MSU alumnus wins top national crop advising award

By MSU News Service

 1/24/02

 BOZEMAN--Montana State University alumnus Jeff Farkell recently received the Excellence in Crop Advising award from the American Farm Bureau Federation and American Society of Agronomy, an honor that goes to the top certified crop adviser out of 14,000 in the U.S. Farkell also assists MSU faculty with training for certified crop advisers (CCAs) around Montana and helps MSU students get internships.

 As a certified crop advisor and senior agronomist with Centrol Crop Consulting in Brady, Farkell works with producers in five counties to recommend fertilizer and crop protection strategies customized for specific varieties, management levels and seed varieties or crops.

 For 17 years Farkell has mentored agriculture students from MSU-Bozeman and MSU-Northern through internships. As one of Montana's first CCAs, he has worked with faculty from the Western Triangle Agricultural Research Center near Conrad to provide producer training, and has served as a reviewer for MSU Extension publications on nutrient management. He has also worked closely with Extension agents in central Montana.

 Farkell credits MSU Associate Professor Cliff Montagne with opening his eyes to career opportunities in soil science. As an MSU student in fish and wildlife management, Farkell says he was required to take a soils course taught by Montagne. He was so intrigued with the material that he chose to graduate with an additional degree in ag sciences, soil option. In addition, Farkell said he worked closely with the late Paul Brown, ARS Soil Scientist, as a member of The Montana Salinity Control Association. Farkell and his wife are also involved in fund-raising for the FFA Foundation housed at MSU in Bozeman.

 The Excellence in Crop Advising award was presented in Reno, Nev. on Jan. 7 by Jeff Jacobsen, head of MSU's Land Resources and Environmental Sciences department, past chair of the International Certified Crop Adviser Program, and founder of the Rocky Mountain Certified Crop Adviser Board of the American Society of Agronomy, which covers Montana and Wyoming.

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Send questions or comments to Suzi Taylor, MSU Communications Services, Bozeman, MT 59717 or email Taylor at taylor@montana.edu.

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