A group of cotton growers from Brazil are in Tennessee meeting with cotton growers form the volunteer state. They are here to learn from growers in Tennessee and hopefully take some tips back home with them.
Thomas Capps
Brazilian cotton growers meeting with Tennessee cotton growers. Hello and welcome to Tennessee Home and Farm Radio. I'm Thomas Capps.
John Sullivan
It was really informative learning, learning their process and get the show them our process.
Thomas Capps
A group of cotton growers from Brazil are in Tennessee this week meeting with various cotton growers in the Western and Southern part of the volunteer state. The group is here with Syngenta and all together grows around 50% of the overall cotton crop in Brazil. Imar Burdene works for Syngenta and is with the group. Their hope is to learn new practices from growers here
Imar Burdene
We have here technical advisors from cotton consultants, researchers, firm Koto and some growers to see the dispersion of the cotton in USA. How how the farmers are producing cotton here.
Thomas Capps
Burdene says one of the biggest differences in growing cotton in Brazil compared to here is the extra growing costs they spend to combat pests and weeds.
Imar Burdene
The pressure of the insects in Brazil is so high. Then you have here.
Thomas Capps
One of the Tennessee farmers they visited with was John Sullivan of Fayette County. Sullivan says it was just as informative for him as he hopes it was for the Brazilian farmers.
John Sullivan
You know, they were telling us about their irrigation practices and populations, just the differences in their technologies that they're using to so it was a very informative meeting.
Thomas Capps
He says it was an honor to show people from another nation, his operation and how he does things.
John Sullivan
But you know, it's a pretty proud moment when you step back and look at the big picture of things and especially getting to talking to the people from other countries to see how much farther our country is as a whole in production. And that really goes to show that our policies and practices have been paying off through the years.
Thomas Capps
And the hopes that perhaps their paths will cross again someday.
John Sullivan
They invited us down to Brazil, that they'd love to show us around there so well maybe maybe we'll take them up on that offer.
Thomas Capps
For Tennessee Home and Farm Radio, I'm Thomas Capps.
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