Farming on Mars

Kody Bessent, who is the vice president of operations and legislative affairs for Plains Cotton Growers, talks about being a voice for cotton farmers and communicating their needs in Austin and Washington and, D.C., the 2018 Farm Bill, agricultural trade issues, and his deep roots in agriculture on the South Plains. 

Music: Kody West "Melody" (used with permission)

Tim Cooper is the District Seed Manager for WinField United (the ag division of Land O'Lakes) in the West Texas and New Mexico region. We talked about changes in the cotton industry around the South Plains, the importance of communicating and promoting agriculture, as well as his thoughts on how technology and farm operation size will continue to change in the future.

Music: Kody West "Melody" (used with permission)

Katy Sutton and Freddy Harkey are a father-daughter farming team, who both farm in Lubbock County. They talk about their respective farming operations, their philosophies on making crop input decisions, and where they think the future of the cotton industry on the South Plains is heading.
--
I apologize for the slight sound malfunction towards the later part of the episode. My mic was acting up!
--
Music: Kody West "Melody" (used with permission)

Allen Crausbay owned and operated Crosby County Pump and Machine for over 40 years, a business that his family started in the 1950s. He talked about how his business has helped farmers, how to fit the right pump to the right well, and how to treat people right in

"If you can control your own destiny, that’ll be the best position you’ll ever be in."

Music: Kody West "Melody" (used with permission)

Kassadi Rinehart is the Territory Manager for Phytogen Cottonseed in six counties to the north and east of Lubbock, including Lubbock County. She talks about how she ended up selling cottonseed in the Lubbock area after judging livestock in college, as well the history of Phytogen, Enlist varieties, and Phytogen’s increasing presence in the Kansas cotton industry.

"As you compare a cotton farmer to another kind of a farmer, just the amount of pride... the way people talk about it...and the hard work that goes into it, it’s very unlike another crop.”

Music: Kody West "Melody" (used with permission)

Joseph Burke, a graduate student working on his PhD in soil science at Texas A&M University with two degrees from Texas Tech University (wreck 'em!), talks about his winding path to soil science and his research on the Texas High Plains.

Music: Kody West "Melody" (used with permission)

Brooks Ellison, a cotton farmer in the Crosbyton area, talks about his dryland farming operation, making input decisions, and advice for young people in agriculture. 

Music: Kody West "Melody" (used with permission)

Dr. Katie Lewis, a professor and soil scientist with a joint appointment between Texas Tech & Texas A&M AgriLife Research, talks about her passion for soil, the delicate balance between ensuring profitability and taking care of the soil, as well as why her connection to farming is the basis of her research.

Music: Kody West "Melody" (used with permission)

James & Lacey Todd, both lifelong agriculturists on the South Plains who run an independent crop consulting business in the Plainview area, talk about the role of a crop consultant on the farm, as well as where the balance lies between progress and tradition in agriculture.

Music: Kody West "Melody" (used with permission)