Terry County Farm Tour: Crop Science and Crop Diversity are Great, But Cotton is Still King

by Eric

To some, the South Plains or the greater west Texas area is considered a place of flat lands, dust storms, not much rain or moister. I’ve even heard it said, “the reason why God made this part was to remind us of the wilderness.” However, there are many who appreciate our part of the world. Let me brag a bit. Where else can you find the prettiest golden sunrise to the majestic sunset. Men and women of our area are mostly hard working, driven folks who know the value of the land that has been given to us. No other place on Earth can I think of, of how honest, sincere and friendly we are on the South Plains. Terry County is heart of this place. Agriculture is our past, present and the future. Our farmers and those who work in the industry know the effects of good water and soil conservation, so that the future is bright. The Terry County Farm Tour is not just a look at another field, but it is to expose the greatness of what we have and honor it by believing that our farmers are making a difference in this world.

Many came out today to join the 62nd Annual Terry County Farm Tour. The Theme off this year’s Farm Tour is “Diversity”.  There were two stops this year on the Farm Tour. Throughout the morning tour we were able to see the diversity of crops that are grown here in Terry County.

Farm Tour Stop #1, Lynn Carroll’s Farm

The first stop on the Farm Tour was at Lynn Carroll’s farm. Americot was the main sponsor for the first stop. Carroll has let Americot/NexGen use some of his farm land for crop science experiments. Over thirty acres are used to learn how well certain cotton seeds grow and how much the plant can yield at harvest. The experiments are also for learning the types and measurements of nutrients, such as how much water is needed, types of fertilizers, types of herbicides and pesticides.

Carroll spoke about several different varieties of cotton seed that could work among Terry County. Carroll did point out that the NexGen variety 3699, “I really think that is a Terry County variety.” He went on to speak about the variety 3406 of NexGen cotton seed. He said, “3406, last year was the number one planted variety in the United States.” He also added that, “NexGen was the number two planted brand in the United States last year.” The purpose of showcasing NexGen varieties was to let people know that NexGen is owned and produced in the south plains of Texas. On the South Plains we pride ourselves in conservation and innovation to help this area’s economic growth.

Farm Tour Stop #2, Meadow Coop Gin Gin Manager Dan Jackson Speaking with the Tour

The next stop on the tour was at the Meadow Coop Gin in Meadow Texas. The Meadow Coop Gin was also a major sponsor of the 62nd Annual Terry County Farm Tour. Dan Jackson the gin manager of the Meadow Coop Gin was there to greet us all. He welcomed us in the gin to take a look at it and explain the ginning process. Jackson also took a moment to explain the economic impact that a gin can have.

As far as the Meadow Coop Gin goes, Jackson said, “Their economic footprint is 10.6 million dollars, and that is the running average for them.” He also said, “With five gins in Terry County, you can do the simple math, and most likely there is over a fifty million dollars of economic impact for Terry County.” As you can see, this is good for Terry County. Cotton farming is huge when it comes to our way of life in Terry County.

 

Getting Ready to Leave for the Tour

As the tour went on we stayed north and northwest of Terry County. We were able to see the many crops that are grown and livestock. One thing that has become prevalent in Terry County is that the farmers/producers have become much diversified in the many crops that are harvested. Terry County has become the Grape Capital of Texas, which was awarded to Terry County in 2015 by the Texas Legislature.

If one was to take a Sunday stroll down a farm road or county road, you would eventually find a grape vineyard. However, grapes are not the only other thing being grown. There is milo, peanuts, corn, guar, black-eyed peas, sunflower seeds, pumpkins, watermelon and other crops. Even with all these diversified crops, cotton is still the number one crop in Terry County.

 

Outstanding Farm Family of The Year, The Rowden Family Pictured left to right; Scott Rowden, Lewayne Rowden, Sean Rowden, Liz Rowden, Wade Rowden, Jacy Rowden, J. Rowden, Reese Rowden & Stacy Rowden

We moved on to lunch and the awards. Lunch was served by the West Texas Young Farmers Association, which was very good. Katie Day opened up the ceremony by thanking the 2017 Terry Soil and Water Conservation District Directors, who are Perry Brewer, Geoff Cooper, Glenn Martin, Nick Seaton, and of course Katie Day herself as the chairperson. She went on to say, “To those of you who attended the Farm Tour this morning, we especially thank you for giving us your morning.”

 

 

 

Outstanding Young Farmer of The Year, Jon Williams Pictured is Jon Williams and his wife Melissa Williams with their two children

The ceremony then went on to give out some awards. There is the Farm Family of The Year and Young Farmer of the Year. Also, new to the Terry County Farm Tour this year is that they added a new award. It’s called the “Friend of Conservation”.

 

 

Friend of Conservation Award, Mary Collier

The new award, Friend of Conservation went to Mary Collier. The Young Farmer of The Year was given to Jon Williams. The next award was The Farm Family of The Year, it went to the Rowden Family. All three award recipient were very proud to receive such an honor.

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