Charles Swann, Virginia's peanut specialist for the past 15 years, has retired.

Swann came to Virginia after spending 20 years as an Extension agronomist in Georgia. In Virginia, he was peanut and weed management specialist based at the Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Suffolk, Va.

Swann is a fellow of the American Peanut Research and Education Society and past president of the group.

During his career, Swann published more than 240 papers, abstracts, experiment station bulletins and popular articles on various aspects for peanut production. He coordinated the writing and updating of the Virginia Peanut Production Guide. He also published the Weed Science Research Summary each year on about 50 weed management studies.

In his role as peanut specialist, Swann coordinated meetings between county agents and Extension specialists during the growing season. He also worked closely with agents in recognizing Virginia's top growers.

The top growers used the information Swann developed and disseminated in making their championship yields.

Over the span of his 34-year career, Swann was recognized for a number of awards, including the Dow-Elanco Award for Excellence in Extension, the Distinguished Service Award of the National Association of County Agents; the Outstanding Extension Worker Award of the Weed Science Society of America; and the D.W. Brooks Distinguished Service Award.