29 minute read
Research & Promotion
Dr. Susan “Evy” Jaconis Dr. Ryan Kurtz
Cotton Incorporated Ag Research Team Update
The work done by Cotton Incorporated’s Agricultural and Environmental Research Division (AERD) is crucial to the cotton growing community. However, beyond the work, we all know that people make the difference in every organization. The AERD staff at Cotton Incorporated is no exception. The dedicated research staff in the AERD generate ideas, solve problems, make decisions and generate learning that improves the organization. Recently, there have been some noteworthy additions and promotions within Cotton Incorporated’s AERD.
Director, Agricultural Research
This past October, Dr. Susan “Evy” Jaconis, joined the team as director, agricultural research. Jaconis brings diverse expertise to the division and will be responsible for projects ranging from plant nutrition, cottonseed nutrition and plant physiology.
Jaconis describes herself as having a passion for plants, people and science. She joined Cotton Incorporated after serving as the Director of Research for the USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council, the national non-profit promoting and protecting the interests of growers, and all members of the supply chain for dry peas, lentils and chickpeas. In this capacity, she managed research activities spanning all topics including human health & nutrition, breeding & genetics, crop management, sustainability and food technology.
A native of North Carolina, Jaconis earned a B.S. at North Carolina State University in plant biology and environmental toxicology. She earned a Ph.D. at the University of Cincinnati working on air pollution impacts on plants.
Her past research focused on plants and abiotic stressors, with an emphasis on floral reproduction. Most recently, this included conducting a postdoctoral research fellowship with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Australia. Additionally, she has worked closely with people across the globe including Brazil, Belize and Namibia, which has given her experience in effectively communicating science and collaborating with a range of audiences.
Jaconis commented on joining the team at Cotton Incorporated saying, “I’m so excited to be working with cotton again and to use my background in research on behalf of U.S. cotton producers. I look forward to working closely with fellow cotton researchers to support sound science that will be beneficial to the cotton community.”
Senior Research Director
Earlier this year, AERD also promoted Dr. Ryan Kurtz to senior research director. Kurtz is an international expert on insect resistance management of Bt traits in corn and cotton. Since joining Cotton Incorporated 10 years ago, Kurtz has delivered a consistently high level of support for producer profitability despite the continual challenge of pest resistance and invasive insects.
Kurtz has also led numerous projects for producer outreach including the recent update of the Cotton Cultivated website and the Focus on Cotton webinar series. “Dr. Kurtz’s ability to coordinate complex and collaborative teams has led to his success in the industry and in our organization,” says Dr. Kater Hake, vice president, AERD. “He consistently volunteers for new responsibilities that are critical for company success.”
Kurtz holds a B.S. in agricultural pest management from Mississippi State University and a Ph.D. in entomology from North Carolina State University where he studied resistance management in cotton bollworms to Bt crops. Prior to joining Cotton Incorporated, Ryan worked for Syngenta as the Lead for Traits Insect Resistance Management.
Kurtz commented on his promotion and his commitment to the U.S. cotton industry saying, “It’s been an honor to support U.S. cotton growers for the past 10 years. I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue working with the research and Extension scientists on improving production practices in an expanded role through this promotion.”
Over its 50-year lifespan, Cotton Incorporated’s AERD has employed a strong team and developed an infrastructure of professionals to support Upland cotton farmers. I look forward to seeing how Drs. Jaconis and Kurtz contribute to AERD’s continued success.
BY STACEY GORMAN
WARREN, ARKANSAS
Stacey Gorman is The Cotton Board’s director of communications. Contact her at sgorman@cottonboard.org.
THRIVING IN COTTON
Alabama Family Farm Sets High Standards For Success
Walt Corcoran grows cotton, peanuts and corn with his son-in-law, Cody Young, at Liikatchka Plantation near Eufaula, Alabama. The Barbour County operation is a family farm that not only nurtures the crops but also the people who appreciate the lifestyle it provides.
