Faculty Expertise
Walking the fields is part of farming. The methodical process of scouting for anything unusual can help identify diseases, insects and other management issues before they become a big problem.
When a team of scouts on a Florida farm recently spotted an unfamiliar insect on the grass, they kept walking to determine the spread. When they realized they had crossed into Georgia, they gave Dr. Lisa Baxter a call.
Dr. Leonardo Bastos was awarded the 2026 International Society of Precision Agriculture Teaching Excellence Award at the recent 17th International Conference on Precision Agriculture.
The ISPA Teaching Excellence Award honors an individual who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to education in the field of precision, digital, or smart agriculture. This award recognizes innovative teaching practices, curriculum development, mentorship, and the integration of emerging technologies that advance student learning and industry readiness. The recipient should exemplify leadership as an educator and provide meaningfully global advancement through education.
What works on one farm may fail on another because every operation is affected by different weather, soils, water availability, markets, pests, diseases and countless other variables. If agriculture isn’t one thing, it follows that farmers aren’t, either.
Yet conversations about conservation often assume farmers fall into two camps: those who use good conservation practices and those who don’t.
Student Life
Two University of Georgia Department of Crop and Soil Sciences graduate students - Amrinder Jakhar and Anish Bhattarai - earned top honors at the 2026 Nitrogen Use Efficiency Workshop, held Aug. 3-5 at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi.
The event brought together 96 attendees from 19 states, including growers, crop consultants, industry representatives, faculty and graduate students.
Students from the UGA Department of Crop and Soil Sciences recently traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee, to compete in the Southern Weed Science Society Weed Contest, where they tackled real-world weed management challenges, identified weeds by common and scientific names, calibrated sprayers, and completed several individual skill events.
Among 14 competing teams, UGA finished in the upper tier and gained valuable hands-on experience in weed science, problem-solving, and field research. The group also toured the University of Tennessee's Mountain Research and Education Center with Ray Covington, giving students a firsthand look at the station's research and extension programs.
On May 15, the Crop and Soil Sciences Department hosted its annual 3-Minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition, showcasing the depth and impact of graduate research across the department. Students delivered concise, engaging presentations, highlighting complex research in just three minutes.
Congratulations to all participants for sharing their work with the department community. We are proud of the outstanding research and presentations featured in this year’s competition.
Competition Winners
M.S. Category
- Winner: Alexis Herring
- Runner-up: Benedicta Sintim
- People’s Choice: Abdullah Al Maruf
Ph.D. Category
- Winner: Ujjwal Sigdel
- Runner-up: Wiriyanat Ployaram
- People’s Choice: Amandeep Kaur Dhaliwal
Contact Us
Main Office: 706-542-2461
Fax: 706-542-0914
Miller Plant Sciences Building
120 Carlton Street
Athens GA 30602