Cornell soil scientists Jerome H. Cherney, William J. Cox and Peter R. Hobbs received awards at the American Society of Agronomy-Crop Science Society of America annual meeting in early October, held in Houston, for their "outstanding contributions" to crop science.

Cherney, the E.V. Baker Professor of Agriculture in the Department of Crop and Soil Science and the New York state extension forage crop specialist, received the Crop Science Extension Education Award. His program focuses equally on forage crops for dairy cattle and on grass pellets for bioheat.

Cox, professor and department extension leader in crop and soil science, received the Agronomic Extension Education Award. His program focuses on corn, soybean and wheat management with special emphases on corn silage hybrid and soybean variety testing in New York.

Hobbs, adjunct professor in crop and soil science, received the International Service in Agronomy Award. His specialty is agronomy and conservation agriculture. Hobbs spent his career in South Asia working for two Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research centers on agronomic issues in rice-wheat cropping systems.

"He helped catalyze and promote the adoption of zero-till wheat after rice leading to more yield at less cost and using natural resources more efficiently," according to the society's press release.