There are few professions that embody a humble spirit more than being a farmhand. Whether it’s tilling the land or helping a cow deliver her first calf, the humble farmhand knows the value of manual labor but is rarely recognized for their toil and devotion.
In recognition of his impactful leadership, the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station leaders selected Jay Greene, research technician supervisor, to receive their highest honor for 2025: The AAESSA Director’s Cut Award. The award honors an exemplary employee at one of the outlying units; Greene was selected for his tireless efforts at the Wiregrass Research and Extension Center (WREC).
The Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station’s 17 outlying units stretch to all four corners of the state. Throughout the units, millions of dollars of Hatch-funded grant research projects are conducted each year to examine agricultural production systems. Each unit is operated by teams of hard-working men and women who ensure that research programs are grounded in real-world applications that drive innovation.
For over half of his life, Greene has been farming at the WREC. Down in the heart of peanut land, Greene can be found at the outlying unit from sunup to sundown tending trials and making sure the research projects reach their target audience — Alabama farmers.
“I am truly honored to be recognized. If it wasn’t for our whole team’s efforts I would not have been acknowledged for this award,” Greene said. “It means so much to me, because it reflects our collective work as a unit.”
Growing up on his family farm, Greene has always had a passion for being a caretaker of the land. He even started working at the WREC as a part-time employee in high school. In 2013, Greene was hired full-time as a research technician, and he continued to move up and eventually became a supervisor in 2023.
As technology continues to advance, mainstream awareness of agriculture has diminished, leaving many farming professions increasingly thankless. Among them, production agricultural research often receives limited recognition despite its vital role in providing farmers with the evaluations, data and tools.
In 2024, Greene and the team at the WREC conducted and assisted with 99 research trials of row crops, horticulture and animal sciences. Auburn University College of Agriculture faculty develop in-field research projects that often need daily tasks and detailed record keeping. That’s where the Experiment Station directors and research technicians step in, overseeing operations and ensuring that every single project is executed as intended.
WREC Associate Director Chris Parker treats every experiment and research project with attention and great care because he knows the value of the work at the outlying units.
“Our unit and the experiment station serve as the launchpad for our state in agriculture,” Parker said. “Each regional station houses specialized research centers focused on varying disciplines and commodities, allowing us to tackle any issue affecting Alabama’s farmers.”
Parker and Greene take great pride in their work by collaborating with Auburn faculty, community leaders and industry professionals. They work closely with their staff at the unit to fine-tune the smaller details, while never ignoring the big picture.
While managing 700 acres is no easy task, the WREC team uses precise data collection to keep their operation humming along like a well-oiled machine. During the fall, Greene, Parker, and the unit team may work a lot of overtime, but they expressed their satisfaction in the success of each bountiful harvest.
“Our technicians and staff have a vested interest to manage the various projects the best we can,” Greene said. “We communicate daily so that our whole team is connected and that is how we stay in sync. We want our team to feel like the trials are their responsibility to make them better and provide this research to the faculty and the farmers.”
Research trials at WREC maintain a primary focus on row crops, but also explore livestock production, forages, vegetable trials, irrigation and pest management. With so many varied projects, experiment station leaders like Greene and Parker must be ready to teach their staff how to perform tasks efficiently and effectively.
“Working with our faculty and stakeholders, we need to understand the project and we share the trial together on the station,” Parker said. “My goal is to provide our technicians with the resources they need to perform the project, but with ever-changing technology sometimes we have to make do with older equipment and confront challenges as they come up.”
While receiving recognition is always nice, it is clear that Greene does not do his job for the accolades. Nor does he take sole credit for the invaluable work and research housed within the WREC Unit.
“At the end of the day, I’m just a part of the team. I do try to go above and beyond as much as I can, but I never view myself as the greatest at anything. But I am truly committed so that our unit is the best it can be,” said Green. “We are dedicated to community outreach in our region and serve as stewards of this land. We are obligated to the farmers of our state to answer the questions of how we improve production while cutting costs.”
Behind every research trial at Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station outlying units stands a team of directors, staff and technicians whose hard work helps every researcher or student’s project fulfill its purpose. Growers in their own right, Greene and Parker and their staff at the WREC are reaping what they sow—turning fieldwork into impact and elevating Alabama agriculture.
