Dr. Sam Markell Receives Educator of the Year Award

Source: Mid America CropLife Assn news release

The Mid America CropLife Association (MACA) honored an academic leader today at its virtual annual meeting.

The MACA Educator of the Year Award was presented to Dr. Samuel Markell, North Dakota State University. The award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated significant contributions to American agriculture, especially in the MACA region. Also, the person has demonstrated evidence of consistency in educating the public on the value of production agriculture.

Dr. Markell is a professor and Extension plant pathologist at North Dakota State University. The goal of Sam's program is to develop disease-management tools and strategies for broadleaf crops, including soybean, sunflower, dry edible bean, canola, pulse crops and flax. Sam works closely with many companies, grower organizations and university partners to deliver relevant and economically-viable disease management information to growers and the greater agricultural industry.

Together with his crew and students they conduct a large, applied field research program with high quality foliar and soil-borne trials that support the crop protection industry in North Dakota and Dr. Markell is known as a highly regarded authority on plant disease management.

Finally, Dr. Markell has been an excellent advisor and mentor to a number of high-quality graduate students that have subsequently become effective extension educators or crop protection industry scientists.