Mississippi cotton specialist accepts Arkansas post

Tom Barber, Mississippi Extension Cotton Specialist, told us today that he has accepted the same position in Arkansas.

Barber, a native of McCaskill, Ark., said he has enjoyed his time in the Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service. "But the opening in Arkansas presented me and my family with a chance to go home, so to speak, and that kind of opportunity won't come along often," Barber said. His wife, Scharidi, is from Springdale, Ark.

The Arkansas position became open when Bill Robertson, the previous Arkansas cotton specialist, joined the National Cotton Council staff a few months ago.

Barber was named Mississippi cotton specialist in the summer of 2004. Barber earned his doctorate from Mississippi State University in 2004. He received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Arkansas in agronomy and weed science, respectively.

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