Texas, USA
August 18, 2022
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will present the West Texas Organic Cotton and Peanut Tour on Sept. 1 in and around the Seminole area.
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There is no cost to attend the Organic Cotton and Peanut Tour, but registration is requested. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo)
The event will start with onsite registration at 8 a.m. at the Gaines County Civic Building, 402 N.W. Fifth St., Seminole. The tour will leave at 8:45 a.m. and return at noon for a sponsored lunch. The event will conclude around 2 p.m.
To participate in the tour, and for accurate meal count, call Amanda Howard at the AgriLife Extension office in Gaines County at 432-758-4006. There is no cost to attend.
Two general Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education credits are available.
“By working with organic producers, specialists and researchers, we are able to offer a great organic tour of both peanut and cotton production,” said Bob Whitney, AgriLife Extension organic specialist, Stephenville, event organizer and speaker.
Tour stops, topics
The first stop on the tour will be at the Neil Froese Peanut Farm, just north of Seminole on County Road 110, east of Highway 62. During this organic peanut field tour, participants will discuss what growing organic peanuts and production looks like now.
John Cason, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research peanut breeder, Stephenville, will discuss an organic peanut research variety trial. Emi Kimura, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agronomist and state peanut specialist, Vernon, will also be speaking. Weed control, insects, disease and other issues will be covered.
The second stop on the tour will focus on cotton at the Rob Warren Farm. It can be reached by traveling south on Farm-to-Market Road 1429, across Highway 180 to County Road 421/Fairview Road. The farm will be a few miles down on the left.
Jane Dever, Ph.D., AgriLife Research cotton breeder, Lubbock, and Whitney will share their expertise and discuss cotton production and breeding. Tour participants will have the chance to discuss organic cotton on both upland and Pima fields.
Sponsors for the tour include Birdsong Peanut, South Plains Compost, Marrone Bio Innovations, American Plant Food, Algrano Peanut Shelling, Certis Biologicals, Texas Peanut Producers Board, Wilco Peanut Co., Trico Peanut LLC, Viatrac Fertilizer, Texas Earth Inc., Golden Peanut and Tree Nuts, All Star Peanuts LLC, GreenDirt LLC, Vestaron, Helena Agri-Enterprises, Kunafin “The Insectary” and New Deal Grain Inc.