LATEST CROP RESEARCH

Those who took part in field tours traveled through 600 acres of land, including about 60 acres of cotton fields. They stopped along the way for informational presentations on research including irrigation and monitoring techniques, new varieties and planting dates, weed control and insect management, spokeswoman Ginger Rowsey said.

The event lasted from 8 a.m. to noon, with tours starting at 8:30 a.m. according to officials at the center, which is part of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture.

Rowsey drove up the winding gravel road between 600 acres of land herself. Wilting, dark brown sunflowers line the right side of the road, and brown harvested corn leaves form the left side leading up to the cotton bolls. The gray and cloud-thick sky served as a backdrop for the agriculture institute's leading research, and the 600 acres of land as classroom space.

"It is an outdoor classroom really, and it allows farmers the chance to see up close and personally the different varieties, different planting dates, different weed and pest management techniques," Rowsey said.

The agriculture institute's farm is different from traditional farms because it is operated largely for educational purposes.

"Instead of just reading about it in a book or looking at it on the Internet, they can actually see it in person, so that's why we do this day," Rowsey said.

Experts showcased the new cotton varieties so farmers would be able to see which crops were doing best and how to increase profits on their farms, said Chris Main, extension cotton specialist for the University of Tennessee.

The most useful information has been row crop weed specialist Larry Steckel's seminar in controlling herbicide-resistant weeds because weed control is one of the biggest problems in farm maintenance, Main said.