2004 P.I.E. Program Tours Set

MEMPHIS, TN – The National Cotton Council has scheduled dates and locations for the 2004 Cotton Foundation Producer Information Exchange (P.I.E.) Program. Upon completion of this year’s four tours, the P.I.E. program will have exposed more than 700 U.S. cotton producers to innovative production practices in regions different than their own.

Cotton producers from the Far West will see operations in Texas July 10-15; Mid-South producers will travel to Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina July 17-22; Southwest producers will tour Arizona July 24-29; and Southeast producers will visit Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi Aug. 7-12.

The NCC’s Member Services staff, in conjunction with local producer associations, conducts the P.I.E program. The overall goal of this unique on-farm communication is helping participants improve their yields and fiber quality.

Specifically, the Exchange enables producers to observe cotton production and talk to their peers in regions different from their own. Participants also gain new perspectives in land preparation, planting, fertilization, pest control, irrigation and harvesting.

The P.I.E. program has been funded since its 1989 inception by grants from the FMC Corporation to The Cotton Foundation.