Steve M. Brown is a 1978 graduate in agronomy and soils from Auburn University and later earned MS and PhD degrees in agronomy/weed science at Auburn and Texas A&M, respectively. He worked as an assistant county agent in a cotton pest management role for a couple of years in northern Alabama and then served as a research associate in a Cotton Incorporated-funded project on no-till cotton from 1980 to 1984. From 1987 until 2008, he served as an Extension weed scientist and cotton agronomist for the University of Georgia in Tifton. He worked for a major seed and biotechnology company from 2008 until 2019, when he joined the faculty at Auburn. His entire career has focused on cotton.
Bhupinder Singh Farmaha is an assistant professor of soil fertility and plant nutrition in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences and stationed at Edisto Research and Education Center of Clemson University in Blackville, South Carolina. He holds a PhD in soil fertility from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Before joining the faculty of Clemson, he spent 2 years at the University of Minnesota, 2 years at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and 1 year at Purdue University as a postdoctoral research associate. Farmaha’s integrated research and Extension program at Clemson aims to identify, evaluate, and promote the best nutrient management practices that ensure profitable and environmentally sustainable development for the U.S. Southeast and Mid-South, accounting for variations in climate, soil type, cropping systems, and agronomic practices. He accomplishes this goal using a combination of on-station field studies, farmers’ interviews and surveys, on-farm tests and demonstrations, peer-to-peer networking, and various education delivery approaches.
Tyson Raper is the Pettigrew Cotton Specialist for the University of Tennessee, with a 75% Extension and 25% research appointment in the Department of Plant Sciences. Dr. Raper is stationed at the West Tennessee Research and Education Center and leads the cotton and small grains programs. His research and Extension program is focused on variety testing, fertility, and a variety of precision ag projects. Additionally, Dr. Raper manages the University of Tennessee Cotton MicroGin. Dr. Raper received his BS from Auburn University, his MS from Mississippi State University, and his PhD from the University of Arkansas.
Brian Arnall is a precision nutrient management Extension specialist for Oklahoma State University. He has served in that role since earning his doctorate in soil science from Oklahoma State University in 2008. Brian's Extension, teaching, and research efforts are focused on precision technologies and nutrient management in all of Oklahoma's cropping systems, with an emphasis on site-specific techniques. He works closely with Extension educators and industry personnel to improve nutrient management practices among Oklahoma producers that will lead to increased profitability. Ongoing studies are focused on developing methods to use sensor-based technologies, improving the timing and placement of nitrogen fertilizer, increasing nutrient use efficiency, and improving recommendations for phosphorus fertilizer. In addition, Brian has a crew of developers producing iOS and Android applications.
Katie L. Lewis is an agricultural and environmental soil scientist and continually striving to enhance her understanding of the critical challenges currently facing agriculture and society. As the daughter of a South Texas farmer (Taft, San Patricio County), she was introduced at a young age to these challenges of sustainable agriculture and how they affect society. Dr. Lewis considers soil to be one of our most valuable natural resources, with the ability to produce food, feed and fiber, recycle wastes, filter and break down contaminants, and sequester carbon. As an assistant professor of soil chemistry and fertility at Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Texas Tech University, Dr. Lewis is provided the opportunity through research and service to enhance the agricultural sustainability of the Texas High Plains region that is vitally important to both Texas and the nation, while helping educate future scientists, farmers, society, and policy-makers. Dr. Lewis received her BS in chemistry from Sam Houston State University in 2008. She received her MS and PhD in 2010 and 2014, respectively, from Texas A&M University. With a joint appointment at Texas A&M AgriLife Research in Lubbock (75% research) and Texas Tech University (25% teaching), Dr. Lewis is deeply engaged in research, teaching and service.
