Kevin Heflin, Ph.D., brings a wealth of knowledge to his new position as an agronomy specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in the Panhandle.
Kevin Heflin, Ph.D., is the new Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agronomist serving the Texas Panhandle. (Kay Ledbetter/Texas A&M AgriLife)
Headquartered at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Amarillo, Heflin is an assistant professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences and has served in three different programs within Texas A&M AgriLife, most recently as an AgriLife Extension program specialist in the agronomy program.
He joined Jourdan Bell, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agronomist, as a program specialist in the agronomy program in 2018 after working as an associate in the Texas A&M AgriLife Research environmental quality program since 1998.
Communicating science through outreach
In a program that merges outreach with research over the past seven years, Heflin has been significantly involved in the Amarillo center’s agronomy research trials, which underpin AgriLife Extension programs.
One of his primary focuses has been herbicide trials, including presenting results to stakeholders at county meetings and industry-led continuing education events. Since 2018, Heflin has provided thousands of hours of consultation to individuals attending his presentations.
His presentation of the annual agronomy herbicide efficacy trials to regional producers provides a comparison and unbiased evaluation of herbicides marketed for Texas High Plains cropping systems.
He has been active in the Replicated Agronomic Cotton Evaluations trials, annual sorghum silage trial, uniform wheat testing, small-grain silage plots and a large multi-state dairy manure and forage project.
Heflin also evaluates new weed control technologies in sorghum, which allows producers to spray over-the-top herbicides for grassy weeds. He routinely tests new herbicide chemistries for corn, cotton, and wheat crops prior to their marketing to area producers.
“It is important that we give our producers the best information possible, so they do not have to bear all the risks associated with new and emerging technologies,” Heflin said.
Helping farmers stay safe
Another popular and important producer training he provides is pivot sprinkler safety training. With an estimated 7,500 center pivot irrigation systems in the Texas High Plains alone, accidents occur every year, primarily from electrical shocks around these systems.
After working with and monitoring many systems over the years, Heflin said he wants people to know there are some simple things to look for in a safety and maintenance check that can save lives and time once the irrigation season gets underway.
