Farmers from Idaho and North Dakota have a unique opportunity to observe cotton and other agriculture-related operations in the Mid-South. A group of farmers this week are touring southern cotton-growing areas as part of the National Cotton Council’s Multi-Commodity Education Program. Launched in 2006, the program is a Cotton Foundation education project supported by a grant from John Deere. It is coordinated by NCC’s Member Services and local leaders and organizations. The program is designed to provide its participants with a better understanding of production issues and concerns faced by their peers in another geographic region, along with an observation of that region’s agronomic practices, technology utilization, cropping patterns, marketing plans and operational structure. Finally, the program provides tours of the region’s research facilities and its agricultural processing operations and related businesses relevant to the area economy. The group began the tours Monday at NCC headquarters in Tennessee and will travel to cotton farms, warehouses and production facilities in Arkansas.