P.I.E. Tour Takes Western, Southwest Cotton Producers to North Carolina
August 27, 2022 Sixteen cotton producers from the U.S. Cotton Belt’s West and Southwest regions will observe cotton and other agriculture related operations in North Carolina Aug. 28 through Sept. 1 as part of the National Cotton Council’s (NCC) Producer Information Exchange (P.I.E.).
Launched in 1989, the P.I.E. now is sponsored by BASF Agricultural Solutions through a grant to The Cotton Foundation. The program is resuming after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19.
Following this year’s scheduled 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 first tour sent Southeast and Mid-South producers to see cotton operations in Texas on Aug. 21-25.
in which Southeast and Mid-South producers are seeing cotton operations in Texas on August 21-25.
The P.I.E. program’s primary goal is to help U.S. cotton producers maximize production efficiency and improve yields and fiber quality by gaining new perspectives in fundamental production practices and by observing diverse farming practices and the creative ways in which other producers have adopted new and existing technology. The program also fosters the sharing of information among the participants within their own Cotton Belt region 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.
The 2022 Southeast tour participants are:
- Arizona – Burleson Smith, Tucson
- California – Doug Cardoza, Tipton
- Kansas – Ian Parker, Mulvane
- Oklahoma – Matt Braun, Hobart
- Texas – Joe Baumgardner, II, Wellington; Trey Beyer, III, Portland; Russ Eggemeyer, Midkiff; Brent Halfmann and Paul Kocich, both of San Angelo; Brett Howard, Dalhart; Zachary Mengers, Tynan; Landon Mires, O’Donnell; Orin Romine, Big Spring; Layton Schniers, Wall; John Walker, II, Stamford; and Hunter Wilde, Lyford.
The tour begins on Aug. 29 when the group visits BASF headquarters in Research Triangle Park for an overview of the company’s Center for Sustainable Agriculture and research capabilities, followed by a look at variety development trials at BASF’s research facility in Pikeville.
On Aug. 30, the group will travel to Warren Farming in Newton to learn about agricultural crop production in the state’s central eastern region. They also will get a briefing on agricultural supplies/production management at Harvey Fertilizer and Gas in Kinston before observing cotton and tobacco production at the JP Davenport & Son farm in Greenville.
On Aug. 31, the producer contingent will see cotton production in the state’s Outer Banks region at Cahoon Farms in Engelhard and agricultural operations in the state’s Blacklands area at Boyd Farms in Pantego before taking individual tours with producers in that area.
The tour concludes Sept. 1 with a presentation on eastern North Carolina production at the Lassiter Family Farms in Conway, farm tours in the Gaston area, and a briefing on cotton fiber processing at the Gaston Coop in Garysburg.
Based on information provided by the National Cotton Council
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