{"id":85453,"date":"2026-02-12T00:28:36","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T03:28:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tech.einnews.com\/article\/891618358"},"modified":"2026-02-12T00:28:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T03:28:36","slug":"cotton-farmers-embracing-new-technology-to-boost-efficiency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/12\/cotton-farmers-embracing-new-technology-to-boost-efficiency\/","title":{"rendered":"Cotton farmers embracing new technology to boost efficiency"},"content":{"rendered":"
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TERRY COUNTY, TEXAS (KCBD) – Experts call it \u201cthe fourth industrial revolution\u201d \u2014 how digital technology is changing the way people work, and farming is no exception.<\/p>\n

For 250 years, the United States has led the way on inventive and innovative agriculture. Now, information is changing the fiber industry as local growers embrace cutting-edge technology.<\/p>\n

Across 20 miles of Terry County, a team of growers are in the middle of cover season, with tractors seeding wheat that will turn to cotton fields in a few months.<\/p>\n

The farming landscape has evolved dramatically from hand-tilled fields and beasts of burden pulling rakes in the dirt to self-guiding tractors using GPS tracking.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight at the time I started farming, everything was hand driven,\u201d said Mason Becker, who showed his operation. \u201cI was taught, when you\u2019re laying off rows, you look at the horizon and try to keep a straight line, then you worked off ground markers trying to drive and it\u2019s not that way anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Becker, the technology isn\u2019t about having the coolest equipment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s cool that the tractors actually drive themselves, but it\u2019s a lot more about efficiency,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The efficiency means saving time and labor through data collection and remote monitoring.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom my phone, I can send information to different tractors, I can pull information like if they get done planting a field, I can pull how many acres they did and keep track of it that way,\u201d Becker said. \u201cThe data and information side of it is really where some of this stuff starts paying for itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nate Gamez, one of Becker\u2019s workers, demonstrated how the self-driving tractors operate. The tractor was driving on its own while Gamez controlled the speed and monitored the planting equipment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s actually my grandpa over there, he has to get off and make sure he\u2019s not clogged up, because his doesn\u2019t have any sensors,\u201d Gamez said, comparing the new technology to older systems.<\/p>\n

Becker\u2019s operation also includes semi-autonomous irrigation systems controlled through smartphone apps.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack in what I\u2019ll call \u2018the old days,\u2019 we had to come move these pivots, each one of them, manually,\u201d Becker said. \u201cNow with smart phones we have the option of using an app.\u201d<\/p>\n

The irrigation system uses moisture probes in certain fields to give Becker real-time data for targeting water application from anywhere with a cell signal. The pivot systems have evolved from hand-moved pipe to side rolls, then water drives, with electricity helping modernize irrigation.<\/p>\n

Different caps on the irrigation systems diffuse and spread water for different situations, making them more resource efficient.<\/p>\n

Some experts may consider even these digital tools \u201clast gen ag,\u201d but cost remains a factor for adopting the most modern solutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to be on the cutting edge of everything, but that\u2019s not feasible \u2014 especially with the way commodity prices are right now,\u201d Becker said.<\/p>\n

Producers attended the Southwest Cotton Physiology Conference in Lubbock to learn about data, technology and techniques that make cotton farming profitable and efficient.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a holistic approach,\u201d said Sumit Sharma, a row crop researcher at Oklahoma State University. Sharma was among dozens of agricultural experts who came to Lubbock\u2019s Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office to present their research.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the technology that\u2019s in the computer, it\u2019s the technology that\u2019s driving the tractor, it\u2019s the technology that\u2019s controlling the pivot, and planting and decision-making in the field \u2014 it\u2019s all coming together,\u201d Sharma said.<\/p>\n

Wenxuan Guo researches precision irrigation at Texas Tech, aimed at making every drop from the Ogallala Aquifer more effective. The research includes using aerial drones with thermal sensors and satellite imaging.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can create a prescription map and tell them what is the best rate at that particular location relative to the other locations within the same field,\u201d Guo said. \u201cSo at the end of the season, people know they can maximize their water use efficiency for the field and enhance profitability.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hope Njuki Nakabuye, a researcher at the AgriLife Extension, focuses on collecting and analyzing data that growers use to monitor soil moisture. She said artificial intelligence may play a role in future developments.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve tried to, say, model some of that baseline data,\u201d Nakabuye said. \u201cInstead of having a sensor in the field, but trying to use AI models to just model what a baseline crop would look like. So we\u2019ve kind of dabbled into that, but not extensively.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jonathan Aguilar, an engineering specialist at Kansas State University, focuses on turning research into practical applications for farmers.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a researcher, they may be talking about the probability, the probability of this going into this way, rather than just a yes or a no,\u201d Aguilar said. \u201cMany farmers, particularly in their operation, that decision may just be a few seconds that they have to make, rather than look at all the possibilities, they just say \u2018let me know, is it a green or a red?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Back in Terry County, Mason and his growers hope for better commodity markets as they balance farming with engineering.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou start getting notifications at night or whatever that one\u2019s down and you gotta run out and fix it or whatever, but it\u2019s pretty nice, otherwise,\u201d Becker said.<\/p>\n

After 250 years of innovation, digital efficiency is making every drop of sweat, every seed and every pivot more valuable.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 KCBD. All rights reserved.<\/i><\/p>\n

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