Cotton farmers tour Idaho farm country

By John O’Connell

For Idaho Farm Bureau Federation

ABERDEEN – Though Wesley Spurlock raises corn and cotton in Stratford, Texas, he’s learned he has a lot in common with Idaho farmers when it comes to stretching a tight water supply.

Spurlock was one of 13 farmers from major cotton-producing states who participated in a June 24-29 tour of Idaho agricultural production areas. The Multi-commodity Education Program, administered by the National Cotton Council, began in 2006, with funding from John Deere, and is aimed at promoting camaraderie and dialogue among U.S. farmers in different growing regions.

“It’s designed to help agricultural leaders gain a better understanding of the economic and agronomic challenges that their peers face in different regions of the country,” explained John Gibson, the National Cotton Council’s director of member services.

Spurlock irrigates with Low Energy Precise Application – involving elongated hoses on pivots to apply water below the crop canopy to minimize evaporation and drift. During the tour, he saw a very similar irrigation approach in use at Justin Place’s farm in Hamer. While Spurlock has adjustable nozzles on his LEPA system, switching from a spray setting to a drip setting after the crop is established, Place uses spray nozzles all season long.

“None of us has got the best way of doing something, so we’re going to find out what works and how it does work,” Spurlock said. “There’s always knowledge we can take back. I’m not sure what all of the knowledge is yet, but when we get home and look at all of the pictures, there’s going to be something we will be able to glean out of all of this, and we will use it in our production.”

During a tour stop at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service in Aberdeen, Spurlock said he was particularly impressed by the diversity of Idaho crops, as well as how Idaho growers can face extremely different growing conditions within a small area. The group also heard a presentation on Idaho water rights and toured dryland and irrigated farms, the Monsanto plant in Soda Springs, trout farms, an Amalgamated Sugar Co. facility, a cattle ranch, a fresh potato packing operation, a dehydrated potato plant and a malt plant.

“Idaho is a more diverse state than I thought,” said Keith Allen, of Latta, S.C. “I thought they just grew potatoes here, and maybe barley.”

Allen believes the program serves a vital function by helping farmers cooperate to achieve goals.

“We all have to work together to have a unified voice in Washington, D.C. If we’re split, we’ll wind up with nothing,” Allen said.

The program alternates between sending a team of cotton growers to a northern state and sending northern growers south to cotton country.

The Idaho Barley Commission and Idaho Grain Producers Association set the agenda and recruited Idaho growers to ride the bus and spend time with the cotton farmers.

“It’s important that everyone in agriculture have a broad understanding so they can be supportive of others in agriculture as the Farm Bill or other issues come up,” said incoming Idaho Barley Commission Administrator Laura Wilder. “I’ve seen a lot of great dialogue this week among (cotton) growers with the local hosts about different practices in the South versus how they’re done here.”

The program visited Idaho once before, in 2016.

Scott Brown, a Caribou County dryland grain farmer, invited the group to his cabin for a prime rib dinner.  Brown was among the Idaho growers who visited cotton farms in Lubbock, Texas, through the program early last winter. During the trip, he became friends with another grower, who provided him sorghum seed, which Brown included in the cover crop blend he planted this spring to improve soil health and reduce erosion.

“Those people are just like we are. They’re the salt of the earth and the fiber of America,” Brown said.

The program has made Brown realize that farmers in different regions raise different crops and face different challenges, but also share important concerns, such as Farm Bill renewals, trade, weather and commodity markets.

 “When it gets to Farm Bill time, we have an appreciation and understanding for the cotton industry’s issues and sorghum’s issues,” Brown said.