It's a rather old article, and there are MANY new batts since then. There are needlepunched poly battings that are less prone to bearding.
Warm and natural batting is much easier to quilt after you prewash it. It's still not as easy as polyester, but easier than it is right off the bolt/out of the bag. Cotton doesn't beard as much as poly.
Wool will beard, but the new commercial wool batts (since the time of that article) are being developed specifically to combat that problem. I am helping a friend with a locally-made wool batt, and it does beard. It's still WONDERFUL to quilt through. :-)
Using a good-quality cotton calico for your quilt top and backing will help prevent bearding. Poly fabrics will be much worse.