Kemp Wilson, left, learns about rice from Weona, Ark., farmer Marty White during the Producer Information Exchange tour.Ron Smith
The annual Producer Information Exchange (PIE) tour, sponsored by the National Cotton Council and supported by a grant from Bayer, took a group of Southeast cotton farmers on a four-day trek through the Missouri Bootheel, East Arkansas and West Tennessee.
In addition to seeing cotton fields and a cotton gin, PIE participants also toured a melon packing operation, a rice processing facility, rice farms, a Native American museum, a unique private school, and a pumping station on the Mississippi River.
See, PIE tour sees flooded land, new perspectives
Southeast farmers said they appreciated the opportunity to see how other farmers respond to challenges similar to ones they face as well as some unique to the region.
“It’s a hands-on learning experience,” said Walt Calhoun, Clio, S.C. “It is very valuable to spend time with other growers, and the peer-to-peer interaction is one of the best teaching tools in my experience as a farmer,” said Paul Rogers, III, Wakefield, Va.
Here are a few images from the tour.
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