A doctoral student with Texas Tech's Department of Plant and Soil Science has won first place in the American Forage and Grassland Council's Emerging Scientist Competition. Cody Zilverberg, an agronomy major from Holabird, S.D., received the honor at the organization's annual meeting Jan. 9 in Louisville.

The conference is attended by forage and livestock producers, agribusinesses, and research, extension, and teaching faculty in crop and animal sciences, agricultural engineering, and other affiliated disciplines.

This year's emerging scientist competition featured six participants who provided 15 minute presentations, including questions and answers on a variety of subjects. Zilverberg's research, which was part of the oral competition, was titled "Fossil fuel use and associated carbon emissions of a long-term grazing experiment."

A panel of judges evaluated the presentations and determined the winners. The competition was sponsored by Dow AgroSciences.

The Berea-Ky.-based American Forage and Grassland Council is an international organization made up of 20 affiliate councils in the United States and Canada with a total individual membership of about 2,500.

According to officials, one of the group's primary objectives is to promote the profitable production and sustainable utilization of quality forage and grasslands, as well as encouraging leadership development of individuals involved in the forage industry.

Written by Norman Martin

CONTACT: Richard Zartman, Department Chair and Leidigh Professor of Soil Physics, Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2838 or richard.zartman@ttu.edu

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