Redmon among Texas A&M honorees at annual crop, soil science conference

A Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service leader will be honored along with other Texas A&M faculty and students for their professional achievements Nov. 10-13 in the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio.

The recognitions will be made by the Crop Sciences Society of America, or CSSA; the American Society of Agronomy, or ASA; and the Soil Sciences Society of America, or SSSA, during their annual conference.

ASA Fellow 

Larry Redmon, Ph.D., will be named an ASA Fellow on Nov. 12. Redmon is the associate department head and AgriLife Extension program leader for the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Texas A&M, administering one of the largest agronomic extension units in the country.

He also serves as the AgriLife Extension state forage specialist, where he participates in educational programs across the state; and he serves as AgriLife Extension’s first endowed specialist responsible for oversight of the Bennett Trust Endowment and associated land stewardship programs in the Edwards Plateau.

ASA’s annual awards are presented for outstanding contributions to agronomy through education, national and international service, and research. Fellow is the highest recognition bestowed by ASA. Members nominate colleagues based on their professional achievements and meritorious service.

Redmon is a certified professional in forage and grassland, wildlife biology, turfgrass management and rangeland management. His research and educational outreach focus on establishment, management and utilization of forages to improve production systems and protect valuable natural resources.

Internationally recognized for his work in forage management, he has made presentations to delegations from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Bulgaria, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Poland, Tunisia and Venezuela.

Redmon has garnered $7.8 million in grants, produced 32 refereed journal articles and 98 Extension publications, helped to train 35 graduate students, and has participated in 1,275 educational programs with over 82,000 attendees.

He has provided leadership for both ASA and CSSA, and at the regional, state and local levels in educational program and materials development in both Oklahoma and Texas. He currently serves as associate editor for the Agrosystems, Geosciences and Environment publication.

Redmon previously received two Certificate of Excellence awards from ASA for the Lone Star Healthy Streams program, as well as for his electronic newsletter, “The Pasture Gazette.”

He earned a bachelor’s degree in agronomy from Stephen F. Austin State University and a doctorate in range science from Texas A&M. He spent six years with Oklahoma State University before joining AgriLife Extension in 1999 as a forage specialist at Overton. He moved to College Station in 2004.

Other Award Winners:

– Golden Opportunity Scholars – American Chemical Society – Kade Flynn, College Station, is a junior geology major who works in the soils lab at Texas A&M.

– Frank D. Keim Graduate Fellowship – ASA – Nicole Shigley, of Spring, is working on her master’s degree in soil science, College Station. Shigley was a Golden Opportunity Scholar last year, and she recently coached the soil judging team that qualified for nationals.

– Greenfield Scholars – ASA – Gabriel Janish, of Bellville, is a junior working toward his plant and environmental soil science degree. He was part of the Champion Aggie Quiz Bowl team at the Students of Agronomy, Soils and Environmental Sciences conference a year ago.

– Gerald O. Mott Award – CSSA – Aniruddha Maity, of Kolkata, India, is a doctoral student at Texas A&M in plant breeding.

– National Association of Plant Breeders Borlaug Undergraduate Scholars – Sarah Marsh, Arbuckle, California, is a senior plant and environmental soil science student. She is a member of the undergraduate Agronomy Society, along with participating in a study abroad program to Brazil. She has been recognized with the Texas A&M President’s Endowed Scholarship, as well as numerous department-level scholarships.

– Lloyd R. Frederick Soil Teaching Travel Study Award – SSSA – Julie Howe, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research soil chemistry and fertility associate professor, College Station.

– Chris Stiegler Turf Science Student Travel Award and Fellowship – CSSA – This award will be presented to both Boaxin “Bob” Chang, a doctoral student in soil sciences from Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, and Will Bowling, master’s student in turfgrass science from Suwanee, Georgia.

– Caitlyn Lakey of Porter was presented a U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture internship earlier in the year and will be recognized. Lakey is working on her master’s degree in plant breeding. She also has previously been a Golden Opportunity Scholar.

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