Five Ag Leaders Recognized
By West Texas Agricultural Chemicals Institute

Writer: Tim W. McAlavy, (806) 746-6101, t-mcalavy@tamu.edu

LUBBOCK – Five leaders in Texas agriculture were honored here Sept. 19 by the West Texas Agricultural Chemicals Institute (WTACI) during the institute’s 49th annual educational conference.

The institute focuses on promoting environmentally sound use of ag chemicals needed for high-yield production agriculture. It is a consortium of educators, producers, chemical dealers, consultants, and agribusiness representatives and leaders.

The organization’s institutional award went to Peter Dotray, assistant professor of agronomy at Texas A&M and Texas Tech and Texas Cooperative Extension weed specialist. Dotray teaches at Tech, and conducts agronomy research and Extension programs centering on weeds and weed control.

The institute presented its special recognition award to the late A. Wayne Wyatt, former general manager of the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District No. 1 in Lubbock. Wyatt’s career in water spanned more than 40 years. During that time, Wyatt served the district, agriculture and Texans in many capacities. He was a chairman of the Llano Estacado Regional Water Planning Group, president of the Texas Water Conservation Association and National Association of State Ground Water Officials, and served on several advisory boards at Texas A&M and Texas Tech universities.

Pat Porter and Mike Blanton received the institute’s innovator award for their work in delivering pertinent production agriculture information to the industry in several formats – including printed and electronic publications, and through Internet websites. Porter is Texas Cooperative Extension entomologist, and Blanton is a systems analyst with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. Both are based at Texas A&M’s Agricultural Research and Extension Center here.

The institute presented its commercial award to Jerry Bellar, owner-operator of AG Supply Ltd. in Earth, Texas. B&W Aerial Spraying, Dimmitt, Texas, received the institute’s environmental award.

Jarred Karnei, Texas Tech, received $100 as the winner of the institute’s first graduate student poster contest.

More than 400 producers, educators, consultants and agribusiness people attended this year’s conference – which featured presentations on biotechnology, conservation tillage, and water management. Workshops focusing on crop protection and insect management strategies capped off the day-long event.

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