MADISON, WI, October 20, 2008 -- The American Society of Agronomy (ASA) recognized the following individuals at the 2008 Awards Ceremony on Oct. 7 during the scientific society's Annual Meeting in Houston. The annual awards are presented for outstanding contributions to agronomy through education, national and international service, and research.
- Lee Burras, Iowa State University -- Agronomic Resident Education Award. Lee Burras is professor of agronomy with affiliate appointments in geology and environmental science at Iowa State University. He earned his Ph.D. in Soil Genesis from The Ohio State University. He teaches courses in Soils and Environmental Quality, Watershed Hydrology, and Soil Genesis and Landscape Relationships. He directs five graduate students, whose research focuses upon soil-landscape relationships and long-term human impacts on soil quality. He is also Iowa State University's representative for the Iowa Cooperative Soil Survey.
The Agronomic Resident Education Award recognizes traits that characterize excellence in resident classroom teaching through classroom skills, performance by graduates, student-teacher interactions, and recognition of accomplishments as a classroom teacher.
- William J. Cox, Cornell University -- Agronomic Extension Education Award. Dr. Cox is Professor and Department Extension Leader in the Crop and Soil Science Dept. at Cornell University. Dr. Cox earned his B.A. from Holy Cross College, M.S. from Fresno State University, and Ph.D. from Oregon State University. His program focuses on corn, soybean, and wheat management with special emphases on corn silage hybrid and soybean variety testing in New York. Dr. Cox served as the ASA Board Representative for A-4, served on the International CCA Board, and served as Associate Editors for Agronomy Journal and Crop Management.
The Agronomic Extension Education Award recognizes educational contributions of extension agronomists, industrial agronomists, or others whose primary contributions are in teaching or education outside the university classroom.
- Harold F. Reetz -- Agronomic Service Award. Harold Reetz is Director of External Support and FAR for the International Plant Nutrition Institute. He earned his B.S. in Agricultural Science/Agronomy at the University of Illinois, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Crop Physiology and Ecology from the Purdue University Department of Agronomy. Prior to joining IPNI (formerly the Potash & Phosphate Institute), he was Associate Professor of Agronomy at Purdue University in charge of corn production Extension and research. Dr. Reetz has built his career around application of technology in high yield cropping systems. A leader in the implementation of computer, satellite, and information technologies in crop production, he has coordinated the InfoAg Conference series since 1994, and has developed other programs and exhibitions to demonstrate the use of precision farming technologies.
The Agronomic Service Award recognizes development of agronomic service programs, practices, and products for acceptance by the pubic. The focus is on agronomic service with associated educational, public relations, and administrative contributions of industrial agronomists, governmental, industrial, or university administrators, and others.
- Kenneth J. Boote, University of Florida -- Carl Sprengel Agronomic Research Award. Kenneth Boote is professor in the Agronomy Department at the University of Florida. He received a B.S. degree from Iowa State University, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Purdue University. His research focuses on measuring and modeling crop growth and physiology in response to climatic, management, and genetic factors. He has served as associate editor for Agronomy Journal and Crop Science, as well as Division Chair for A-1, C-2, and Software Scene. He is active in the Societies and the Biological Systems Simulation Group.
- Allan H. Romander-- ICCA of the Year Award. Allan H. Romander is a Certified Crop Adviser and California Licensed Pest Control Adviser for Western Farm Service Inc. He provides irrigation consultation to customers in central California. He received a B.S. degree in animal science from California State Polytechnic University0Pomona in 1968. The award recognizes a Certified Crop Adviser who delivers exceptional customer service, is highly innovative, ahs shown leadership in the field, and has contributed substantially to the exchange of ideas and the transfer of agronomic knowledge in the agriculture industry.
- Palle Pedersen, Iowa State University -- ASA–CSSA–SSSA Early Career Professional Award. Palle Pedersen is an assistant professor and soybean extension agronomist in the Department of Agronomy at Iowa State University. Dr. Pedersen earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees from the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Copenhagen, Denmark, another M.S. degree in Agricultural Economics from University of London, England, and his Ph.D. degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison. His programs overall goal is to identify and solve soybean production problems to improve the economic well-being of farmers.
The Early Career Professional Award recognizes early career members who have made an outstanding contribution in agronomy, crop science, and/or soil science within seven years of completing their final degree.
