Precision Ag Farmer Of The Year
Nick McMichen, President, McMichen and Son LLC., Centre, Alabama, has been named the 2023 Precision Ag Farmer of the Year at the 26th Annual National Conservation Systems Cotton & Rice Conference, Southern Precision Ag Conference, Southern Soybean & Corn Conference, and the Delta States Irrigation Conference.
McMichen is a fifth-generation farmer. His family has farmed their land in Cherokee County, Alabama since 1842. This year he planted 3000 acres of cotton. He has a five year average of over 1000 pounds per acre. His high quality cotton along with local growers totals over 12000 bales which he markets along with his wife Freida, who operates Jordan Cotton LLC, and who together own 50% of Cherokee Gin and Cotton Company.
McMichen is a leader in precision agriculture in Alabama. He uses low-pressure nozzles on his center pivots. He has installed subsurface drip irrigation on a portion of his production to increase water efficiency. He has worked with Alabama Extension to install water sensors to irrigate more efficiently. He uses precision technology to apply variable rates of seed and crop protectants to ensure exact application rates. He plants skip row cotton to maximize his return on inputs while saving on seed and fertilizer. He uses chicken litter on much of his production acres. He also soil samples on 2.5 acre grids and uses variable rate applications to put fertilizer and lime exactly where it is needed. McMichen uses yield monitors on his cotton picker to determine which areas of his production are the lowest producing to determine the cause (low pH or fertility, hardpan, nematodes, etc.) and to then take measures to correct the problem. Currently, McMichen is working with Cherokee Gin to use his yield monitors to map his cotton quality. This way he can develop a plan to improve his cotton quality.
McMichen is a leader in the cotton industry. He annually conducts a cotton variety trial with Alabama Extension. He has been a New Product Evaluation grower with Monsanto and Bayer since 2008. He is a participant in the National Cotton Council’s 2016-17 Emerging Leader Program. He is an officer in the Southern Cotton Growers and will be president in 2024. He is on the Alabama Cotton Commission. Since 2010, he has been a National Cotton Council delegate and a member of the Southern Cotton Growers board, He is a member of the Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture’s Strategic Planning Committee. ∆