(04/29/25) BATON ROUGE, La.– The LSU AgCenter and College of Agriculture proudly hosted the second annual AgExcellence Awards Ceremony, presented by A. Wilbert’s Sons, on April 25, 2025. The event, led by Vice President and Dean Matt Lee and emceed by Veronica Mosgrove from the Louisiana Office of Tourism, celebrated leaders whose contributions have significantly advanced the LSU AgCenter and College of Agriculture's mission.

AgExcellence encompasses awards from the Office of the Vice President, College of Agriculture Alumni Association, College of Agriculture faculty and student awards, one-million-dollar-plus grant recipients and patents.

“At LSU, we build teams that win, and the people in this room represent our winning team for LSU Ag,” Lee said. “Our team is creating solutions for Louisiana's challenges, and in turn, having an impact across the globe.”

The Vice President’s Awards honored individuals and organizations demonstrating exceptional leadership in legislative advocacy, significantly impacting agricultural research and extension. The 2025 recipients are:

• Public Policy Leader Award: Sen. Glen Womack
• Public Policy Leader Award: Rep. Jack McFarland
• Industry Leader Award: Loveland Products, Inc.
• Community Partner Award: Burden Foundation
• Champion Award: The Bain Family of Bunkie, Louisiana

The LSU College of Agriculture Alumni Association's Outstanding Alumni Awards recognized graduates and supporters who have shown exemplary leadership and made significant contributions through their careers and service to the College of Agriculture. The 2025 recipients are:

• Outstanding Alumni Award: Terry Dumas
• Outstanding Alumni Award: Michael Frugé
• Early Career Outstanding Alumni Award: Tim Losavio
• Friend of the College Award: Andy Brown

Grant writing is an art requiring exceptional skill, precision and strategic thinking. Remarkable individuals who secured grants of one million dollars or more in 2024 were honored for their contributions, which will significantly boost research and outreach programs, driving innovation and expanding community impact throughout Louisiana.

Prasanta Subudhi received the Funding Catalyst Award for a $10 million U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to advance climate-resilient rice. Vinson Doyle received the High-Impact Publication Award for his publication in the Science journal.

Outstanding Grant Recipients:

• Adriane Bercegeay, Youth Wetlands Education and Outreach Program
• Jong Ham, Interdisciplinary Program of Advancing Climate Extreme Resilience in Soybean (iPACERS)
• Denise Holston, Louisiana State SNAP-Ed Program
• Carol Friedland, ReDDDot Phase 2: Climate-Informed Flood Risk Mitigation Sandbox
• Carl Motsenbocker, Louisiana Farm to School Program
• Vinit Sehgal, LaCADIAN: Louisiana Climate and Digital Ag Network to Support Statewide Climate-Smart Digital Agriculture
• Prasanta Subudhi, Funding Catalyst Award
• Vinson Doyle, High-Impact Publication Award
• Qinglin Wu, Beyond Peat: Substrate Security for a Changing Climate

The ceremony highlighted academic excellence in the College of Agriculture:

• Legacy Educator Award: Witoon Prinyawiwatkul
• Emerging Faculty Leader Award: Jerrod Penn
• Outstanding Undergraduate Student: Jennifer Haase
• Outstanding Graduate Student: Yanbo "Bonnie" Zhang
• Outstanding Graduate Student: Stephanie Ramos (MS)
• Outstanding Student Leader Award: Joy Tate
• Outstanding Student Leader Award: Abbygail Davis
• K.C. Toups Memorial Les Voyageurs Award: Raegan West

Patents take years to develop, showcasing faculty's dedication and perseverance. Patents, facilitated by the LSU AgCenter Office of Sponsored Programs and Intellectual Property, protect and commercialize groundbreaking discoveries.

Patents Recipients in the LSU AgCenter:

• Cristina Sabliov and Carlos Astete, Methods and Devices for Reducing Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation
• Adam Famoso, Rice Cultivar Designated 'PVL02'
• Glen Gentry, Feral Hog Toxicant
• Qinglin Wu, Lignin Floccules as Cleaning Agents for Oil-Contaminated Materials

Vice President Lee extended deep gratitude to the sponsors, including presenting sponsor A. Wilbert’s Sons, gold sponsors CGB Enterprises, Elizabeth and David Means, Zeh-Noh Grain Corporation, Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, Louisiana Nursery & Landscape Association, American Sugar Cane League, Erica and Ken West and Campus Federal Credit Union, for their support of the AgExcellence Awards.

Presenting sponsor A. Wilbert’s Sons is a longtime supporter of the LSU AgCenter and College of Agriculture.

“Our company is very diverse. Having the ability to directly interact with brilliant researchers and students to address unique challenges has been super beneficial to us,” A. Wilbert’s Sons CEO Klein Kirby said.

The mixture of talent recognized at AgExcellence highlighted the various stakeholders working together to support and improve Louisiana’s agricultural industries.

LSU AgExcellence honored and recognized faculty, students, alumni and stakeholders of the LSU AgCenter and College of Agriculture. Back row from left: Jong Ham, Carl Motsenbocker, Sterling Bain, Jr., Allison Dumas, Andy Brown, Tim Losavio, Vice President Matt Lee and Adam Famoso; Second row from left: Witoon Prinyawiwatkul, Denise Holston, Jerrod Penn, Vinit Seghal, Carol Friedland, Adriane Bercegeay, Michael Frugé, Qinglin Wu and Carlos Astete; Front row from left: Jennifer Haase, Joy Tate, Abbygail Davis, Raegan West, Yanbo Zhang, Cristina Sabliov, and Prasanta Sabudhi. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter.

The AgExcellence Awards ceremony took place on April 25, 2025, at the South Stadium Club in Tiger Stadium. LSU President William F. Tate IV congratulated the honorees, including Public Policy Award recipient Senator Glen Womack. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter.

The 2025 AgExcellence Awards were proudly presented by A. Wilbert’s Sons. Pictured from left: Klein Kirby, CEO; Louis Lirette, properties manager; Marcus Rutherford, forester; Vic Blanchard, forestry and wildlife manager. Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter.