Tom Barber's current responsibilities are to provide educational programs in cotton production and agronomic systems that improve yield and profitability. His educational programs focus on new technologies, cotton variety selection, in-season crop management, irrigation and defoliation. He conducts 10 online and in-person training sessions per year to agents for professional development. He is editor of the Arkansas Cotton Update newsletter that is sent out weekly during the growing season. Dr. Barber currently serves as supervisor of the Arkansas Cotton Verification Program and Standardized Cotton Variety Trials. He has conducted applied research in regards to cotton variety performance and management, seeding rates, row spacing, planting dates, growth regulators, irrigation and defoliation. And in the last 5 years, he has conducted over 350 producer meetings reaching over 2000 producers per year, 50 radio shows, 8 TV programs, 100 newsletters and contributed to over 125 articles in popular press venues such as “Delta Farm Press,” “Cotton Grower,” “Mid America Grower,” and “Cotton Farming Magazine.”
