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Dawkins New Superintendent at Sand Mountain Substation
CROSSVILLE, Ala. - Robert A. (Tony) Dawkins, a native of Ariton has been named superintendent of the 536-acre Sand Mountain Substation in Crossville, according to an announcement by James E. Marion, director of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station and dean of the Auburn University College of Agriculture.
"The Sand Mountain area is one of our state's most productive agricultural regions, and we are fortunate to have someone with Tony Dawkins' experience and leadership abilities to head our research program at the substation in Crossville," Marion said. "Tony has had a successful track record at the E.V. Smith Research Center and for 10 years at the Sand Mountain Substation. I am confident he will continue the tradition of excellence at the station."
Dawkins, who has served as supervisor of herd research at the station since 1987, has also worked as superintendent of the Beef Cattle and Dairy Cattle Research Unit at the E.V. Smith Research Center in Shorter and as a Research Assistant in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences at Auburn. Prior to joining AU, Dawkins worked with J.T. Cattle Company in Opelika and at the U.S.D.A. Regional Parasitology Lab in Auburn and Tifton, Ga.
The Auburn researcher holds an associates degree from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Ga. He also earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in animal science from Auburn University.
"Much of my work has been with livestock, but my original interest in agriculture was in agronomic crops. So, I'm really looking forward to working on the vegetable and agronomic crop projects we have on the station," Dawkins noted.
One of the most pressing agricultural challenges in the Sand Mountain area, he says, is to lower phosphorus levels in pastures. He explained that much work has been done on ways to reduce over-nitrification, but many of the pastures in the area remain high in phosphorus -- in some cases 500-600 parts per million. Most crops require about 50 parts per million. Use of poultry litter for fertilization of pastures is a primary cause of the high levels of phosphorus in Sand Mountain soils, according to Dawkins.
"We have conducted research that demonstrates adding aluminum to poultry litter ties up phosphorus, preventing it from leaching into the soil when applied as fertilizer," he said. "However, what impact the aluminum will have is currently under investigation."
The station is also site of vegetable variety trials and a number of projects with agronomic crops, including lupin, which was once a popular crop on Sand Mountain. Visitors to the station will see many long-running experiments, such as Irish potato variety and fertility work.
"We encourage people to come out and visit the station," Dawkins said. "We didn't have a field day last year, and I think some growers missed the opportunity to see what we are doing. Many good research ideas come from ideas generated by growers who visit the substation."
Dawkins replaces long-time superintendent John Eason. Since Eason's retirement in 1996, Marvin Ruf has served as interim superintendent.
"Both John and Marvin have meant a great deal to me," Dawkins said. "Fortunately, Marvin is staying on for a while, and I will have an opportunity to learn from him more about the crops side of our research program."
He also noted that he hopes to continue to build on the history of community involvement of the station that John Eason worked to establish.
"This station is here for the people of the Sand Mountain area, and we hope they will come out and visit with us and see what we do here," Dawkins added.
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News from:
Office of Ag Communications & Marketing
Auburn University College of Agriculture
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
3 Comer Hall, Auburn University
Auburn, AL 36849
334-844-4877 (PHONE) 334-844-5892 (FAX)
Contact Jamie Creamer, 334-844-2783 or jcreamer@auburn.edu
by Roy Roberson
