The future of farming marches to a beat dictated by technology and efficiency—dual lords of increased return. Coley Bailey, a third-generation Mississippi grower, has hitched his 6,000-acre operation behind John Deere’s out-of-the-gate CP770 cotton picker—potentially the most proficient cotton harvesting machine to ever hit U.S. fields. “It comes down to math and it’s not complicated,” Bailey says. “I can look at all the efficiency improvements and easily pencil out the long-term difference on a napkin. This time next year, I’ll have four 770s in my fields.”
Unrecognizable
In the low hills of Grenada, Montgomery, and Yalobusha counties, Bailey & Sons Farms—6,000 acres of cotton and 1,500 acres of pine timber—runs along bluffs overlooking the Mississippi Delta.
In the relatively short span of Coley Bailey’s 49-year lifetime, the technological advances of cotton harvest are monumental—sans hyperbole. Simply, the ability of a producer to streamline harvest logistics has progressed with exponential leaps. During most of Bailey’s high school years, the family operation consisted of 1,000 cotton acres (and 1,000 corn acres)—harvest-dependent on trailer transportation to a local gin. “As a senior in high school, I remember switching to a module builder, and moving away from cotton trailers,” Bailey recalls. “By itself, that change was huge because it meant a picker really didn’t have to sit still.”
In the early 1990s, Bailey & Sons Farms moved from 2-row pickers to 4-row pickers, subsequently transitioning to 6-row pickers, all while increasing overall cotton acreage. In 2011, the last basket picker ran through the rows of Bailey & Sons Farms. “We had 2,500 acres of cotton and three six-row basket pickers; three boll buggies; three module builders; and three extra guys at each module builder to put on tarps. All together, that was 12 guys to pick 2,500 acres, plus myself,” Bailey describes.
Bailey brought in two John Deere CP7760 round balers in 2012—a revelation, and later moved to CP690 round balers. “We run four pickers. I can have those four operators on 6,000 acres, and I’ve got six full-time employees. One guy moves modules; one guy trims the edge of the field where we pick first. That’s basically six people. We’re also cutting stalks and planting cover crops as we go. The round balers have made cotton harvest unrecognizable from the recent past and the amount of acreage we can now cover is unbelievable,” Bailey notes. “But now, with the 770, the efficiency just went way higher. I’ve got one 770 for this harvest, but I’ll have four next season.”
“Go At All Times”
As Deere’s third iteration round-baler picker (preceded by the CP7760 and CP690), the CP770 is 5% more productive than the CP690, capable of synced harvest at up to 4.6 mph—an extra 4.4 acres in a 10-hour harvest day. The 70,000 lb. CP770 picker also uses 20% less fuel than the CP690. Overall costs per bale have dropped $1.50, and throughput has made a sizable jump, with wrap/ejection reduced from 48 seconds to 30 seconds, a 33% reduction.
Cab size is 30% bigger in the CP770, and it is equipped with integrated John Deere technology and module-tracking software—Generation 4 Display, JDLink Connectivity, and Harvest Identification Cotton Pro.
“The first thing I care about on a new picker is efficiency and dependability, because we have a small window of time to get the crop out,” Bailey says. “Hurricanes and rain are always a threat. I have to have confidence in baling, engine, sensors and everything to be sure we can go at all times.”
What feature of the CP770 initially made the biggest impression on Bailey? “Again, efficiency. We’re steady at 4.4 miles per hour with older pickers and 4.6 miles per hour with the 770. It runs a little faster in first gear and we pick everything in first. Some guys pick in second and speed up. But in first, we seem to clean the stalk better, don’t drag through the cotton, don’t get any bark, and get better grades.”
Diesel savings are particularly attractive on the CP770, according to Bailey. At 4 gallons less diesel per hour compared with a CP690, and considering Bailey runs an individual picker roughly 200 hours per harvest, the simple math points to an 800-gallon reduction. Stretched across four pickers in Bailey’s case, the seasonal savings approach 3,200 gallons.
“The 770 also runs quieter with less RPMs, and the cab is filled with much nicer touch screens and much more harvest information,” Bailey adds. “It tracks everything including farm, variety, field, and the exact spot for each module, and it all ties into traceability, a factor that keeps on getting more important for the cotton industry.”
On paper, the increase in harvest speed from 4.4 mph to 4.6 mph initially may seem small, but Bailey says the difference is huge, especially when observed from the cab. “You don’t realize how much more the 770 can do until you see it in the same field as beside a brand new 690. I’m running three brand new 690s this year beside the 770. I won’t say it picks cleaner, but I pick a module just as quick and I’m getting more cotton in the module.”
Josh Coffman , long-time operator at Bailey & Sons Farms, says the increased speed is highly significant. “I don’t want a 770 behind me, because you can’t stay in front. Maybe two-tenths of a mile faster doesn’t sound like much, but it sure is.”
“You can look out at the edge of a field and tell which bales are from a 770 because they are all at 94”, but they swell up with more cotton,” Coffman continues. “We haven’t seen any problem with module trucks on pickup.”
Boiled down, Bailey is observing less waste. “If my other pickers are putting 5,400-5,500 lb. in a bale of cotton, then I’m picking 5,800-5,900 lb. with the 770 and not covering that many more acres. So, it’s more cotton picked faster and I’m saving on wrap. I’m seeing about 8-10% more cotton in each 770 bale, even though it is still 94.”
Babysitting Crop
Maintaining a laser-focus on efficiency is a hallmark of Bailey’s overall operation.
His 6,000 acres of cotton have been in continuous cover for 21 years. In 2000, he planted wheat as a cover crop, seeding at 90 lb. per acre. As the wheat took better hold in subsequent years, he dropped planting to 75 lb. per acre. In 2010, Bailey switched from wheat to cereal rye: 50 lb. per acre with a John Deere fertilizer spreader, typically between pickers and stalk cutters.
The switch to rye was based on a deeper root system and increased moisture holding capacity, a highly relevant factor to Bailey, considering only 1,500 of his acres are conducive to irrigation. “Wheat gets about 6” deep, and when we dessicate, the roots decay and allow for moisture holding capacity. But the rye goes down 1’. So we get twice as must water holding capacity with rye. It’s sure not as good as irrigation, but I have seen it buy me two weeks before the cotton really starts to suffer. A lot of times, you may get fortunate and get a rain in that two-week window.”
Along with the moisture factor, weed suppression and organic buildup are big benefits of the rye mat. “We’ve got occasional fields where we battle resistant pigweed, but it’s not much of a problem. Also, our organic matter has gone from less than .5% to 2.5% across the farm.”
“Whether you’re talking weeds, cover crops, fertilizer, or machinery, it all relates to the efficiency of how things all work together on the farm,” Bailey says. “Cotton is a crop that needs babysitting and there’s no getting around that fact.”
“Change Becomes Normal”
At harvest, as cotton fiber disappears from the rows and round bales stack up in designated patches, Bailey taps an app and signals his ginner on the location of each bale drop, allowing for simplified pickup scheduling.
It is a logistical dance that demands completion within a small, precarious window—made smoother by the advances of the CP770, Bailey describes. “Just look something like transport speed: We can go 20 mph with the 770, instead of the usual 17 mph, and that makes a difference when you’ve got distance to cover between fields or farms.”
“Cotton harvest can be a complicated thing to understand for someone looking in from the outside, but the advances of the 770 picker are not that complicated to me,” Bailey concludes. “The long-term savings to my pocketbook already are easy to spot. Changes in farming technology are always a little bit scary at first, but when you see the results in your own fields, that change becomes normal.”