“My daddy, Sonny Corcoran, moved here when he was 13, and I grew up scouting cotton and working with him on the farm,” Corcoran says. “After graduating from Auburn University with a degree in agronomy, I came back in 1983 and have been farming here ever since. Today, Liikatchka Plantation operates as a family partnership.”
Young came on board a few years after he married Corcoran’s daughter and says he enjoys the diversity each new day brings.
Well-Rounded Variety Choices
In 2021, several PhytoGen® brand varieties made up the roster for the farm’s 3,000 acres of mostly dryland cotton. All the PhytoGen W3FE varieties are resistant to bacterial blight and have WideStrike® 3 Insect Protection. They also are tolerant to Enlist® herbicides, glufosinate and glyphosate for flexible, effective weed control options.
“When choosing varieties, we are looking for yield and quality,” Corcoran says. “We also look at the way a variety comes up and the way it grows.
In fields where Corcoran and Young have high levels of rootknot nematode, they grew PhytoGen varieties with root-knot nematode resistance.
“The technology worked really well in those bad nematode fields,” Corcoran says.
PHY 411 W3FE Advances In 2022
As PhytoGen Horizon Network collaborators, Corcoran and Young trialed the new PHY 411 W3FE in 2021. The widely adapted, mid-season variety is commercially available for the 2022 season. It features PhytoGen Breeding Traits for bacterial blight resistance and both root-knot nematode and reniform nematode resistance.
“PHY 411 W3FE grew well, had good vigor and didn’t give up,” Young says. “We had a little spell of boll rot during the season, and this variety didn’t seem to be affected by it too much. I like that about it. PHY 411 W3FE yielded well, and the quality appeared to be good although I don’t have all the bale data back yet.”
In Barbour County, Alabama, Walt Corcoran (left) and his son-in-law, Cody Young, grow cotton, peanuts and corn.
Enlist Weed Control System
Corcoran and Young were early adopters of the Enlist weed control system and have successfully used it for several years.
Young says pigweed is the primary pest they target with the Enlist system.
“We make an Enlist application with the hi-boy when the weeds are less than four inches high, and then follow up a week to 10 days later with an application of glufosinate, which is a contact herbicide,” Young says.
A Plan For The Future
Corcoran and Young say they like to plant several cotton varieties to avoid putting “all of their eggs in one basket.”
Both men agree it’s important to make the farm better for the next generation.
CASHING IN
ON TEXAS COTTON
CASHING IN
ONTEXAS COTTON
CASHING IN ON TEXAS COTTON
Since the turn of the century, Texas farmers and ginners have grown and processed some tremendous cotton crops. Contributing factors to this success include advancements in cotton seed genetics, boll weevil eradication and state-of-theart ginning equipment and facilities. As the 2022 season begins, the groundwork is in place to keep Texas in the cotton business for years to come.
To make sure cotton farming and ginning remain a viable part of the state’s economy, the Texas Cotton Ginners’ Association is a vigilant watchdog on issues that could affect our industry.
The TCGA Annual Meeting and Trade Show is one of the largest gatherings of cotton ginning equipment, supplies and affiliated businesses that provide parts or services to the ginning industry. The TCGA Trade Show exhibitors are eager to inform visitors about their products and services related to all things cotton.
Make plans to attend this year’s event as we look forward to cashing in on Texas cotton in 2022.
For more information, visit www.tcga.org.
TCGA ANNUAL MEETING AND TRADE SHOW MARCH 31 – APRIL 1, 2022 LUBBOCK, TEXAS
The Cutting Edge Of Cotton
Bart Davis (second from right) runs Davis Family Farms with his son, Trey (le ), son Jedd and his son-in-law, Taylor Buckner. Davis’ daughter, Laykn, is also an active participant in the operation.
Davis Family Farms Is Dedicated To Remaining Sustainable And Preserving Its Legacy
BY CARROLL SMITH
EDITOR
When Bart Davis was 17 years old, he lost his mother. When he was 18, his father passed away, and Davis had to bring in the 1982 cotton crop on his own. This past year marked his 40th season.
Davis is always moving forward in a positive, proactive direction. That’s the kind of man he is. Today, he operates Davis Family Farms with his wife, Paula, his sons, Trey and Jedd, and his daughter, Laykn. They grow 7,500 acres of cotton, corn, peanuts, wheat and registered beef cattle.
“Dad started farming on his own when I was born, so I am the second generation,” Davis says. “My nephew, Alex Apperson, also works for us along with my son-in-law, Taylor Buckner. We are a true family farm. We hire extra employees when we are planting and harvesting.
“Trey is involved in a lot of the management responsibilities, including banking and Farm Service Agency paperwork. Laykn works in the office, and Jedd is more of an outside, hands-on person like me with the employees. He participates in getting the crop in, getting it out, and taking care of the day-to-day crop production.”
2021 Growing Season
In 2021, they grew 4,400 acres of cotton, which is about 95% irrigated with low-pressure, overhead pivots to save water and be more efficient.
“We have a lot of good land on Tifton soils and some soils that are a little lighter, a little loamier,” Davis says. “Our crop consultant, Scott Brown, helps us get the right variety on the right field
to maximize our yields. We’ve worked with him for years.”
Last year, they grew all Deltapine varieties, matching them to the fields on which they thought they would perform the best.
“2021 was one of the wettest growing seasons I’ve ever had in my farming career,” Davis says. “Although we got 5 to 6 inches of rain toward the end of April, we did have to irrigate when we got into May to get everything planted. Then it started raining again June 5, and we fought a wet environment all summer.”
Despite experiencing some adverse growing conditions, he says the cotton averaged 1,300 pounds per acre and the grades were decent.
NPE Trials And ThryvOn Technology
Davis also is in a 50-50 partnership with owner Tony Lasseter to farm Windy Pond Farms near Moultrie, Georgia. Lasseter and consultant Brown began participating in the Deltapine New Product Evaluator Program when it began in 2008. Davis has continued the NPE Program on Windy Pond Farms since 2015.
In 2021, Davis and Brown conducted a Class of ’22 NPE trial and a ThryvOn technology comparison trial.
“We divided a 50-acre field between the ThryvOn variety DP 2131 B3TXF and DP 2055 B3XF for a head-to-head comparison,” Brown says. “In terms of thrips control, the ThryvOn technology performed so well it was unbelievable. We did not have enough plant bug pressure to conduct a good evaluation regarding them, but we were able to note differences between the two varieties.
“From this one observation, we saw less plant bug damage and no reproduction in the ThryvOn cotton. We didn’t find any plant bug nymphs in the ThryvOn, but we did find them at below threshold levels in the 2055. They weren’t bad enough to treat, but we could find nymphs. They were basically non-existent in the ThryvOn in our trial. Square retention was also better in the ThryvOn than in the 2055.”
Brown says they evaluated dirty blooms caused by plant bugs feeding on the squares after they get some size on them.
“We could not find any dirty blooms in the ThryvOn cotton and didn’t find heavy dirty bloom presence in the 2055, but we did find them,” he says. “I take that as evidence there was less feeding in the ThryvOn cotton.” This year, the variety advanced as DP 2211 B3TXF and is commercially available.
Brown, who has observed how the cotton plant grows and develops almost his entire 41-year career, says he always learns something when working on Davis Family Farms.
Wildlife Habitat Project
Davis Family Farms is also a proponent of precision agriculture.
“We want to be on the cutting edge and be as efficient as we can,” Davis says. “We make variable-rate applications of lime and fertilizer and are even doing some variable-rate seeding. It all works together to be profitable and more sustainable. We use the John Deere Operations Center to analyze our data to see where we are making money and where we are not.”
Although most of their cotton acres are pivot-irrigated, Davis says the corners of the field the pivot misses are low productivity spots that have a negative impact on their bottom line. To help turn this around, they took advantage of NRCS conservation programs. With the guidance of Chaz Holt, precision ag and conservationist specialist, they began participating in Quail Forever. This is the quail division of Pheasants Forever — an organization dedicated to wildlife habitat conservation. Davis Family Farms planted 17.5 acres of dryland pivot corners with a pollinator planting mix, which results in an attractive habitat for bees, beneficial insects and quail.
