Fifteen cotton producers from the southwest and far west cotton production regions observed cotton operations in Arkansas and Tennessee as part of the National Cotton Council’s Producer Information Exchange program.
Sponsored by Crop Science, a division of Bayer, through a grant to The Cotton Foundation, the P.I.E. is now in its 30th year and has exposed more than 1,100 U.S. cotton producers to innovative production practices in Cotton Belt regions different than their own.
Specifically, the program aims to help the cotton producer participants boost their farming efficiency by gaining new perspectives in such fundamental practices as land preparation, planting, fertilization, pest control, irrigation and harvesting; and observing firsthand the unique ways their innovative peers are using current technology. A unique program benefit is that the participants get to ask questions of both the producers they visit on the tours and the producers they travel with during the week.
NCC’s Member Services staff, in conjunction with local producer interest organizations, conducted the program, including participant selection.
The Mid-South tour participants were Clayton Schulz and Hayden Melton, both of Buckeye, Arizona; and Todd Thelander, Tempe, Arizona; Connor McKean, Riverdale, California; and R.J. Errotabere, Visalia, California; Brad Moberly, Wellington, Kansas; Jeron Park, Walters, Oklahoma; and from Texas were Ben Loya, Fabens; Bill Belew, Winters; Brad Byars, Lakeview; Greg Slough, Gruver; Heath Heinrich, Slaton; Kevin Corzine, Stamford; Mitchell Jansa, Garden City; and Ryan Netherland, Sudan.
The group began their Mid-South activities in Tennessee at the West Tennessee AgResearch & Education Center in Jackson with an overview of Tennessee cotton production, weed management and cotton research. They then traveled to Humboldt for tours of area cotton farms and a look at cotton yarn and nonwoven products at Jones Fiber Products.
The group learned about Mid-South irrigation and saw McClendon Farms’ cotton operations in Soudan before traveling to Marianna for a tour of the Lon Mann Research Station where they heard a presentation on the University of Arkansas cotton breeding program and a comparison of Mid-South and Southwest cotton production. While in the Marianna area, they toured the W.G. Huxtable Pumping Station where they were briefed on Delta flood management and saw Reed Farms’ cotton operation for a discussion of cover crops.
The participants also learned about rice production during a tour of the White & Flye Farms in Weona and rice processing at Windmill Rice Company in Jonesboro. They saw Bayer variety trials at Wildy Farms in Manila and then toured individual cotton farms in the area.
The tour concluded with a presentation on Mississippi River commerce and a port tour by the Osceola Port Authority in Osceola and a look at cotton operations in the Wilson area.
