McKnight honored as Beltwide Cotton Specialist of the Year
Texas expert recognized for leadership and impact in cotton production as students earn top honors
Ben McKnight, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service statewide cotton specialist and assistant professor in the Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences has been named the Beltwide Extension Cotton Specialist of the Year by the University Extension Cotton Specialists.
This recognition was presented during the Beltwide Cotton Conferences hosted by the National Cotton Council. This premier event is recognized as the global champion for cotton technology transfer and is attended by federal and state agricultural experiment stations, Cooperative Extension Service, universities, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Cotton Foundation members.
In addition to McKnight’s honor, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences students excelled at the conference, earning top placements in poster and oral competitions. Their success highlights the department’s strong commitment to academic excellence and research leadership in agriculture.
Celebrating McKnight’s leadership in cotton
The Cotton Specialist of the Year acknowledges leadership, dedication and exceptional service in developing and conducting educational programs to meet the needs of cotton producers and the U.S. cotton industry.
“Dr. McKnight is a valued resource to the many cotton growers in Texas and beyond,” said Larry Redmon, Ph.D., associate department head and AgriLife Extension program leader for the department. “He provides leadership and coordination to the AgriLife Extension programs relevant to cotton production, thus helping improve cotton’s added value and impact on agriculture and the life sciences.”
McKnight has been the statewide cotton specialist since 2020, when he joined the department. Previously, he worked for both Texas A&M AgriLife Research and AgriLife Extension while earning degrees at Texas A&M before working as a weed scientist with Louisiana State University, where he earned his doctorate.
McKnight leads grower meetings, field days, crop tours and training sessions for producers, AgriLife Extension agents and allied industry partners. Additionally, he conducts and translates cotton research addressing region-specific challenges, ensuring findings are translated into actionable resources for producers.
McKnight also advises state-level commodity organizations and collaborates with national producer groups while mentoring undergraduate and graduate students who are poised to become the next generation of agricultural leaders.
Texas A&M students excel at Beltwide conference
The conference also showcased the achievements of Department of Soil and Crop Sciences students, who earned accolades through their poster and oral competitions:
- Ryan Hamberg: Second place, graduate poster, weed science cotton research; third place, graduate oral presentation, weed science cotton research.
- Sarah Chu: First place, graduate oral presentation, cotton agronomy/physiology/soils.
- Noriki Miyanaka: Third place, graduate oral presentation, cotton sustainability.
- Christopher Cobos: First place, graduate oral presentation, cotton sustainability; third place, graduate oral presentation, cotton agronomy/physiology/soils.
- Rebekah Ortiz-Pustejovsky: Third place, graduate oral presentation, cotton agronomy/physiology/soils.
- Brooke Shumate: First place, graduate oral presentation, cotton engineering systems.
- Jonathan Salgado: First place, poster presentation, agronomy/physiology/soils.