“The experience Quail Forever has had working with producers in the cotton and quail range across the Southeast has been great,” Holt says. “I am very proud to be working with family farms like the Davis’ to help preserve agricultural legacies and Southern hunting heritage alike. It’s been my pleasure to know and work with them.”
In recognition of their “innovative use of precision ag to identify profitable solutions for agriculture and wildlife habitat conservation,” Davis Family Farms was presented with the Quail Forever and Pheasant Forever’s 2021 Precision Farmer of the Year Award, sponsored by John Deere.
Giving Back To The Industry
Davis likes to stay on the cutting edge of cotton outside the field by participating in industry organizations.
“I always wanted to get involved, but I didn’t have anyone to look after the place until my children got old enough to help me,” he says.
Today, he is chairman of the Georgia Cotton Commission, chairman of the Georgia Boll Weevil Eradication Program, Southern Cotton Growers director and NCC delegate.
“The Georgia Cotton Commission is a producer-funded organization whose goals are research, promotion and education,” Davis says. “We spend about $750,000 a year on research through the University of Georgia. We wouldn’t be where we are today in cotton production if it weren’t for Extension and the research that’s been done.
Bart Davis, chairman of the Georgia Cotton Commission, participates in various organizations to do his part in moving the cotton industry forward.
From Field To Fashion
e3 Sustainable Cotton Program Provides Traceable, Transparent Supply Chain For U.S. Cotton
BY CARROLL SMITH
EDITOR
For the past few years, consumers have expressed a desire to know more about the fiber from which their clothing and woven home goods are made. Where does this cotton come from?
To answer their question, BASF decided the best place to start is at the beginning with its Stoneville and FiberMax cottonseed. Farmers who grow these varieties are eligible to enroll in the e3 Sustainable Cotton Program where they commit to growing sustainable cotton and sharing their story via this transparent platform. The goal is to create a traceable supply chain from the seed to the finished garment or home furnishing.
This is how it works: The grower receives a seed invoice from the seed retailer. The grower digitally enrolls his e3 sustainable cotton field and operation for Stonevillle and/or FiberMax cotton. A U.S. Department of Agriculture permanent bale identification is created at the gin. The PBI is entered into an e3 sustainable cotton bale database. The merchant sells cotton to a mill. The merchant sends BASF a list of bales to be validated. A proof of purchase is sent to BASF. BASF sends the brand a certificate of authenticity. Once licensed, the retailer can brand e3 sustainable cotton as Certified FiberMax and/or Authentic Stoneville garments or home furnishings.
Economic Incentives
Jennifer Crumpler, BASF e3 Sustainable Cotton Program manager, says, “We pay our growers a $2.50 per-bale premium for the bales they enroll in our program to help them invest back in sustainability efforts and initiatives on their farms.
In February 2021, BASF launched the e3 Sustainable Cotton Grower Fund to provide additional support for e3 cotton farmers. According to the company, “Brands, retailers, mills and other cotton fiber value chain partners sourcing e3 Sustainable Cotton will have the opportunity to contribute a monetary amount to the fund. At the end of each year, 100% of those funds will be distributed equally to e3 sustainable cotton farmers, which is in addition to BASF’s $2.50 per bale premium.”
Farmer Perspectives
Brian Rhodes, an e3 sustainable cotton grower in Pinal County, Arizona, says he enrolled in the program because he was already implementing a lot of the sustainability practices. “To get official recognition and additional compensation” made a lot of sense.
“We get a per-bale payment for each bale we have enrolled,” Rhodes says. “With the technology we have on our farm, we can trace the cotton back to the exact rows it was grown on. Everything we apply — fertilizer, herbicides, insecticides — goes into our John Deere Operations Center database so we can show how we are using these inputs in a sustainable fashion.”
