Shelly Kerns

Shelly Kerns.
Title Assistant Professor
Department Macon Ridge Research Station
E-mail SKerns@agcenter.lsu.edu
Address 1 212A Macon Ridge Road
Winnsboro, LA 71295
Phone 318-435-2903
Fax 000-000-0000

  • Conducting hybrid/variety testing of experimentally and commercially available hybrid/varieties of corn, cotton, and grain sorghum
  • Developing environmentally and economically viable agronomic and disease management strategies
  • Monitoring fungicide efficacy and pathogen presence in field corn
  • Evaluating agronomic factors that may influence environmental stability and yield potential

Grants/Funding

  • Commodity Support Programs (Corn, Cotton, Soybean, Sorghum): 2025: $96,606

  • Raper, T.B., Pieralisi, B., Sandlin, T., Wilson, B., Kerns, S., Treadway, Z.(2025). "2025 Mid-South Cotton Defoliation Guide."
  • Kerns, Shelly, Woolam, Brandi C., Padgett, Guy B., Burns, Dennis, Mascagni, Jr., Henry J., Purvis, Myra, Anderson, Russell A., Washam, Ronald S., Waltman, William F., Franks, Darrell, Copes, Josh, Stephenson, Daniel O., Brown, Sebe, Franks, Dalton, Ratcliff, Warren, Fromme, Daniel, Ezell, Dustin, Shannon, Keith, Pereira, Ashley, Collins, Fred L., Parvej, Md Rasel, Tullos, Riley, Uddin, Jamil F M, Price, III, Paul P, Monaghan, Tashia M, Rahman, Moklasur, Juneau, Cory. "Corn Hybrids for Grain 2025". 2024, Publication No. 2827
  • Kerns, Shelly, Buckley, Blair, Padgett, Guy B., Roider, Christopher A., Burns, Dennis, Groth, Donald E., Harrell, Dustin L., Mascagni, Jr., Henry J., Leonards, James P., Arceneaux, Kelly J., Kongchum, Manoch, Purvis, Myra, Anderson, Russell A., Harrison, Stephen A., Washam, Ronald S., Waltman, William F., Franks, Darrell, Copes, Josh, Stephenson, Daniel O., Fluitt, Jacob, Brown, Sebe, Franks, Dalton, Landry, Dana, Ratcliff, Warren, Fromme, Daniel, Ezell, Dustin, Shannon, Keith, Pereira, Ashley, deNux, Caitlin, Collins, Fred L., Parvej, Md Rasel, Abernathy, Steven, Biradar, Hanamareddy, Tullos, Riley, Uddin, Jamil F M, Price, III, Paul P. "Grain Sorghum Hybrids for Grain 2024". 2024, Publication No. 2831
  • Kerns, Shelly, Roider, Christopher A., Purvis, Myra, Price, III, Paul P, Ezell, Dustin, Kerns, Dawson, Rahman, Moklasur, Leonards, James P., Kongchum, Manoch, Fluitt, Jacob, Beard, Bradley, Arceneaux, Kelly J., Harrison, Stephen A., Abernathy, Steven, Biradar, Hanamareddy. "Grain Sorghum Hybrids for Grain 2025". 2024, Publication No. P2831
  • Raper, T.B., Pieralisi, B., Sandlin, T., Wilson, B., Kerns, S., Treadway, Z.(2024). "2024 Mid-South Cotton Defoliation Guide."
  • Raper, T., Brown, S., Faske T., Floyd, C., Kelly H., Kerns S. Marotta, G., Sandlin T., Treadway, Z., Wilson, B.2024. Defining and Quantifying the Occurrence of ‘Crazy’ Cotton in Mid-South Cotton Production. Crop Protection Network. CPN.7003.https://cropprotectionnetwork.org/publications/defining-and-quantifying-the-occurrence-of-crazy-cotton-in-mid-south-cotton-production.
  • Kerns, Shelly, Price, III, Paul P, Ezell, Dustin, Arnold, Theresa, Purvis, Myra, Ratcliff, Warren, Stephenson, Daniel O., Padgett, Guy B., Juneau, Cory, Monaghan, Tashia M, Kerns, Dawson.Corn Hybrids for Grain, LSU AgCenter

