PULLMAN, Wash. — Diana Roberts, Washington State University Extension area agronomist, was named the 15th recipient of the Kenneth J. Morrison Award in Agronomy and Soils at the Spillman Agronomy Farm Field Day on Thursday.
The award recognizes WSU Extension faculty for significant contributions made to agronomic crop production and soil management.
“Largely through her efforts, WSU Extension is recognized as the lead organization in the promotion of sustainable cropping systems, direct seeding, on-farm testing, organic grain production, IPM and biocontrol of cereal leaf beetle,” said Robert E. Allan, retired USDA-ARS geneticist, who nominated her for the award.
Among other achievements, Roberts has led a multi-agency, on-farm direct seeding testing project in Spokane and Whitman counties that has generated a number of useful findings for farmers. She also has been at the center of what has become a multi-state effort to battle cereal leaf beetles, a new crop pest that invaded the Northwest in 2000.
Roberts joined Extension in 1991 as an area agronomist for Adams, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane and Stevens counties. For most of the past seven years, she has focused on producer-initiated, on-farm testing dealing with direct seeding systems.
She is the first woman to receive the Morrison award. The award honors the memory of Kenneth J. Morrison, who served as WSU Extension agronomist from 1950-1987.
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