The sustainability measures the program tracks and documents to an individual farmer include water efficiency, pesticide management, soil and fertility management, greenhouse gas reduction, energy conservation, worker health and safety, soil carbon and identity preservation.
Adam McLendon is an e3 sustainable cotton farmer in McLendon Acres, Georgia.
“What a lot of non-farmers don’t picture when talking about sustainability is financial sustainability,” McLendon says. “This is needed for us to care for our land and resources to keep the farm going for generations to provide a high-quality crop for consumers. We are constantly learning new ways to be sustainable. We want to preserve our resources so we can continue to grow our crop every year for a multi-generational career.”
John Branton is a Louisiana producer who grows e3 sustainable cotton at Frogmore Farms. Geographically, this operation is close to Vidalia Mills in Vidalia, Louisiana. The new textile mill, which was established in 2014, makes high-quality denim and only uses e3 sustainable cotton.
Vidalia Mills in Vidalia, Louisiana, produces high-quality denim. “This mill only uses e3 sustainable cotton,” says Jennifer Crumpler, BASF e3 Sustainable Cotton Program manager.
James Todd
2021 COTTON CONSULTANT OF THE YEAR
Cotton Farming
2021 Cotton Consultant of the Year James Todd and his wife, Lacey, enjoy spending time with their pets Dixie (le ), Charleston and Savannah.
Texas native James Todd was born in Corpus Christi and lived there until he was 10 years old. The family moved to San Antonio, then on to Cleburne, Texas, and finally landed in Plainview when Todd was a freshman in high school. His parents, Jim and Martha Todd, were schoolteachers. His paternal grandfather grew up on a cotton farm in the Texas Brazos Bottom, and his mother’s family hailed from Mississippi.
Although cotton was an integral part of his bloodline, Todd developed an interest in agriculture in an unexpected way.
“When my grandfather retired as a Baptist minister, he had 90 acres of citrus in South Texas,” Todd says. “I spent a lot of time on his farm and even learned how to drive a tractor. Today, we still have that same tractor and use it quite often. That was my first exposure to agriculture.
“When I was about 9 years old, a bad freeze in South Texas wiped out their citrus trees. Most people who lose everything feel beat down and want to give up. I remember seeing a different attitude in him. He said, ‘This is what we are going to do. We are going to cut these trees back and overcome this. In five or six years, we will be back to where we were.’ Something about that attitude piqued my curiosity. At the early age of 9, I decided I wanted to do something in my life to help farmers. I hadn’t decided exactly what I wanted to do and didn’t know a profession like consulting existed because I had grown up in the city.”
As luck would have it, one of Todd’s Sunday school teachers in Plainview was a crop consultant who tried to convince the young Texan to come to work for him.
“He would ask me, ‘Do you want a job counting bugs?’ I thought, ‘Why would I want a job counting bugs? That sounds like the most boring job ever.’ Then I found out what else crop consultants did.”
While attending Texas Tech University, Todd went to work for independent crop consultant Bob Glodt in the summers. When Todd was in his junior year, Glodt set him up with his own customers within the company, and the men continued this agreement until 2007. During this time, Texas cotton farmer Charles Reeves, who had a daughter named Lacey, was one of Glodt’s clients. Todd’s father, Jim, and Lacey’s mother, Janet, also taught Sunday school together.
“I had known Lacey for a long time,” Todd says. “We started dating in 2000 and married in 2002. She encouraged me to start my own business and has helped me along the way. Lacey is the rock that keeps me going.”
In 2007, with Glodt’s blessing, the young crop consultant founded Todd Ag Consulting in Plainview.
Todd’s wife, Lacey, pursues her own career in the medical field and keeps up with the business side of the consulting company. Todd typically employs two to four college agriculture students as interns during the summertime. In May 2021, he hired Rhett Uhland to serve as his agronomic operations manager. Uhland interned for Todd from May 2020 to May 2021 before coming on full-time after graduating from West Texas A&M University with a degree in agribusiness and economics.
