Faculty Expertise
Imagine a plant so valuable it helped shape the course of human civilization — a plant that has stitched together empires, economies and entire ways of life.
That plant is cotton.
Cotton remains one of the most widely used textile fibers in the world. In Georgia alone, cotton covers 1.1 million acres and continues to be the state’s top-grossing row crop, with a 2022 farm gate value of $1.31 billion. But its influence stretches far beyond clothing.
“What makes cotton especially interesting, even among major crops, is its dual purpose,” saidCamp Hand, a cotton agronomist forUniversity of Georgia Cooperative Extensionand a faculty member in theCollege of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “It’s both fiber and food.”
The term sustainability usually elicits ideas of a green planet, solar panels, electric vehicles, and plastic-free oceans.
However, this outlook—sustainability primarily focused on the environment—lacks a critical component that University of Georgia researchers are elevating in the realm of food systems and agriculture.
“All pillars of sustainability matter, but social sustainability can get left out of the conversation,” said Jennifer Jo Thompson, senior research scientist in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) Department of Crop and Soil Sciences.
Drs. Taylor Singleton, Lisa Baxter, and Nick Shay represented the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at the 2025 ShowCAES recruiting event held at the UGA Tifton campus.
ShowCAES is an annual event sponsored by the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES). Potential students have the opportunity to learn about CAES academic programs, UGA admissions, and meet faculty, staff and current students.
Student Life
Students in the Principles of Precision Agriculture class (CRSS 3030) visited the J.P. Campbell Research and Education Center to get hands-on experience with GPS guidance of farm vehicles.
The Principles of Precision Agriculture course covers the principles, tools, and technologies that are important to precision agriculture. Weekly laboratories provide students with experiential learning of the materials covered during the lectures as well as providing hands-on training on the tools and technologies discussed in class.
The UGA Weed Science team traveled to the Jackson County Extension Center in Newport, Arkansas, for the Southern Weed Science Society's annual Weed Science Contest. Students competed in correctly identifying (and spelling the common name and genus/species correctly) 100 weedy species, solving real-world farmer problems, completing an individual calibration test, working together to calibrate a sprayer for a real-world scenario, and identifying herbicide symptomology for 25 different herbicides. The team also competed in a mystery event — this year it was a good old fashioned egg toss, to encourage the students to have a little fun in a fiercely competitive contest.
This was the largest and most diverse group of students that the UGA Weed Science team has fielded in at least the last decade. There were sixteen graduate students from Weed Science, Precision Ag, Cotton Agronomy, Crop Physiology, and Forage research groups. The group also included an MPPPM student!
Well done, team!
The Crop and Soil Sciences department was well-represented at the American Peanut Research and Education Society (APRES) Meeting! Students listed below brought home awards for their outstanding research presentations.
Congratulations!
- Anshul - 1st Place in the MS Oral (Drs. Cris Pilon and Scott Tubbs)
- Hannah Grubbs - 3rd Place in the MS Oral (Dr. Wes Porter)
- Benedetta Poles - Honored Mentioned in the MS Oral (Dr. Cris Pilon)
- Andrew Marchetti - 1st Place in the MS Poster (Dr. Nino Brown)
Anish Bhattarai has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 CAES Alumni Association Outstanding Master’s Student Scholarship.
Bhattarai, a graduate student from the Institute of Precision Agriculture under the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, is currently working with Dr. Bastos on research related to variable rates of nitrogen application in cotton.
Congratulations, Anish!
Our new Undergraduate Spotlight Series highlights the inspiring journeys of current and former students, showcasing their remarkable academic accomplishments and active engagement on campus.
Each profile offers a glimpse into their unique stories of growth, leadership, and outstanding achievements.
The graduate program in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences trains students at the master's and doctoral levels and prepares them for careers in extension, academia and industry. Master's students typically work in Cooperative Extension, as well as in agricultural, environmental and regulatory industries. Doctoral students commonly fill research and development positions in academia and industry.
Get to know some of our outstanding grad students!
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Fax: 706-542-0914
Miller Plant Sciences Building
120 Carlton Street
Athens GA 30602