Writer: Steve Byrns, 325-653-4576, s-byrns@tamu.edu
Contact: Rebel Royall, 432-354-2381, r-royall@tamu.edu
COLLEGE STATION – Rebel Royall, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agriculture and natural resources agent for Glasscock County, has been presented a 2014 Superior Service Award in the county Extension agent category.
The Superior Service Awards recognize AgriLife Extension faculty and staff who provide outstanding performance in AgriLife Extension education or other outstanding service to the organization and to Texans. The award was presented Jan. 6 during the Texas A&M AgriLife Conference held on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station.
According to his nomination, Royall has a 21-year record of exemplary programs with clear, measurable results. His work has helped communities benefit economically and improve their quality of life.
An example cited is Royall’s work with other AgriLife Extension agents to implement an array of programs for the cotton industry in West Texas. The majority of producers there now follow AgriLife Extension recommendations to select cotton varieties, determine fertilizer rates, use pesticides appropriately, and use crop rotation. In 2013, the estimated economic benefit for growers who adopted the recommendations was an additional $15.40 per acre.
Similarly, Royall is credited with helping to improve rangeland management and livestock production in Glasscock County. His educational efforts include multi-county conferences, workshops, newsletters, Facebook posts and news releases concerning rangeland management and noxious plant control.
As a result of these efforts, ranchers surveyed indicated they would adopt such management tools as forage testing to help determine supplemental feeding needs, adopt recommended financial strategies and decision aids when restocking, use body condition scores to determine nutritional needs of cattle, control brush and weeds with recommended management practices to improve rangeland recovery and use recommended management practices to mitigate the impact of wildfires and drought. By doing so, each participating ranch operation is estimated to reap a reported benefit of nearly $45,000 per ranch operation participating, according to the nomination.
Royall has also significantly advanced agricultural literacy through his numerous youth programming efforts. His Third Grade Agriculture Tour continues to be a yearly tradition for all third graders in the county. The morning tour activities involve six rotating educational sessions, while the afternoon is devoted to viewing cotton being harvested by local producers followed by a tour of the local cotton gin in operation.
The Glasscock County 4-H Teen Leadership Tour is another significant youth programming effort Royall leads. With his guidance, every two years 4-H members who are incoming freshmen plan and coordinate a trip to other places in the U.S., which have included California, Chicago, Philadelphia and New York.
As one letter of support of the nomination stated: “Rebel has exemplified a level of commitment to our county and (to the) Extension Service that can serve as a model for others. From playing integral roles in local, state and national projects dedicated to agriculture, to mentoring youth, to volunteering for various community organizations, Rebel has served others selflessly.”
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