Dealing with the complexity of the cotton plant and how it grows is a perfect fit for a detail-oriented person like Todd.
“Cotton is a perennial, but we grow it as an annual,” he says. “I am a NASCAR fan, so I compare growing cotton to a race car. There are so many things you can do to make it better. It’s not a simple job. And what we do this year may have to be done differently next year. It’s that ability to adapt and change that attracts me to working with cotton farmers.
“In my consulting business, we try to tailor what we do to each individual client. We are flexible on what services we provide to meet the need of each grower and try to be part of their team and do things the way they need them to be done. We don’t have a cookie cutter program where we just offer five items on the dollar menu.”
Todd Ag Consulting provides irrigation scheduling and IPM services that include scouting for weeds, insects and diseases. They also soil sample, make fertility recommendations and assist with budgeting, variety selection and, in some cases, recordkeeping and precision agriculture.
“We check every field every week and don’t cut corners,” Todd says. “We provide a detailed written report that includes a recommendations section at the end. In the past seven or eight years, I have been working with my clients on inventory management. That’s become a huge part of my business. This involves a lot of phone calls to people like Syngenta’s agronomic service rep, Brent Besler, to check on prices and product availability. I also communicate with dealers, applicators and retailers to make sure products will be there when we need them. It’s all about teamwork. Although this practice is time consuming, I believe it’s a critical part of my job.”
Strong Consultant/Farmer Relationships
Todd’s efforts are not lost on his farmer clients.
“James has worked for me since 1995,” says Texas cotton farmer Chris DeBerry. “He sends excellent notes that keep me informed. His dedication and hard work have greatly contributed to my success as a farmer. At the end of the day, I am proud to call James Todd my friend.”
Rocky Buckner, who farms 3,900 acres of cotton, corn, wheat and sorghum with his brother, Danny, says James has been their agronomist since 2002.
“James is a huge asset to our operation,” Buckner says. “He stays current on product pricing, which helps us keep our expenses down while using products that get the job done. James takes his customers’ farming operations to heart. It’s obvious his true mission is making things better not only this year but also next year. We just can’t replace him or his knowledge.”
Robert Wade, whose family raises forage for their dairy cows along with crop rotations of cotton, says, “Farmers constantly face a variety of uncertainties and challenges. Having James’ knowledge and input lessens the stress on us.”
Todd says he considers all his clients “family” and will do whatever he can to help them and believes they feel the same way. Bobby Wade (le ), James Todd and Bob Wade
Jame Todd (le ) and Chris DeBerry
Mike Mathis (le ), James Todd and Garrett Mathis
James Todd (left) and his agronomic operations manager, Rhett Uhland Syngenta agronomic services rep Brent Besler (left) and James Todd
“Through the more than 20 years James has been working for us, he has become family,” says multi-generational farmer Mike Mathis. “He has watched the sixth-generation farmer grow up and is now watching the seventh generation learn to love the soil as much as we do. He is willing to answer any question we have no matter the hour of the day or night or how simple the answer might be.”
Fifth-generation cotton farmer Kyle McQueen says he has “very strong opinions as to what will or will not work” because his family has been at this for many years. “I may be one of James’ more difficult clients to deal with, but I appreciate his knowledge and have also enjoyed his friendship very much.”
Well-Informed, Well-Connected Networks
Todd also maintains a good rapport with fellow consultants and university and industry personnel.
“I see a big benefit to being part of an organization like the National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants,” he says. “When you can connect with guys who have boots-on-theground experience, that’s who you want to call. When we began seeing the sugarcane aphid in grain sorghum, I contacted three consultants in Louisiana who had already dealt with them for three years before the pest moved into Texas. I followed their program, and I believe it works.
“I spend a lot of time on the phone with the university people when we have questions, too. We have a good relationship with them as well.”
On the industry side, Todd says he relies on tech service representatives from the different manufacturers to share their expertise.
