2022 Cotton Researcher Of The Year

JONESBORO, ARKANSAS

   Dr. Scott Stewart, Jackson, Tennessee, director of the West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center, has been named the 2022 Cotton Researcher of the Year at the 25th Annual National Conservation Systems Cotton & Rice Conference, Southern Corn & Soybean Conference, Southern Precision Ag Conference and the Delta States Irrigation Conference.

   Stewart earned a BA in Biology at the University of Northern Iowa, a MS in Entomology at Texas A&M University and a Ph.D. in Entomology from Auburn University.

   As a Master’s student at Texas A&M in 1987, Stewart worked on the impact of insects and physical stress on cotton fruit abscission, retention, compensation and economic value. He then completed a Ph.D. at Auburn University where he continued his research efforts in cotton investigating the reproductive biology and dispersal of the tarnished plant bug.

   Stewarts professional entomology career began as extension specialists at Mississippi State University at the Central Mississippi Research and Extension Center where he worked five years serving cotton producers in the region. He then transferred to the main campus in Starkville, MS where he focused on cotton entomology research and teaching students IPM of row crops. In 2008 Stewart accepted a position at the University of Tennessee continuing his focus on IPM cotton and other field crops grown in the region.

   Stewart has played a pivotal role in basic and applied cotton research since he entered the field in 1987. During his career, his program has evaluated practically every economically significant pest in cotton and is always at the forefront of the industry. Stewart has completed over 500 extension events training agents, consultants, growers and retailers on integrated pest management. Most significantly, however, Stewart has directly mentored and inspired numerous professionals who have gone on to provide tremendous impacts to the industry themselves.

   Stewarts impact on the cotton industry is widely known. He has always been a team player and works across disciplines to accomplish common goals for the benefits of the cotton industry. He has also been an active participant in the Cotton and Rice Conservation Systems Conference where he organizes the very successful IPM Roundtable.

   Stewart has had an extremely successful career with over 65 refereed journal publications focused primarily in applied research that directly benefits the producers he serves. He has generated or given literally hundreds of producer talks, professional society presentations, popular press contributions, newsletters and extension publications.

   Stewart is also known for his efforts as a leader in the development of the popular UTCrops.com website and newsblog which together serve as hub of historic and week-by-week information for crop producers in West Tennessee and the Mid South. ∆