2009 Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame Recipient - Johnny l. crawford
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>> Narrator: Born into a farm family in Grady County,
Dr. Johnny Crawford married Yvonne Harrison,
graduated Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in 1961
and the University of Georgia in 1963.
Awarded the National Cotton Council's Cotton Foundation Fellowship,
he obtained his Master’s in 1965 and
completed his Ph.D. in Plant Pathology in 1969.
>> Dr. Johnny Crawford: I guess that’s the main thing I knew
was farming, crop sciences.
I liked helping grow crops and I did a lot of field work;
and that’s about all I knew to do.
>> Narrator: In his first position with UGA,
Crawford was Extension Plant Pathologist for Cotton
based in Tifton and was a charter member of
the Extension Cotton Team.
>> Dr. Norman McGlohon, Sr.: Johnny’s involvement with
the Cotton Team had a tremendous impact because
the Cotton Team was set up at a critical time, I think,
in agriculture because we were sort of beginning an
agriculture revolution, so to speak.
>> Narrator: He became the Extension Agronomist for Cotton
in 1986; and in the early 1990’s became Head of the
Extension Plant Pathology Department
where he continued to lead the Cotton Team.
As Extension specialist, Crawford conducted over
1,200 educational meetings,
published 134 Research and Extension reports,
co-authored 2 books,
and wrote over 400 Extension publications,
articles and letters.
>> Dr. Crawford: I always thought I had the best job
in Extension or UGA because I had a lot of opportunities
to travel worldwide, really, because cotton is
a big industry worldwide.
So I benefited from a lot of those things
that some other jobs didn’t, maybe.
>> Narrator: Recognizing the cotton potential in Georgia,
Crawford cooperated with researchers, county agents and
farmers to implement effective production methods.
>> Dr. McGlohon: They had to have an ability to relate
to farmers, speak in the farmers’ language and
come from the stand point that a farmer could understand them.
Johnny had an ability to relate to a person
where they were and they had a real respect
for the way he treated them.
>> Narrator: His work with nematode control, irrigation,
varieties selection and crop management laid the foundation
for a rebound in Georgia cotton production;
from a low of 100,000 acres in the 1970s
to over 1 million acres in 1995.
>> Dr. McGlohon: I think a lot of programs that these people
that come along in the future will be using his work
as a pattern or a basis for what they do
because he set the stage and their work will be to expand
off of the solutions that he has already developed and found.
>> Narrator: He was appointed
the D.W. Brooks Distinguished Professor of Agronomy in 1989
and received the Beltwide Cotton Extension Education Award
from the Cotton Foundation and
the Lifetime Achievement Hall of Fame Award
from the Georgia Crop Protection Alliance.
>> Dr. Crawford: I really liked working with people and
helping people; enjoyed working with farmers.
Really, I always wanted to be a farmer but I really
didn’t have the opportunity.
And now I’m grateful that I didn’t;
I probably would have gone broke a long time ago.
>> Narrator: After retirement, Crawford remained active in
agriculture as a cotton farmer
and president and general manager
of South-Central Georgia Gin Company.
Crawford serves on the board of the UGA Athletic Association
and UGA Extension Retiree Association.
He volunteers for the CAES Alumni Association,
and was president in 2007.
He is a deacon and bible teacher at
Northside Baptist Church of Tifton.
He and his wife, Yvonne, live in Chula and
have 3 children and 8 grandchildren.
>> Dr. Crawford: About the only way I feel I could accept this
is I’m accepting it on behalf of a lot of people.
Maybe I just came along at the right time;
I’m just glad to be here.
And I am just thankful that I’ve had these opportunities
that I’ve had.
I hope I can help some other people in the same way.
>> Narrator: Congratulations to Dr. Johnny Crawford,
the 2009 inductee into the
Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame.
(c) 2013 University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Office of External Affairs
