Snow Fields

2005 is a year for the ages. Take a long look at the cotton fields.

Snow fields, many averaging over two pounds per acre.

The rains fell perfectly and often.

And a pest was conquered.

Boll worms are nasty creatures.

Larva is deposited by moths in tiny cotton bolls.

To the eye the bolls form perfectly.

The farmer is proud of his developing crop.

Over-confident he marches to his field and fondly squeezes the beautiful orbs soon to burst forth into bright fluffy fiber.

But, alas, the large green bulbs are soft to the touch.

He squeezes harder.

The bolls are mush, home to fat worms who have gorged themselves on the potential harvest.

The farmer trudges home anger in his heart.

There used to be but one option to combat this pest.

Spray insecticide and spray again and again.

Expensive, time consuming and unpleasant.

There is now a new option, used by many farmer this year.

Genetically engineered cotton.

It kills the worms on first bite, or maybe second.

Whatever.

The creature hates the cotton boll and leaves it to develop in all its glory, bringing a spring to the farmers step and money to his coffer.

Combine that development with the boll weevil eradication program and Roundup Ready cotton ( another genetically engineered type of cotton which allows the farmer to spray a powerful weed killer called Roundup over the plant without harming it) and you have the potential for a year like this one.

It will go down in history. Savor it.