Presentations

  • Oneal Edwards, James Villegas, Dawson Kerns, Shelly Kerns. Evaluation of Three Sampling Techniques for Lygus Lineolaris in Cotton. Beltwide Cotton Conference. San Antonio, TX. January 2026.
  • S. Kerns, Corn Hybrid Performance. Louisiana Crop Consultants Conference. Marksville, LA. February 2025. Spoke of the performances of corn hybrids during the 2024 LSU AgCenter official corn hybrid trials.
  • S. Kerns, Corn and Cotton Performance. East Carrol Producers meeting. Delhi, LA. January 2025. Spoke on results from the 2024 LSU AgCenter corn and cotton OVTS.
  • S. Kerns, Corn and Cotton Performance. ST. Landry Parish Producers meeting. St. Landry Parish, LA. January 2025. Spoke on results from the 2024 LSU AgCenter corn and cotton OVTS.
  • S. Kerns, Corn and Cotton Performance. Avoyelles Producers meeting. Marksville, LA. January 2025. Spoke on results from the 2024 LSU AgCenter corn and cotton OVTS.
  • S. Kerns, Corn and Cotton Performance. Richland/Ouachita Producers meeting. Rayville, LA. February 2025. Spoke on results from the 2024 LSU AgCenter corn and cotton OVTS.
  • S. Kerns, Plant Pathology and Plant Pathogens. LSU AgCenter Master Gardeners Training. Monroe, LA. February 2025. Spoke to Ouachita parish master gardener class.
  • S. Kerns, How to Conduct On-farm Demonstrations. LSU AgCenter ANR Agent Training. Winnsboro, LA. December 2024. Agent training on how to form relationships with producers and how to conduct core blocks in the field.
  • S. Kerns, Corn and Cotton Agronomics. LSU AgCenter ANR Agent Training. Winnsboro, LA. December 2024. Hand-on training, presentation, and discussion of corn and cotton growth stages and production practices.
  • S. Kerns, Season Summary. Farm Bureau Grain Commodity Meeting. Ferriday, LA. November 2024. Update provided on grain status of corn and sorghum in Louisiana to producers who attended the meeting.
  • Blazek, A., Kerns, s., Schumacher, L., Kelly, H. Impact of Cover Crops and the Management on Soil Communities. Southern Soybean Disease Working Group Pensacola, FL. February 2025. Presentation on a continuation of my PhD research.
  • S. Kerns, Corn and Cotton Water Usage. LSU AgCenter Irrigation Meeting for Growers. Winnsboro, LA. October 2024. Presentation given on corn and cotton water usage at different growth stages.
  • S. Kerns, Plant Pathology and Plant Pathogens. LSU AgCenter Master Gardeners Training. Winnsboro, LA. October 2024. Spoke to the Franklin Parish Master gardener class.
  • S. Kerns, How to Sample for Insects. LSU AgCenter Northeast Louisiana Collegiate/ FFA Field Day. St. Joseph, LA. October 2024. Hands on activity at a collegiate field day at which I showed/taught highschool and college FFA students how to sweep net sample for insects.
  • S. Kerns, Cover Crops and Soil Communities. University of Tennessee No-Till Field Day. Milan, TN. July 2024. A presentation on cover crop considerations and how they influence soil faunal communities.
  • S. Kerns, Update on the 2024 Cotton and Corn Season. LSU AgCenter Northeast Research Station Field Crops Field Day. St. Joseph, LA. July 2024. Crop update given mid-season.
  • S. Kerns, Cotton Growth Stages. LSU AgCenter Insect Scout School. Alexandria, LA. June 2024. Talked about the importance of knowing crop stages to help accurately identify pests and pathogens in the field.
  • S. Kerns, Cotton Growth Stages. LSU AgCenter Insect Scout School. St. Joeseph, LA. June 2024. Talked about the importance of knowing crop stages to help accurately identify pests and pathogens in the field.

LSU-AgCenter

-Assistant Professor/Corn, Cotton, and Grain Sorghum Specialist: June 2024-Present

Responsibilities:

  • Organizing and Conducting Education Programs Based on Best Management Practices
  • Coordinating Statewide Corn, Cotton, and Grain Sorghum OHT/OVT Trials
  • Collaborating With Extension Agents and Growers to Implement On-Farm Demonstrations
  • Preparing and Disseminating Extension and Research Publications
  • Creating Extension-Based Research Experiments Centered on Emerging Crop Issues in Louisiana

The University of Tennessee Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology

-Graduate Research Assistant (Ph.D.); May 2020-May 2024 Responsibilities:

  • Conducted Applied Nematology and Plant Pathology Field and Greenhouse Research on Soybean
  • Performed Data Analyses
  • Morphologically Identified Plant Parasitic Nematodes Under a Light Microscope
  • Conducted Grower Sustainability Outreach
  • Mentored Undergraduate Researchers

The University of Tennessee Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology

-Graduate Research Assistant (M.Sc.); May 2018-May2020 Responsibilities:

  • Helped Coordinate the National Cotton Seed Treatment Trial
  • Helped Apply Seed Treatments and Mixed Foliar Fungicide Applications
  • Cultured Fungal Pathogens in the Lab and Greenhouse
  • Morphologically Identified Pathogens Using Light Microscopy

West TN Agricultural Research Station; Jackson, TN

-Plant Pathology Program Intern; May 2017- August 2017 Responsibilities:

  • Collected Field Data
  • Mixed Fungicide Sprays

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN. Ph.D., Entomology, Plant Pathology, and Nematology, 2020-2024

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN. Master of Science, Entomology and Plant Pathology, 2018-2020

University of Tennessee, Martin, TN. Bachelors of Science, Crop and Soil Management, 2014-2018

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