we had a freeze in late October which allowed the leaves to drop and the bolls to pop. Yields were under last year which was probably a 30 year high but still exceptional. The overall Texas organic crop which includes a lot of dry land cotton will be about 1/2 of 2007 but SOS will have plenty of cotton for our product line.

We are posting a new website which should be easier to navigate http://www.sosorganiccottonclothing.com/.

Wish all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and may God continue to bless us all.

Gary O

Cotton irrigation and fruit development

Irrigation of our cotton started on July 16 after our good rains stopped. I put about 1 inch of water per week during this time through center pivots which are very efficient in water usage and delivery. I only had to put 5 inches of water on the crop this year as we had a 5 inch rain the 16th of August which should finish the crop.

The first picture is of the cotton at 10 weeks with the irrigation being applied.

The close up pictures show the fruit development of the cotton plant as the branch grows.

The tip of the plant shows the tiny square which produces a flower. When the bloom is finished, it falls off and the boll is left that will continue to grow and develop the fiber inside until maturity. The large boll on will start to open in a few weeks revealing the white fiber.

This crop is very good at this point and I am expecting a good harvest.

Gary Oldham

Crop Progress

It has been a busy season and I am just now getting up the crop progress pictures. We planted May 19th and had a good start even though the winter and early spring months were very dry and wind, wind, wind. The soil was drier than ideal conditions causing me to have to plant a little deeper to get to the moisture.

We had rain before crop emergence which washed in on some of the seed making them too deep to come up and giving a skippy stand in some areas of the field. If only I had know it would rain, I would have planted it shallow in the dry dirt and waited for the rain to set it. Always the hardest decision when planting.

Unusual hot windy weather in early June (104 with 40 mph wind) caused lots of trouble for the little plants which are sensitive to blowing sand and static electricity. Our crops faired well as the high levels of organic matter keep the blowing down. Many neighbors lost their crops.

More weeds this year than usual, maybe from all the wind so we have cultivated 5 times and hoed 2 with one more to go.

We have been blessed in our small area (named The Greenbelt by the Plains Indians who farmed here before us) with 8 inches of rain since May. The crop is loading heavily(putting on the squares that turn to bolls) and we have very favorable heat. It is now time to start the irrigation to supplement the rain.

I have attached some pictures showing the progress through 7 weeks. We are at 9 weeks as this is posted and hopefully I will not wait so long before another update.

Gary Oldham

Time to start the irrigation.

Planting time for the 2008 sos organic cotton crop

May 19, 2008
We finally received some rain last week and were able to get the crop planted. I have to plow ahead of the planter to get rid of weeds. This dries the soil several inches deep causing me to have to put the seed deeper than I would like. Chemical farms do not have this problem as the weeds can be sprayed which conserves moisture and allows perfect seed placement for a 5 day emergence. It will take my crop 8 days to emerge and if we receive rain during the waiting period it can cause compaction of the soil making emergence difficult or impossible. Cotton comes up in a crooked neck position like a bean and cannot push very hard without breaking its neck. Always a worry but we plant it and trust God to make it grow.
Hope to have successful update soon.
Gary

Compost time for organic cotton crop

SOS farms are now composting the land in preparation for the 2008 t-shirt crop. Compost will cost over $100 per acre to fertilize our land. We use composted manure from a local feedlot(50 miles away) at the rate of 4 tons per acre. One field in 2007 that followed organic peanuts(2006), with compost produced 2800 t-shirts per acre. This was the highest yield ever for our farm, it was a good year. I have included a picture of this crop.

We pray for another good season as we continue to prepare the land.

New!! Organic cotton doggie tees

Today we placed a production order for our new organic cotton doggie tees. Made from 100% organic cotton 1x1 rib. Available in 3 sizes in the natural color. As with all SOS From Texas products the cotton is from our certified organic farms which were first certified in 1992 and 100% MADE IN USA
Will be offered wholesale and retail. Available 4/15/08.
SOS Organic cotton---good for man, good for the land and good for dogs as well.
Call for more details 800 245 2339 or email go@sosfromtexas.com
Gary Oldham

Check Out Our Website

SOS From Texas

Organic Cotton Clothing

This is our first Blog. Welcome. We have been growing organic cotton since 1992 and established SOS From Texas in 1993 to market our cotton through our t-shirts and sportswear. We gladly furnish our organic certificate with orders and our label carries this information as well. We are one of the pioneers in organic cotton products and have built a excellent reputation for quality, authenticity and customer service and satisfaction.
Our plan is to keep you updated on our organic farming practices and progress and offer a forum for questions and feedback on all environmental issues and products. Sometimes our views may be not so main stream but will always strive to be honest.
Check in often for new products, interesting stories about farm life and my personal experiences as an organic farmer and t-shirt producer.
Gary Oldham