2013 P.I.E. Program Tours Announced

MEMPHIS, TN – The National Cotton Council has scheduled dates and locations for the 2013 Producer Information Exchange (P.I.E.) Program. Sponsored by Bayer CropScience through a grant to The Cotton Foundation, the program is now in its 25th year of helping its U.S. cotton producer participants maximize on-farm efficiency.

This season, Mid-South producers will see operations in Georgia and Alabama on June 23-28; Southeast producers will travel to Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi on July 7-12; Southwest producers will visit California on July 21-25; and Far West producers will tour Texas on August 4-9.

The P.I.E. program provides cotton producers with the opportunity to 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 firsthand diverse farming practices and the unique ways in which their innovative peers have adopted new and existing technology.

Cotton Foundation President Barry Evans, a Kress, Tex., cotton producer, said the U.S. cotton industry is very appreciative to Bayer CropScience for underwriting the P.I.E.

"Bayer's support has enabled hundreds of U.S. cotton producers to compare notes with their peers about what works and doesn't work and to see and hear how their fellow cotton producers are dealing with current farming challenges such as managing weed resistance and crop input costs," Evans said."And the P.I.E. tours enable participants to not only learn from their hosts but exchange ideas and information with the producers they are traveling with during the week."

The NCC's Member Services staff, in conjunction with local producer interest organizations, conducts the P.I.E program, including participant selection. Upon completion of this year's tours, the P.I.E. program will have exposed more than 1,000 U.S. cotton producers to innovative production practices in regions different than their own.

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National Cotton Council of America
As the U.S. cotton industry's unifying force, the Cordova, Tenn.,-based National Cotton Council carries out a mission of ensuring the seven industry segments' ability to compete effectively and profitably in the raw cotton, oilseed and U.S.-manufactured product markets at home and abroad. The U.S. cotton industry provides employment for some 235,000 Americans. Taken collectively, the annual economic activity generated by cotton and its products in the U.S. economy is estimated to be in excess of $120 billion.

About Bayer CropScience
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, agriculture and high-tech materials. This year the company looks back on 150 years of working to fulfill its mission "Bayer: Science For A Better Life". Bayer CropScience, the subgroup of Bayer AG responsible for the agricultural business, has annual sales of EUR 8,383 million (2012) and is one of the world's leading innovative crop science companies in the areas of seeds, crop protection and non-agricultural pest control. The company offers an outstanding range of products including high value seeds, innovative crop protection solutions based on chemical and biological modes of action as well as an extensive service backup for modern, sustainable agriculture. In the area of non-agricultural applications, Bayer CropScience has a broad portfolio of products and services to control pests from home and garden to forestry applications. The company has a global workforce of 20,800 and is represented in more than 120 countries. This and further news is available at: www.press.bayercropscience.com.