“I probably talk with Brent Besler with Syngenta at least once a week during the summertime,” he says. “He knows I am not going to ask an easy question! But he may have seen different things than I have and in different areas. As I mentioned earlier, we also talk about product pricing and availability.”
Besler says the respect is mutual.
“James is easy to talk to and very upfront in his conversation,” he says. “He is well-respected and mindful of his growers. It didn’t surprise me when James’ peers selected him as the Cotton Consultant of the Year. I am proud to be part of a company that supports this award within the consulting industry. I have a lot of respect for the men and women who do this kind of work. It’s not for the faint of heart.”
When asked about his reaction upon learning he was chosen as the 2021 Cotton Consultant of the Year, Todd says he was overwhelmed and extremely humbled to be part of such an elite group.
“This award is a reflection of the farmers I work with,” he says. “They deserve all the credit for molding and shaping me. My farmers have made me what I am.”
James Todd: Career & Personal History
Career
• Completed a Bachelor of Science in agronomy, Texas Tech
University, 1996. • Established Todd Ag Consulting in 2007. • Consults on cotton, corn, grain sorghum, black eyed peas, wheat, peanuts and sunflowers across nine counties in the High Plains and Rolling Plains of Texas. • Currently serves as Government Affairs Committee chairman for the National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants. • Past president and secretary, NAICC. Also served on the NAICC executive board. • Past president, High Plains Association of Crop Consultants. • Member, Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association. • Member, Plainview Chamber of Commerce. • BASF Consultant of the Year, 2011. • Service to NAICC Award, 2019.
Family Life
Todd was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, and lived there until he was 10 years old. He now calls Plainview home with his wife, Lacey Reeves Todd, and their pets Dixie, Savannah and Charleston.
When time permits, Todd enjoys spending time at the lake house with family and friends, fishing, and bird hunting with his dog, Dixie. Lacey is a certified first assistant specializing in cardiac surgery.
1981 Bob Stanford, Flagstaff, Ariz. 1982 Jep Gates, Memphis, Tenn. 1983 Dennis Bouchard, Minter City, Miss. 1984 John Nickelsen, Shafter, Calif. 1985 Dwight Lincoln, Portland, Ark. 1986 Grady Coburn, Cheneyville, La. 1987 Stanley Nemec, Snook, Texas 1988 Robert Moore, Hartsville, S.C. 1989 Curtis Wilhelm, Harlingen, Texas 1990 Mills Rogers, Cleveland, Miss. 1991 Clyde Sartor, Vicksburg, Miss. 1992 John Christian, Raymondville, Texas 1993 Billy McLawhorn, Cove City, N.C. 1994 Dwain Reed, Courtland, Ala. 1995 Barry Aycock, Parma, Mo. 1996 Ray Young, Wisner, La. 1997 Lonnie Bull, Cameron, S.C. 1998 Chuck Farr, Crawfordsville, Ark. 1999 Bob Griffin, Jonesboro, Ark. 2000 Roger Carter, Clayton, La. 2001 Harold Lambert, Innis, La. 2002 Lee Hutchins, Sinton, Texas 2003 Danny Pierce, Princeton, N.C. 2004 Tucker Miller, Drew, Miss. 2005 John Hunter, Lubbock, Texas 2006 Jack Royal, Leary, Ga. 2007 Danny Moore, Marion, Ark. 2008 Ray Young, Wisner, La. (Lifetime Achievement Award) 2009 Joe Townsend, Coahoma, Miss. 2010 Mark Nemec, Waco, Texas 2011 Virgil King, Lexington, Miss. 2012 Tim White, Jonesville, La. 2013 Bob Glodt, Plainview, Texas 2014 Stan Winslow, Belvidere, N.C. 2015 Wes Briggs, Bainbridge, Ga. 2016 Tim Roberts, Dyersburg, Tenn. 2017 Paul Pilsner, Wharton, Texas 2018 Mark Scott, Lubbock, Texas 2019 Eddy Cates, Marion, Ark. 2020 Drake Perrow, Cameron, S.C. 2021 James Todd, Plainview, Texas
