During its recent annual meeting in Starkville, the Mississippi Agricultural Consultants Association announced its 2017 Scholarship Award Recipients to two Mississippi State University (MSU) students: Whitney Crow, who graduated from Brighton High School, Tenn., in 2009; and Shane Carver, who graduated from Millington Central High School in 2010.

Whitney Crow

Crow graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin with a B.S. degree in crop and soil management, and from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville with a master’s degree in plant sciences. She is now pursuing her doctorate in entomology under the direction of Drs. Angus Catchot and Jeff Gore. Her research project is the interaction between thrips and reniform nematodes on the growth and development of cotton. She plans a career in field crop agriculture at the industry or university level.

She has earned many honors, including: PhD first place poster - Mississippi Entomology Association, Mid-South Association of wheat and feed grain scientist - First Place Paper Competition, MSU Future of Agriculture - First Place PhD paper competition, Beltwide Cotton Conference - First Place Master’s Graduate Student Poster, National Student Recognition Award - ASA CSSA SSSA, Sam and Gladys Siegal Agricultural Leadership Award, Magna Cum Laude-University of Tennessee at Martin, Who’s Who among American Colleges and Universities, ASA CSSA SSSA Golden Opportunity Scholar, and the Department of Agriculture, Geosciences, and Natural Resource Management Agricultural Research Fellow.

Crow’s work experience from 2011 through today has been all university and Extension as an associate, research assistant, summer intern and summer worker with small plot research. Additionally, her agricultural activities include editing responsibilities with the Mississippi Insect Control guide and publication, coordinator for the graduate student Entomological Society of America Arthropod Management Trials, the Entomology Society of America, Mississippi Entomological Association and the Gamma Sigma Delta Agricultural Honor Society.

Shane Carver

Carver graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin with a B.S. degree in agricultural sciences, and is now studying at MSU, working on his Master of Science degree in agronomy with a minor in entomology. His advisors are Drs. Trent Irby and Angus Catchot.

His agricultural awards include: First place at the Agricultural Industry Council graduate student quiz bowl, third place at the annual graduate student poster presentation contest, third place at the Future of Agriculture Conference new student research paper competition, second place master of science section at the annual graduate student poster presentation contest, Chancellor’s Honor Roll 2012 to 2014, and Excellence in Agronomy 2014.

Carver has worked with the Extension soybean variety demonstration program, forage harvesting at the University of Tennessee, and in the greenhouse with the spring scout school. He also has been involved with herbicide symptomology, nutrient deficiency, and has evaluated various starter fertilizers in corn. He has performed all the operations associated with small plot work data collection and equipment use. Additionally, he has prepared, taught and administered lab activities in soil science.

Carver has been involved with many organizations, including the Southern Weed Science Society, Weed Science Society of America, Agronomy Club, Veterinary Science Club, and the American Society of Agronomy. His certifications include Commercial Pesticide Applicator, Private Applicator license, Beef Quality Assurance, Artificial Insemination, and FEMA Animal Rescue.

 Every year MACA awards up to two, $2,000 scholarships to a MSU student majoring in an agricultural discipline at the under-graduate, graduate or post-graduate level. The independent crop consultant association-sponsored scholarship program began in the early 1980s, and is designed to encourage and develop highly talented MSU students in agriculture.