Jared Whitaker has been named University of Georgia Extension cotton specialist, effective December 1.
Whitaker has worked as an Extension agronomist in east Georgia since 2009, working with cotton in that area and with soybeans across the state. His new role will be focused on keeping Georgia cotton producers as informed as possible and on improving cotton production statewide.
He will based at the University of Georgia campus in Tifton, GA.
Whitaker earned a B.S. from Georgia Southern University, a M.S. in agronomy from the University of Georgia, and a Ph.D. in crop science from North Carolina State University.
“We’ve seen cotton acres diminish in other states while Georgia acres remain relatively stable,” said Whitaker, in a university statement. “In order to keep Georgia production strong, UGA’s role will be to help growers make good decisions, try to keep cotton as profitable as it has been and keep it competitive with other crops.”
Numbers from the University of Georgia Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development show that cotton netted $964 million in farm gate value in 2014, accounting for nearly 40 percent of the state’s row crops.
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