- Peter R. Hobbs, Cornell University -- International Service in Agronomy Award. Peter Hobbs is an adjunct Professor in the Crop and Soil Science Department at Cornell University where he teaches and advises students. He earned his BSc degree from Reading University in UK, his MSc degree at Kansas State and his PhD from Cornell University. His specialty is agronomy and conservation agriculture. Dr. Hobbs spent his career in South Asia working for both IRRI and CIMMYT, two CGIAR centers, on agronomic issues in rice-wheat cropping systems. He helped catalyze and promote the adoption of zero-till wheat after rice leading to more yield at less cost and using natural resources more efficiently.
- Jerry Ritchie, USDA-ARS -- Environmental Quality Research Award. Jerry C. Ritchie has been a Soil Scientist with the USDA ARS since 1968 beginning his research at the USDA ARS Sedimentation Laboratory in Oxford, MS and working at the USDA ARS Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory in Beltsville, MD since 1983. He earned his B.A. from Pfeiffer University, his M.S. from the University of Tennessee, and his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia. Dr. Ritchie is widely recognized for the quality and subsequent implementation of his research to understand and ameliorate environmental, water, and soil quality problems. His research is centered on developing innovative and cost-effective techniques and methodologies for monitoring, evaluating, and controlling the effects of nonpoint source pollutants on soil and water quality and the environment.
- Dean S. Fairchild, The Mosaic Company -- Agronomic Industry Award. Dean Fairchild is an Assistant Vice President of Agronomy at the fertilizer company, Mosaic. In this position, he manages a team of agronomists in 12 countries worldwide. This group conducts research, product development, training and transfer of crop production BMPs to farmers, crop input dealers and crop advisors.
- Matthew P. Montgomery, University of Illinois Sangamon-Menard -- Monsanto Professional Certification Service Award. Matthew Montgomery is a crop systems educator with University of Illinois Sangamon-Menard Extension Unit. Montgomery received a B.S. in agricultural science from Western Illinois University and M.S. in crop science from the University of Illinois. His programming focuses on crop production with an emphasis on integrated pest management. He served on the Illinois Department of Agriculture's Soybean Rust Taskforce where he helped draft Illinois' vigilance, scouting, and sampling plan for Asian soybean rust. He was the 2002 recipient of the Illinois Certified Crop Adviser Award.
- Theodore C. Hsiao, University of California–Davis -- ASA Honorary Membership. Theodore Hsiao is professor of water science emeritus and plant physiologist emeritus in the Department of Land, Air, and Water Resources at University of California–Davis. He is a part-time consultant to FAO, United Nations. Dr. Hsiao received a B.S. at Cornell, M.S. at University of Connecticut, and Ph.D. at University of Illinois. His research and teaching focused on plant-water-soil relationships in the context of crop productivity in stressful environments. His recent work extends to micrometeorology aspects of evapotranspiration and carbon dioxide assimilation, as well as water use efficiency and its systematic improvement. Hsiao served as an associate editor of Irrigation Science and as an editor of Planta and Physiologia Plantarum. He served on the editorial board of Plant Physiology and on the editorial committee of Annual Review of Plant Physiology. Hsiao's review (1973) on plant responses to water stress was identified as a Citation Classic by Current Contents and as the most cited paper in Annual Review of Plant Physiology and Plant Molecular Biology up to 1993. He was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Prize in 1985 and an honorary doctorate by University of Lerida, Spain in 2005.
- John E. Sawyer, Iowa State University -- Werner L. Nelson Award for Diagnosis of Yield-Limiting Factors. John Sawyer is a Professor of Soil Science and Soil Fertility Extension Specialist in the Department of Agronomy at Iowa State University. He earned his B.S. degree from The Ohio State University and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Illinois. His programs focus on effective nutrient management to enhance crop productivity and protect water quality. Dr. Sawyer has served as associate editor for Agronomy Journal and the Journal of Production Agriculture, and has been active in many American Society of Agronomy programs. The Werner L. Nelson Award for Diagnosis of Yield-Limiting Factors recognizes outstanding performance in the development, acceptance, and/or implementation of diagnostic techniques and approaches in the field. The selection criteria is the creativity and innovation of the nominee. The award is supported through a contribution by the late Dr. Nelson to the Agronomic Science Foundation.
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For more information on the recipients or on the awards presented, please view the ASA-CSSA-SSSA Awards Program PDF online, https://www.acsmeetings.org/2008/files/awards-08.pdf. Photos of the recipients are available to view and download online at: www.agronomy.org/awards/recipients. For additional assistance, contact Sara Uttech, 608-268-4948, suttech@agronomy.org.
The American Society of Agronomy (ASA) www.agronomy.org, is a scientific society helping its 8,000+ members advance the disciplines and practices of agronomy by supporting professional growth and science policy initiatives, and by providing quality, research-based publications and a variety of member services.