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MSU scientist receives rice research award
STONEVILLE -- A Mississippi State University associate research professor was recently named the 2012 Rice Researcher of the Year.
Tim Walker, an agronomist at the Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, received the honor at the 15th Annual National Conservation Systems Cotton and Rice Conference in Tunica.
“We are fortunate to have Dr. Walker at the Delta Research and Extension Center,” said Steve Martin, professor and head of the center. “His work supports the many farms that grow rice in the Delta region.”
A Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station scientist, Walker has worked in Stoneville since 2002. He holds a doctoral degree in agronomy from MSU.
Walker’s research focus is on optimum nutrient rates and timings for newly released rice cultivars. Most recently, he has been instrumental in the development and release of two new rice varieties, Rex and Clearfield. Developing a new seed variety can take 10 years or longer.
Walker also evaluates soil test methods and makes recommendations for high-yielding rice and soybean crop systems.
Walker is a member of the American Society of Agronomy, Soil Science Society of America, Mississippi Agricultural Industry Council and the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation.
Mississippi rice production was valued at an estimated $153 million in 2011.
Writer: Rebekah Ray
