The Texas Wheat Producers Board presented the 2022 Texas Wheat County Agent of the Year award to Dr. Shane McLellan, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension agent for McLennan County. McLellan was recognized at the annual Texas County Agricultural Agents Association meeting on July 25 on South Padre Island.
Wheat is one of the primary crops in McLennan County, with over 25,000 acres of hard red winter wheat planted for the 2022 crop year. McLellan serves this important growing region by holding educational programs, utilizing media outreach and conducting applied research trials.
In response to heavy disease and insect pressure in 2021, McLellan held a workshop for Hill County producers to provide crop management guidance. He also organized several turn row meetings to demonstrate seed and crop protection tools. McLellan regularly participates in a popular radio program, writes articles for the local newspaper and distributes a quarterly agriculture newsletter to keep producers up to date.
Each year, McLellan is instrumental in planning the Central Texas Small Grain Field Day. This program showcases the wheat variety trials in and around McLennan County and invites producers to tour the fields to see results firsthand. Research projects included hard red winter wheat variety trials, soft red winter wheat variety trials, evaluation of nitrogen rates on wheat and evaluation of fungicide to control leaf rust in wheat.
“Dr. McLellan has provided valuable management and marketing information to wheat growers in McLennan County and the central Texas Blacklands,” said Rodney Mosier, Texas Wheat Producers executive vice president. “We appreciate continuous dedication to the wheat industry.”
McLellan previously won this award in 2011.
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