Tommy Butts

Friends of IPM Awards

The mission of the Southern IPM Center is to champion the development and adoption of integrated pest management (IPM), the science of managing pests while protecting people, the environment and economy. Each Regional Center engages broadly with stakeholders to identify and address regional pest priorities in agriculture, communities and natural areas.

Since 2003, the Southern IPM Center (SIPMC) has worked with USDA, Land Grant universities, Extension, and many other partners in promoting and facilitating the development and implementation of IPM in many settings across the region.

Many of these partners have contributed to the region’s well-being for years or even decades.

Future Leader Award

The Future Leader award recognizes extraordinary potential and promise for IPM for professionals in the early stages of their career.

Dr. Tommy Butts

Tommy Butts, University of Arkansas

Dr. Tommy Butts served as an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist at the University of Arkansas. Currently, Tommy works as a Clinical Assistant Professor and Extension Weed Scientist at Purdue University. In his position, Tommy generates effective, research-supported weed management tools for farmers battling complex weed issues.

Tommy’s research and extension efforts at the University of Arkansas focused on identifying new weed management strategies and increasing herbicide application knowledge, safety, and efficacy. Tommy’s goal has been to provide practical weed management techniques to farmers, consultants, and applicators.

Although he was an early-career faculty member at the University of Arkansas, stakeholders and colleagues viewed Tommy as a trusted resource for weed management. As a member of the Weed Science team, Tommy frequently demonstrated strong leadership, working with the Weed Science Society of America, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and other organizations to promote IPM principles in rice, soybean, and wheat crops.

Under Tommy’s capable leadership, his team obtained a competitive federal grant through the USDA-NIFA Crop Protection and Pest Management program. The “Effect of Cultural Strategies and Application Technologies on Weed Control in Flooded and Furrow-Irrigated Rice” project investigated multiple IPM practices to improve weed management in rice, including drill row width manipulation, cultivar selection, and application technology optimization. As the lead PI, Tommy coordinated faculty collaborations across two universities, trained multiple personnel, and produced podcasts and stakeholder presentations to deliver his team’s results. Tommy’s IPM-related research projects have enhanced stakeholder adoption of IPM principles.

Over the course of Tommy’s short career, he has given over 260 Extension presentations and field day trainings across more than 14 states. Tommy’s engaging and enjoyable presentations have taught IPM principles for weed management to over 13,000 clientele. Tommy has authored 88 research reports on IPM principles, which are available to stakeholders and the general public. These reports increase understanding and adoption of IPM in rice, soy, and wheat crops.

In addition to his publications and presentations, Tommy organized and produced the Weeds AR Wild Podcast series on Arkansas Row Crop Radio. The podcast, which features Dr. Jason Norsworthy and Dr. Tom Barber from the University of Arkansas, discusses IPM-related recommendations for weed management. Tommy’s four-season podcast averages 300 listeners per episode and has been downloaded over 25,000 times.

Tommy cleverly used cutting-edge technology, catchy acronyms, and captivating videos to communicate IPM to a broad audience. His use of SlickText, a mass text service, to directly engage and educate stakeholders about IPM practices is a shining example of his innovative strategies for promoting IPM. Tommy was among the first extension specialists nationwide to utilize SlickText software to communicate IPM information.

Though he did not have a formal teaching appointment, Tommy gave several fascinating guest lectures to undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Arkansas. In courses such as “Principles of Weed Control,” Tommy recommended sound IPM practices for weed management, effectively communicating IPM to a diverse audience of eager students. In addition, Tommy organized student poster competitions for the Rice Technical Working Group and the Arkansas Crop Protection Association to equip students to be effective scientific communicators.

As his work at the University of Arkansas illustrates, Tommy is exceptionally dedicated to increasing the adoption of IPM strategies for weed management through multidisciplinary collaboration and innovative stakeholder engagement.

2024 Professional Awardees

IPM Hall of Fame: Dr. Gene Reagan* (posthumous award), LSU AgCenter
IPM Hall of Fame: Dr. Phillip Kaufman, Texas A&M
IPM Hall of Fame: Dr. Brian T. Forschler, University of Georgia
IPM Hall of Fame: Dr. Jawwad Qureshi, University of Florida
Pulling Together: Emerging Viruses in Cucurbits Working Group
- Led by Dr. Rebecca Melanson, Mississippi State & William (Bill) M Wintermantel, USDA-ARS
IPM Communicator: Mr. Elmer W. Gray, University of Georgia
IPM Educator: Dr. Cameron Jack, University of Florida
IPM Implementer: Mr. Dan Killingsworth, Environmental Security Pest Control
Future Leader: Dr. Tommy Butts, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture