The Georgia Cotton Commission recently recognized two University of Georgia Cooperative Extension professionals for their work in the cotton industry.
Stephanie Hollifield, Brooks County Extension coordinator, was presented this year’s Senior King Cotton Award. Ty Torrance, Grady County agricultural and natural resources agent, was presented the Allen B. Fulford Award. Both were recognized at the Georgia Association of County Agricultural Agents annual meeting in Dublin, Georgia.
Hollifield, who also serves as an agriculture and natural resources agent, hosts producer education programs regarding agronomics and defoliation and conducts county research on cotton. She focuses her research trials on issues important to local growers, including areolate mildew, planter downforce and defoliation tankmixes.
Torrance joined Extension in 2015 and previously served producers in Decatur, Schley and Marion counties. He serves as a member of the Georgia Cotton Commission’s Research Advisory Committee, which analyzes and makes recommendations on research programs funded by the commission.
He also participates in the UGA Cotton Team’s on-farm variety trials, a program designed to inform producers on yield and fiber quality data from the numerous commercial cotton varieties available to farmers statewide.
This is the 19th year the Georgia Cotton Commission has sponsored the King Cotton Awards to recognize the outstanding contributions of county agents to Georgia cotton producers. The Senior Award is for agents with 10 or more years of experience, while the Junior Award, named the Allen B. Fulford Award, is for agents with less than 10 years of service.
The Georgia Cotton Commission contributed this article.