DATE: February 14, 2007

CONTACT: Dr. Mike Jones, (843) 662-3526, ext. 255
majones@clemson.edu

WRITER: Tom Lollis, (803) 284-3343, ext. 241
tlollis@clemson.edu

Jones is top Extension specialist in Cotton Belt

CLEMSON – Clemson University professor Mike Jones has been named Cotton Specialist of the Year for the 17 states in the cotton belt.

Jones, Extension specialist and researcher at the Pee Dee Research and Education Center at Florence, received the award during the 2007 Beltwide Cotton Conference in New Orleans in January.

The award, voted on by his fellow Extension cotton specialists from across the cotton belt, was a shock but exciting, according to Jones.

“To be recognized by my peers means a lot,” he said.

“Mike provides outstanding support for the cotton producers of South Carolina,” said Joe Culin, chairman of the Department of Entomology, Soils and Plant Sciences. “This award recognizes his efforts to increase cotton production in ways that are both environmentally sustainable and profitable.”

Extension is a tradition in the Jones family. His father was a tobacco specialist in Virginia. Jones began working with cotton at Mississippi State University from 1994 to 1998, when he moved to South Carolina to become a cotton agronomist.

He holds three degrees from North Carolina State University – a B.S. in agronomy, an M.S. in soil science, and a Ph.D. in crop science. He is on the board of directors of the South Carolina Cotton Museum and associate editor for the Agronomy Journal.

The Chemtura Corp. sponsors the award honoring Extension specialists.

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