The National Cotton Council’s Producer Information Exchange, or P.I.E., came to North Carolina Aug. 28 to Sept. 1, where 16 cotton farmers from the West and Southwest saw firsthand farm operations that are in many ways different from their farms back home, but are in many ways the same.

P.I.E. participants taking part of the North Carolina tour were Burleson Smith, Tucson, Ariz.; Doug Cardoza, Tipton, Calif.;  Ian Parker, Mulvane, Kan.; Matt Braun, Hobart, Okla.; Joe Baumgardner, II, Wellington, Texas; Trey Beyer, III, Portland, Texas; Russ Eggemeyer, Midkiff, Texas; ; Brent Halfmann and Paul Kocich, both of San Angelo, Texas; Brett Howard, Dalhart, Texas; ; Zachary Mengers, Tynan, Texas; Landon Mires, O’Donnell, Texas; Orin Romine, Big Spring, Texas; Layton Schniers, Wall, Texas; John Walker, II, Stamford, Texas: and Hunter Wilde, Lyford, Texas.

According to the National Cotton Council, the P.I.E. program helps U.S. cotton producers maximize production efficiency and improve yields and fiber quality 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 have adopted new and existing technology.

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The North Carolina tour began with a visit to BASF’s headquarters in Research Triangle Park where participants received  an overview of the company’s Center for Sustainable Agriculture and research capabilities. The group then learned more about cotton variety development at BASF’s research facility in Pikeville.

On the second day of the tour, P.I.E. participants travelled to Warren Farming in Newton where they learned about agricultural crop production in the state’s central eastern region. They also received  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 the third day, the group saw 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.

On the final day of the tour, the P.I.E. participants learned about eastern North Carolina cotton production at the Lassiter Family Farms in Conway, toured  farms in the Gaston area, and received a briefing on cotton fiber processing at the Gaston Coop in Garysburg.

More than 1,200 U.S. cotton producers have participated in the P.I.E. program since it was launched in 1989. The P.I.E. program is now sponsored by BASF Agricultural Solutions through a grant to The Cotton Foundation.

Bartley Warren, center,  with Warren Farming in Newton Grove, N.C., discusses tobacco farming with P.I.E. participants from the West and Southwest. (John Hart)