Ag Secretary Perdue tours Mid-South Farm and Gin Show - photos

Holt Shoaf, right, ginner from Milan, Tenn., welcomes Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tenn., to the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show. The congressman was among several representatives attending Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue’s speech at the Gin Show.

Charlotte and Richard Kelley of Burlison, Tenn., pose with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue following Perdue’s speech at the Gin Show. Perdue later toured the Kelley farm and ginning operation north of Memphis.

Ron Craft, left, chairman, and Ronnie Lee, immediate past chairman, of the National Cotton Council, thank Secretary Perdue following his announcement that USDA would implement a new Ginning Cost-share Program for cotton producers.

National Cotton Council President Gary Adams, left, and NCC Chairman Ron Craft, right, talk with Secretary Perdue while ag media representatives set up for a press conference by the secretary.

Congressman David Kustoff; his wife, Roberta; and son, Jake, visit with Secretary Perdue prior to a media briefing at the Gin Show.

Secretary Perdue talks with Peter Nelson, standing at Perdue’s right, and ag entrepreneurs at the AgLaunch Start-up Station at the Gin Show. Nelson is president of the Ag Innovation Development Group, which organizes the annual event that showcases new startups in the Mid-South.

Secretary Perdue poses with the presenters and Memphis development officials at the AgLaunch Startup Station at the Gin Show. The entrepreneurs pitch their startup ideas to farmers and business development experts during the show.

John Guthrie, yellow shirt, describes to Secretary Perdue how Munford, Tenn., FFA members are preparing servings of food for the Memphis Feed Initiative. The FFA members prepared several thousand meals for distribution by the Memphis Food Bank.

Secretary Perdue talks with Tony Johnson of the Munford, Tenn., FFA Chapter during the chapter’s participation in the Memphis Feed Initiative event at the Gin Show.

Volunteers for the Memphis Feed Initiative pose with Secretary Perdue, Congressman Kustoff and Tim Price, executive vice president of the Southern Cotton Ginners Association, which sponsors the Gin Show. With Secretary Perdue are Amanda Bell with Lummus Corp. and Emily Hobbs with Capstan Ag.

Secretary Perdue speaks with Dr. Bruce Kirksey, director of research at Agricenter International in Memphis, at the Agricenter booth on the Cook Convention Center Mezzanine.

Karol Osborne, communications specialist with the LSU AgCenter, shows Secretary Perdue the latest issue of the Louisiana Agriculture magazine produced by the AgCenter. Ms. Osborne is based in Tallulah, La.

The agriculture commissioners from Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee pose with Secretary Perdue and Congressman Kustoff in the Cook Convention Center offices overlooking the Center’s Large Hall. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Jai Templeton of Tennessee and Wes Ward of Arkansas toured parts of the show with the secretary.

Secretary Perdue listens as a representative for the Versatile farm equipment line describes one of his company’s latest products as Congressman Kustoff and show manager Tim Price watch.

Secretary Perdue, who has 14 grandchildren back home in Georgia, stopped and talked with every child he saw at the Gin Show.

Steve Hood with Hood and Company, Springfield, Mo., explains the workings of the Kelly Diamond tillage tool to Secretary Perdue at his exhibit at the Gin Show.

Floyd Gordon talks with Secretary Perdue about Gordon’s paintings on display at the Gin Show. The paintings of farm scenes have been a fixture at the show for years.

Congressman and Mrs. David Kustoff and their son, Jake, and Secretary Perdue pose with Tom and Rosalyn Smith and Valerie Smith of Rosalyn Smith Designs Inc., at the Smith’s booth at the Gin Show.

Secretary Perdue stops to chat with members of the Dustin Jackson family from Senath, Mo., during his tour of the Gin Show.

Nick McMichen, left, cotton producer from Centre, Ala., visits with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue at the Gin Show. McMichen, one of the winners of this year’s High Cotton awards, which are sponsored by Farm Press and The Cotton Foundation, talked about the award with Secretary Perdue.

Secretary Perdue and Congressman Kustoff visit with David and Tanner Nichols of Ridgely, Tenn., at the Gin Show.

Secretary Perdue visits with Bryon Cole, Elizabeth Stokke and Darryl Earnest of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service’s Cotton Program’s Memphis office at the USDA booth. Earnest is director of the USDA-AMS Cotton Division, which oversees all of the cotton classing offices.

Secretary Perdue and Tim Price, the Gin Show’s general manager, visit with Jay Mahaffey, agronomist at Delta and Pine’s Scott, Miss., facility.

Secretary Perdue visits with John Lindamood, dark shirt, a producer and ginner from Tiptonville, Tenn.

Secretary Perdue talks with Randy Ainsworth, president of the Southern Cotton Ginners Association, which operates the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show. Ainsworth managers Tanner Gin in Frogmore, La.

Ryan Blasiak, right, flagship combine. draper header and cotton marketing manager for Case IH, presents Secretary Perdue with a toy replica of a Case IH combine during the secretaries visit to the Case IH exhibit.

Secretary Perdue poses with Lee Todd, left, retired executive vice president with the Southern Cotton Ginners Association, and Tim Price, the current executive vice president of the SCGA. As the general managers of the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show, both Todd and Price have played major roles in building the Gin Show to one of the largest indoor shows in the nation.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue playfully puts a hammer lock on one of the attendees at the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show.

Ashton Quarles and Wade Johnson with Helena Chemical Co., visit with Secretary Perdue after he stopped by their booth for popcorn.

Secretary Perdue helps two visitors to the John Deere exhibit adjust their seat belts on one of the Deere tractors.

Tim Tenhet, left, and Buddy Bass, right, with KBH Corp., and Jeff Tarsi, center, with Crop Production Services visit with Secretary Perdue on the Cook Convention Center floor at the Gin Show.

Ashleigh Fleming, sales promotion coordinator for Region 4 of John Deere’s Agriculture and Turf Division, shows Secretary Perdue some of the features of one of the Deere vehicles on display at the Gin Show.