Dr. Jason Bond, a Mississippi State University Extension/Research Professor at Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville received the Dr. Keenum Outstanding Extension Faculty Award at the Extension Annual Conference in Starkville last week.
Bond is the weed science specialist at DREC, where he has worked since 2006. He studied agronomy and weed science and obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Louisiana State University. He continued his studies and completed his PhD in weed science at the University of Arkansas.
DREC Center Head Jeff Gore said Jason’s leadership of the MSU row crop team is second to none. “I am proud to call him a colleague and friend,” Gore said. “I’m sure the entire DREC group is also proud of Jason’s accomplishments as a nationally respected weed scientist. We are lucky to have him as a scientist and Extension specialist at the Delta Research and Extension Center.”
Of his work at DREC, Bond said he is proud of the efforts his team has made in combating Italian ryegrass, noting that MSU has become the clearinghouse for information on the weed.
With Dr. Tom Allen, he hosts the popular Crop Doctors Podcast, a show that aims to inform Mississippi Delta growers on wide-ranging topics. The podcast, in its fifth year now, has subscribers worldwide and 50,000 annual downloads.
“He is a prolific weed scientist,” Dr. Allen said. “He continues to train top-notch graduate students, and he’s a great sounding board for resources and ideas.”
Bond’s past achievements include the Delta Research and Extension Center Faculty Research Award and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Excellence in Research Faculty Award, but his characteristic humility is noted by his peers. Indeed, Bond said he was taken aback upon receiving the award because he’d rather give awards to his students than to receive them himself. He truly embodies the pillars of Mississippi State University: learning, service and research.
“The people of the Mississippi Delta: they are our people. Whatever we do for our stakeholders, we are doing for our people,” Bond said. “And I just get up everyday trying to help farmers in Mississippi.”
Delta Research and Extension Center was established in 1904 and encompasses nearly 5,000 acres. DREC seeks to increase the yields of commercial agriculture and aquaculture producers while preserving the Mississippi Delta’s environment and natural resources.
