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Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation
Agricultural News and Information
Greg Gibson, Coordinator
Public Relations / Multimedia
1-800-227-8244 ext. 4154
or 601-977-4154
email: ggibson@msfb.org
McCarty given Distinguished Service Award by Farm Bureau
Dr. Will McCarty of Starkville has been named the winner of Farm Bureau’s Distinguished Service Award for 2008 at the organization’s annual meeting on December 7.
Dr. McCarty retired from the Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service after 28 years of service to Mississippi agriculture and is one of the foremost experts on cotton in the nation.
Farm Bureau President David Waide said, “Dr. McCarty has worked closely with Farm Bureau over the years to develop cotton policy that has been beneficial to producers and he has given selflessly of his time to help farmers all over Mississippi.”
Many advancements in cotton production have taken place with Dr. McCarty’s guidance including the increased use of defoliants that prevent regrowth, the use of plant growth regulators, and the use of reduced till and no till methods of production.
But perhaps the greatest advancement that Dr. McCarty helped initiate was the eradication of cotton’s number one pest, the boll weevil.
“I think last year we only found 3 boll weevils in the state caught in traps,” said Dr. McCarty. That has been a tremendous help to the Mississippi cotton farmer.
The Distinguished Service Award is the highest honor Farm Bureau bestows
on an individual and it is reserved for someone who has truly made a difference
in the lives of Mississippi farmers.
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