Griffin, GA - Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SSARE) announces the hiring of University of Kentucky plant pathologist Paul Vincelli as its 1862 Land-Grant Liaison. Lee Meyer, extension professor emeritus at University of Kentucky’s Department of Agricultural Economics, held the long-standing position until his retirement in December 2020.
Vincelli will serve as the lead to the Southern SARE Outreach Team to promote the SARE program among administrators, faculty, staff, and Extension in colleges of agriculture, and other community stakeholders across the region. He will also increase collaboration between Southern SARE and the 1862 land-grant university partners while working with the 1890 minority and limited-resource outreach specialist on efforts related to historically underserved farmers, ranchers and community stakeholders. In addition, he will work to strengthen partnerships with 1890 land-grant universities, and collaborate with Southern SARE’s Professional Development Program manager on efforts related to strengthening sustainable agriculture efforts at the state level.
As an extension professor and Provost's Distinguished Service Professor, Vincelli has over 30 years of experience as a plant pathologist with a focus on the management of turfgrass and forest tree diseases, international agriculture, molecular diagnostics, the sustainability of food systems, and outreach on the risks and benefits of genetically engineered crops.
Vincelli is no stranger to SARE as he previously served as Southern SARE’s state ag coordinator for University of Kentucky prior to filling the 1862 Land-Grant Liaison role.
“We welcome Paul to Southern SARE. As a state coordinator as well as a researcher, he has contributed to sustainable agriculture in the South. We look forward to his expertise and energy. While we do that, we say goodbye to Lee Myer who served in this position for a number of years and was instrumental in helping 1862 land-grants with their work in sustainable agriculture. We are also happy to retain the support of the University of Kentucky in the SARE program,” said Jeff Jordan, the SSARE Program Director.
Southern SARE is a USDA-funded program that provides funding opportunities for researchers, farmers, Cooperative Extension, NGOs, government agency personnel, and other ag professionals to conduct research in sustainable agriculture. Authorized in the 1985 Farm Bill, the mission of the SARE program is to promote sustainable agriculture practices throughout American agriculture that are profitable for the farmer, protect the environment, and promote community quality of life over the long term.
For more information on Southern SARE, visit http://www.southern.sare.org.
Published by the Southern Region of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Southern SARE operates under cooperative agreements with the University of Georgia, Fort Valley State University, and the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture to offer competitive grants to advance sustainable agriculture in America’s Southern region. This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.