Ben McKnight Named 2025 Beltwide Cotton Specialist of The Year
January 20, 2025 
Ben McKnight (Photo: Jim Steadman)
Ben McKnight, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife State Extension Cotton Specialist, was named the 2025 Beltwide Extension Cotton Specialist of the Year during the recent Beltwide Cotton Conferences in New Orleans, LA.
The 36th recipient of the award, McKnight received the honor during an awards dinner sponsored by Bayer Crop Science.
McKnight has served as the Texas Statewide Cotton Specialist since 2020, upon joining the Texas A&M University Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at College Station. He worked for both Texas A&M AgriLife Research and AgriLife Extension while earning his undergraduate and master’s degrees at Texas A&M, and as a weed scientist with Louisiana State University while earning his doctorate.
“Dr. McKnight is a valued resource to the many cotton growers in Texas and beyond,” says Larry Redmon, Ph.D., Associate Department Head and AgriLife Extension Program Leader for the department. “He provides leadership and coordination to the AgriLife Extension programs relevant to cotton production, working with stakeholders to identify needs for educational resources and programs. As a result, he has built a strong statewide program and presence.”
The annual award – voted on by the state Extension cotton specialists across the Cotton Belt – is a peer acknowledgement of leadership, dedication, and exceptional service in developing and conducting educational programs to meet the needs of cotton producers and the U.S. cotton industry.
GET THE NEWSLETTER TODAY!
