How the NCC's Producer Exchange Tours Connected Cotton Growers Across the Country

In July, the National Cotton Council (NCC) completed its two 2024 Producer Information Exchange (PIE) tours, drawing growers from all four U.S. cotton-producing regions. Funded by BASF through a grant to The Cotton Foundation, the program is built to expose producers to new ways of managing land preparation, planting, nutrient inputs, irrigation, and harvesting—tactics that often differ dramatically from region to region.

The Southeast tour, held July 12–17, brought Midsouth and Texas farmers to North Carolina and Virginia. Stops included BASF’s headquarters and Cotton Incorporated for industry and research briefings, alongside visits to traditional row-crop operations. In a departure from a typical farm tour, participants also saw forest management at Cool Springs Environmental Education Center and lumber manufacturing at Roseburg Forest Products. Mississippi grower Madison DeLoach said the time away from his own operation was well worth it, especially the chance to witness a tobacco harvest for the first time.

A second tour ran July 26–31 across Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee. It began with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers presentations in Memphis and a research-oriented stop at the West Tennessee AgResearch & Education Center. Over the following days, attendees toured a melon packing operation at Moore’s Melons in Missouri, a peanut buying point and shelling facility at Delta Peanut in Arkansas, and seed cleaning at Hurt Seed Company. They also visited Eagle Seeds for rice, soybean and wildlife seed production, a rice mill at Busch Agricultural Resources, and integrated cotton–rice–peanut systems at White-Flye Farms. The week concluded at the W.G. Huxtable Pumping Station, highlighting regional water infrastructure.

The exchange program, now finished for the year, fulfilled its mission of building a stronger industry network while sharing practical, technology-driven solutions that can improve yields and fiber quality from the Southeast to the High Plains.

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The Strategic Importance of Cross-Regional Learning for U.S. Cotton

Why Seeing Another Region’s Practices Move the Needle

Cotton growing conditions vary enormously from the arid Southwest to the humid Southeast, meaning a technique that works in Texas may fail in the Carolinas. Yet cross-regional observation often sparks practical innovations—irrigation scheduling, cover crop mixes, or no-till methods—that a grower might never have considered at home. On this year's Midsouth tour, for instance, visitors saw diversified operations where cotton was grown alongside peanuts, rice, and melons, offering examples of how income risk can be spread across multiple crops and how soil health can be improved through rotation. Such exposure doesn't come from a webinar; it comes from walking fields and talking directly with the farmers who manage them.

BASF’s Strategic Role in Grower Education

BASF’s financial support of the PIE program through The Cotton Foundation is not purely philanthropic. The company gains direct access to a network of highly engaged growers who are likely early adopters. Fielding questions and observing what problems farmers are trying to solve—whether around pest resistance, nutrient efficiency, or water limitations—can inform BASF’s own product development and marketing. For growers, the sponsorship means the tours remain free or low-cost, lowering the barrier to participation and increasing the pool of potential learners.

Processing and Infrastructure: The View from Farm to Facility

By including stops at peanut shelling plants, rice mills, seed cleaning facilities, and a major pumping station, the tours gave cotton producers a rare look at the downstream supply chain they feed. Understanding the quality demands of a processor—and the water infrastructure that makes production possible—can directly influence on-farm decisions about harvest timing, storage, and even variety selection. For a farmer who has never seen what happens to a bale after it leaves the gin, these visits connect agronomy to market reality.

What Cotton Farmers Can Take Away from These Tours

  • Adapt what you saw: The tours highlighted irrigation scheduling and nutrient management techniques used in the Midsouth and Southeast. If you farm in a different region, consider trialing one practice—such as a cover crop mixture or a new water scheduling tool—seen in another state. The Judd Hill Research Facility and West Tennessee AgResearch Center are open to grower inquiries.
  • Seek cross-regional exposure yourself: Applications for future PIE tours are handled through the NCC. The 2024 participants unanimously said the week away was worth the learning; network-building opportunities can pay off in deal flow for equipment or seed purchases down the road.
  • Evaluate crop diversification: The tours’ visits to peanut, melon, rice, and sweet potato operations are a reminder that many cotton regions can support secondary enterprises. Even small trial plots can provide a hedge against cotton price volatility and improve overall soil health.
  • Connect with your local research center: Stops at the West Tennessee AgResearch center and the Judd Hill facility showed how land-grant research is directly applicable to commercial farms. Reach out to your nearest station for data on variety trials, hydrology studies, and integrated pest management that may be ready for on-farm testing.