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Georgia Cotton Commission announces 2024 King Cotton Awards

Mitchell County Extension Coordinator Brian Hayes, second from right, and Effingham County Extension Agent Blake Carter, second from left, were named recipients of the 2024 King Cotton Awards. Congratulating Hayes & Carter on their awards are Georgia Cotton Commission Executive Director Taylor Sills, far left, & UGA Extension Cotton Specialist Camp Hand, far right./Photo courtesy of the Ga. Cotton Commission.

 

County UGA Cooperative Extension Service agents are an important resource for Georgia cotton farmers.  Agents are known for delivering timely and accurate information, which is instrumental for the success of Georgia’s farmers.  They also perform community specific research, education and outreach programs designed to help farmers maximize yields and efficiency.

The Georgia Cotton Commission sponsored the King Cotton Awards to recognize outstanding contributions of county agents to Georgia cotton producers. The Senior Award honors agents with 10 or more years of experience. The Junior Award, named the Allen B. Fulford Award, honors the accomplishments and memory of Allen B. Fulford, who served as a county Extension agent and state cotton agronomist. This award credits those with less than 10 years of service. The awards were presented at the 2023 Georgia Association of County Agricultural Agents Annual Meeting & Professional Improvement Conference in November.  The Georgia Cotton Commission is proud to salute the excellent work that County Extension Agents do for farmers across the state.

Hayes is the 2024 Senior King Cotton Award recipient. He graduated from Mississippi State University with a bachelor’s degree in Agronomy and received a master’s degree in plant protection and pest management UGA. He began his UGA Extension career in 2014 in Grady County and moved to Mitchell County in 2017. He has also served as the interim ANR Agent in Decatur County. Prior to moving to UGA Hayes spent 17 years as an independent crop consultant in the Mid-South. Hayes has worked with cotton producers and the UGA Cotton Team members through multiple on-farm variety trials each year. Throughout his years in Extension, he has assisted growers in management decisions including plant growth regulators, fungicide applications, fertilizer recommendations, insect management, and irrigation scheduling. In recent years he has also been heavily involved in Using Pesticide Wisely training and was one of three agents in UGA’s Rural Stress Pilot program.

Carter is the Allen B. Fulford Award winner. He began his career with UGA Extension in 2020, where he first served in the same role in Liberty County. Carter holds annual cotton production meetings for local farmers on topics such as agronomy, economics, and pest management. Throughout his career, he has conducted and collaborated on several cotton research trials including the statewide on-farm variety trials, nematode variety trials, and assisting with research related to deer pressure. Carter holds a bachelor’s and master's in agribusiness from UGA, and is working toward his doctorate in agricultural leadership, education, and communication. 

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