P.I.E. Tour Takes Mid-South, Southeast Cotton Producers to San Joaquin Valley
July 24, 2024 Twenty cotton producers from the Mid-South and Southeast will observe cotton and other agriculture-related operations in California’s San Joaquin Valley the week of July 28 as part of the National Cotton Council’s 2024 Producer Information Exchange (P.I.E.) Program.
Launched in 1989, the P.I.E. program is sponsored by BASF Agricultural Solutions through a grant to The Cotton Foundation. Following this year’s two P.I.E. tours, more than 1,200 U.S. cotton producers will have been exposed to innovative production practices in Cotton Belt regions different than their own.
The goal of the P.I.E. program is to help U.S. cotton producers maximize production efficiency and improve yields and fiber quality by gaining new perspectives in fundamental practices such as land preparation, planting, fertilization, pest control, irrigation and harvesting; and observing diverse farming practices and the creative ways in which other resourceful producers have adopted new and existing technology. The program also fosters the sharing of information among the participants within their own regions as they travel together during the week.
The NCC’s Member Services staff, in conjunction with local producer interest organizations, coordinates the P.I.E. program’s tours and participant selection.
Tour participants are:
Alabama – William Miller, Grand Bay; Jonathan Sanders, Brundidge; John Watts, Selma
Arkansas – Clay Day, Tillar; William Jackson, Leachville
Georgia – Charles Nevil, Metter; Samuel Nunn, Madison
Louisiana – James Parker and Nicholas Van Mol, both of Lake Providence
Mississippi – Lewis Barksdale, Clarksdale; Gary Dyksterhouse, Greenwood
Missouri -William Hunter, Bell City; Christopher Leible, Dexter
North Carolina – Johnathan Kilpatrick, Dover; Jerry Moore, Garysburg
South Carolina – Malcolm Calhoun, Jr., Cilo
Tennessee – Willie German, Jr. and Tommy Moore, both of Somerville
Texas – Ryan Williamson, New Braunfels
Virginia – Jason Cobb, Franklin.
The tour begins in Fresno on July 29 with a briefing from the California Ginners/Growers Association, followed by a tours of the Jordan Agriculture Research Center, George Soares’ agave and pistachio operations in Hanford, and the Horizon Nut Company in Tulare.
The following day, the group will observe the BASF Field Trial, tour the cotton operations of Gilkey Enterprises in Corcoran, and explore additional area farms before traveling to Riverdale to tour a hemp processing facility.
On July 31, the producers will see table grape/almond harvesting at Kirschenmann Farms in Bakersfield. The tour concludes on Aug. 1 in Los Banos with a look at tomato processing at the Ingomar Packing Company, followed by a tour of Delta Farms and a meeting with local growers.
In this season’s other P.I.E. tour, set for Aug. 4-9, Southwest and West producers will travel to the Southeast to visit and observe farming operations in Georgia.
Information from the National Cotton Council
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