Fourteen cotton producers from the Southwest and Far West cotton production
regions will observe cotton operations in Georgia on August 4-9 as part of the National Cotton Council’s
(NCC) 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. After 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. Specifically, the program helps producers improve their overall farming operation
efficiency by 1) gaining new perspectives in such fundamental practices as land preparation, planting,
fertilization, pest control, irrigation and harvesting; and 2) observing diverse farming practices and the
creative ways in which other resourceful producers use to integrate both new and traditional
technologies.
The tour participants are: Arizona – Burleson Smith, Tucson; California – Kevin Gilkey,
Fresno; Matthew Jasso, Dos Palos; Aaron Palmer, Blythe; Texas – Levi Ayers, Anton; Michael Block,
Travis Dusek, Roger Glass and Zachary Glass, all of San Angelo; August Guettler, III, Taft; Katy
Holladay and Calvin Neal, both of Lubbock; Robert Nedbalek, Mathis; and Kyle Nickelson, Littlefield.
On August 5, the group will begin their Georgia tour with a visit to Stoneville Research in
Dawson to learn about cotton breeding, followed by a trip to Harvey Jordan Farms to discuss irrigating
row crops. The day will also include a visit to a peanut shelling facility before an in-depth tour of the gin
and warehouse at McCleskey Cotton.
The group will begin the next day’s activities at the University of Georgia in Tifton, where they
will learn about the university’s micro gin and the impact of its extension programs. Other activities that
day include a visit to the Georgia Museum of Agriculture, an opportunity to learn about forestry and
Georgia agriculture policy at C. H. Cannon Company in Moultrie, and a final stop at the Sunbelt Ag
Expo.
On August 7, the group will visit Lewis Taylor Farms to learn about Georgia’s produce and
logistics. They will then observe peanut processing at Premium Peanut in Douglas, tour the Southeastern
Gin Company in Surrency, and finally, witness the tobacco harvest at Reid Turner’s farm.
The tour concludes on August 8 with cotton producers visiting Herndon Farms in Lyons to
observe onion and greens production, followed by a tour of Cromley Farms, and ending with an
engaging port tour in Savannah.
The season’s other P.I.E. tour is currently taking Mid-South and Southeast producers through
California operations from July 28 – August 2.
The NCC’s Member Services staff, in conjunction with local producer interest organizations,
coordinates the P.I.E. program’s tours and participant selection.
