image: Charles Martinez, assistant professor and Extension specialist in the UT Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, recently received the Emerging Scholar Award from the Southern Agricultural Economics Association (SAEA).
Credit: Photo by H. Harbin, courtesy UTIA.
Charles Martinez, assistant professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, recently received the Emerging Scholar Award from the Southern Agricultural Economics Association (SAEA). The award is presented to high-performing, early-career professionals with demonstrated research and resulting publication activity.
Martinez was chosen among peers nationwide for this distinguished honor. He received the award February 3 during the annual SAEA meeting in Irving, Texas.
“In a short time, Dr. Martinez has established himself as a trusted source of information across the nation on topics ranging from land use to beef cattle production,” said Chris Boyer, professor and head of the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. “He has accomplished this by listening to stakeholders’ needs and dedicating himself to find the answers they seek.”
Martinez’s research and outreach efforts focus on the fields of farm and financial management, experimental economics, livestock and meat market economics and policy.
Shortly after joining UTIA in 2020 as a statewide farm and financial specialist for UT Extension, his role expanded to supporting new and beginning farmers through the UT Farming Fundamentals and Master Farm Manager programs. Now, as director of the UT Center for Farm Management, he continues to support agricultural enterprises in Tennessee and the Southeast through research, Extension and education, offering data-driven solutions and hands-on farm management experiences.
“I am extremely honored to have received the 2025 SAEA Emerging Scholar Award,” Martinez said. “This award is the accumulation of all the publications, Extension programs, farm visits and projects that I’ve contributed to thanks to my great collaborators, students and colleagues at UTIA. I also thank my wonderful wife, Vanessa, and my two awesome kids, Henry and Remington, for their support throughout our time here at UTIA.”
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the Institute touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu.