Dr. J. Michael Moore, Recipient of the 2023 Tobacco Science Research Conference Lifetime Achievement Award

J. Michael Moore was born in the flue-cured tobacco production area of Kinston, NC, and grew up on a diversified farm in Jones County, NC. After graduating from Jones Senior High School in 1975, J. Michael attended NC State University and received a BS in Crop Science in 1979. Following graduation, he worked as County Extension Agent in Duplin County, NC, one of the largest flue-cured production counties at that time. During his time working as an agent in Duplin County, J. Michael completed a tobacco research project with field work on the Border Belt Research Station in Whiteville, NC and on-farms in Duplin County. Also, while working as an agent he completed classwork at NCSU resulting in a M.S. degree from NCSU in 1986 in Crop Science. Two semesters of full-time enrollment on campus in Raleigh, NC were made possible by the Philip Morris Fellowship. In 1986, J. Michael began a Ph.D program at Virginia Tech, attending class in Blacksburg, VA and conducting field and laboratory research at the Southern Piedmont Research and Education Center in Blackstone, VA with a tobacco project with the support of a R.J. Reynolds assistantship. As he completed the Ph.D in Agronomy in 1989, he was hired as an Extension Agronomist for Tobacco by the University of Georgia and relocated to the University of Georgia Tifton Campus in Tifton, GA. As the UGA Tobacco Specialist, Dr. Moore conducts applied research, provides training of County Extension Agents, and assists county agents and growers with troubleshooting tobacco production problems. He continues in this position as the sole faculty member with a tobacco assignment with the university. As extension specialists from other departments have retired, Dr. Moore has added coverage of their subject matter areas as well as agronomy.

Since 2005 and the retirement of Dr. Ben Whitty, Tobacco Specialist for the University of Florida, and with program support from Florida tobacco grower checkoff funds, Dr. Moore has provided educational programs and troubleshooting services to Florida County Extension Agents and tobacco growers as well. Following the death of Dr. Dewitt Gooden, Clemson Tobacco Specialist, and with financial support for programming from the Clemson Extension Administration in 2015, and on a voluntary basis since then, Dr. Moore provided educational programming for County Extension Agents and growers in South Carolina until recent years when William J. Hardee, Clemson County Extension Agent, received an advanced degree and grew into the role of South Carolina Tobacco Specialist. Dr. Moore has lead the planning and presentation of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Training of all growers in Georgia, Florida and South Carolina since the beginning of this industry required training in 2012.

Dr. Moore’s scientific contributions to the production of flue-cured tobacco including his efforts on maleic hydrazide (MH) residue reduction, barn heat exchanger retrofits and development of the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) program are prime examples of his outstanding scientific contributions to the tobacco industry in the U.S. and abroad. His ability to take complex scientific data and make it relatable and applicable to tobacco growers has been a fixture across his career. His service to Tobacco Workers Conference, Tobacco Science Research Conference, and CORESTA has benefited the industry by highlighting the need for solid scientific inquiry at the field level.

Dr. Moore and his wife, Teresa, reside in Tifton, GA. They have two children, Brett, of Tifton, and Sandi (Joel) of Dawsonville, GA. They have three grandchildren, Ashlyn, Jayden and Bentleigh.