circa late 1980s – “The boll weevil eradication program was one of the most significant developments in cotton production over the past 50 years. It was terribly unpopular at first, but I don’t know what our industry would look like today if we hadn’t buckled down and endured that temporary pain.”

– Ron Smith, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Extension Entomologist (retd), Auburn University

circa mid 1990s – “I would say watching the transitions in products and the ability of an insect to adapt to whatever is thrown at it has been one of the most interesting and challenging aspects of my career. Don’t ever think you’ve won the battle. It’s just a matter of time.”

– Gus Lorenz, Ph.D., Extension Entomologist (retd), University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

Dr. Gus Lorenz and Dr. Ron Smith are technically retired from University Extension now. However, it’s impossible to roll through a four-way stop on a country road in Arkansas or Alabama and not see the footprints in the mud, dirt and the ongoing legacy of their careers.
Lorenz just recently retired in December 2021, while Smith “officially” retired in 2003, but has stayed on with Auburn University in supportive positions.

Both are highly territorial – at least when it comes to something like football. However, bring up a boll weevil, budworm, plant bug or any other type of cotton invader and you’ve got a united front.

“I would say across the entire Cotton Belt, as entomologists, we work very closely together, Smith says. “We’re like the ‘Band of Brothers’ when it comes to fighting issues that we face every single season. And it’s constantly evolving, so that collaboration from one state to another or even areas within a state are extremely important.”

That collaboration also extends across generations of perspective and the symbolic handing over of the sweep net to a younger set of equally enthusiastic entomologists. For Smith, he’s collaborated closely with Scott Graham, Ph.D., Assistant Professor & Extension Specialist, Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University who now fills (or says he tries to fill) Smith’s shoes at Auburn University.

For Gus Lorenz, it’s Ben Thrash, Ph.D., Assistant Professor & Extension Entomologist, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, who’s taken over Lorenz’s spot at University of Arkansas.

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