Steve Brown, cotton team leader for the University of Georgia Extension Service, has been named Extension Cotton Specialist of the Year by his peers from across the across the Cotton Belt.

Brown was honored during the Extension Cotton Specialists dinner at the Beltwide Cotton Conference in Atlanta. Uniroyal Chemical, a subsidiary of Crompton Co, sponsors the event annually.

“I have worked with Steve Brown since 1996 and have seen how dedicated he is to the industry,” said Phillip Roberts, Extension entomologist with the University of Georgia. “He is very well respected among county agents in Georgia and as a leader of our cotton team.

“I truly value what he does as a professional and look to him for leadership.”

Brown became Georgia's cotton team leader in 1995. His primary role is to be a resource person for Georgia county Extension agents in all cotton production matters.

Besides general cotton management issues, Brown focuses on variety selection, planting procedures, plant growth regulators, harvest aids and other agronomic issues. He also serves as a liaison to various public and private sector organizations interested in cotton.

Brown received his doctor of philosophy degree from Texas A&M University in 1986 and began work as a weed scientist at the University of Georgia shortly after graduation. He and his wife, Lisa, have three sons, Charles, Knox and Luke.