Jason Williams Began August 1
MILAN, Tenn. – The AgResearch and Education Center at Milan is now under new leadership for the first time in 28 years. Jason Williams, a longtime research associate at the Center, began as interim director on August 1. This follows former director Blake Brown’s recent appointment as associate dean of field operations for University of Tennessee AgResearch.
Established in 1962, the AgResearch and Education Center at Milan currently conducts more than one hundred row crop studies on cotton, corn, soybeans, grain sorghum, wheat, cover crops and more. The Center is known for pioneering the no-till technology movement, saving millions of tons of Tennessee soil from erosion. As interim director, Williams will manage all day-to-day operations, including research, educational programs, the on-site West Tennessee Agricultural Museum, the biennial Milan No-Till Field Day event and more.
Brown says Williams is the perfect choice for the role. “Jason has been an irreplaceable part of our team from day one. I look forward to seeing how his fresh perspective elevates our mission of providing research-based solutions for farmers.”
Williams earned his bachelor’s degree in agricultural business at UT Martin and his master’s degree in agriculture with an emphasis in weed science from Murray State University. He began as a research associate at the Milan Center in 1995, spending the last three decades facilitating on-site research projects. He has also played a vital role in planning events, coordinating tours, assisting with the development of data collection and processing systems and more.
“Over the years, I’ve seen technology change how we conduct research,” says Williams. “Agriculture is becoming increasingly precision-based, and the adoption of ArcGIS mapping, artificial intelligence, precision farm equipment and more has allowed us to not only improve the quality of data, but also how we apply it to both real-world production systems and future projects. Our Center has been a leader in no-till farming, and I see no reason why we can’t also be a leader in precision agriculture.”
Brown will begin his new appointment on September 1 and Willams began in the interim role at the Milan Center on August 1.
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the Institute touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu.