The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers has named Roger A. Isom winner of the 2011 Mayfield Cotton Engineering Award. The award, which honors outstanding engineering contributions to the cotton industry, was presented recently at the 2011 ASABE Annual International Meeting, in Louisville, Ky.

Isom, executive vice president of California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association (CCGGA), and president/CEO, Western Agricultural Processor Association, Fresno, Calif., was honored for his outstanding leadership to the cotton ginning industry and for significant technical contributions to the understanding of cotton and other agricultural air quality and environmental issues. Isom has been directly involved with the cotton industry for more than 22 years. At California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association, he is responsible for legislative and regulatory issues that affect cotton ginners and growers, and as president/CEO of Western Agricultural Processors Association, he provides critical air quality safety and environmental technical services to the agricultural processing industry.

Isom’s technical competence, administrative abilities and personal integrity have earned for him national recognition for his contributions to cotton industry air quality issues, along with other technical engineering issues that affect cotton and agriculture.  A few of his many accomplishments are the development and implementation of safety training programs, materials and sessions that have helped to reduce accidents in California cotton gins by more than 65 percent and to reduce energy rates for California cotton gins and farms. In addition, he has helped in the development of new air pollution controls for California cotton gins that have reduced emissions while minimizing cost impacts; in passing legislation to increase module truck weights on highways toward increasing efficiency in the transportation of seed cotton from fields to gins, and in the development of special air quality compliance programs to aid California cotton gins in complying with complex and burdensome regulations.  

Isom has served on numerous national, state, and cotton industry advisory committees, regulatory agencies, and trade organizations to assist in developing cotton ginning industry policy.  He was appointed to the USDA Agricultural Air Quality Task Force and served as chair of the Air Quality Standards subcommittee in which he provided leadership to the USDA and EPA toward securing a better understanding of agricultural and cotton air quality issues.  He has also been a member of various National Cotton Ginners Association committees whose activities affect the entire U.S. cotton industry. 

Isom’s other awards and honors include a Distinguished Service award from both the National Cotton Ginners Association and the California Cotton Ginners Association.  He is also a member of the Air and Waste Management Association and the National Fire Protection Association.

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers is an international scientific and educational organization dedicated to the advancement of engineering applicable to agricultural, food, and biological systems. Its 9,000 members, from more then 100 countries, are consultants, managers, researchers, and others who have the training and experience to understand the interrelationships between technology and living systems. Further information on the Society can be found at http://www.asabe.org/.