STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service will have a new soybean specialist in February.

Justin Calhoun, a soil and cropping systems specialist and assistant Extension professor in the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, is returning to MSU to serve the state’s soybean producers. He will be MSU Extension’s primary contact for all soybean production information and will oversee educational programs for growers, consultants and MSU Extension agents.

The Star City, Arkansas native is a familiar face in Mississippi agriculture and the MSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. He earned his doctoral and master’s degrees in weed science from MSU and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

Since joining the faculty at the University of Missouri in 2021, Calhoun has been based at the Fisher Delta Research, Extension and Education Center in Portageville, Mo. During his time there, he has helped develop best management practices for soil fertility and sustainable cropping systems and established a research background in pest management techniques.

MSU Extension Director Angus Catchot announced Calhoun’s appointment during the annual MSU Row Crop Short Course in December. Calhoun succeeds Trent Irby, who was state soybean specialist from 2012 to 2023 before being named associate director for MSU Extension in 2024.

“Soybean growers in Mississippi will soon find that having Dr. Calhoun back at MSU is a major win for them,” Irby said. “This is a challenging and important role, but his research experience here at MSU and his highly regarded research and Extension work in Missouri have prepared him to take it on.”

Calhoun, whose start date is Feb. 16, is featured in the Dec. 16, 2024, episode of the Mississippi Crop Situation podcast, online at extension.msstate.edu/content/new-msu-extension-soybean-agronomist-justin-calhoun.