Turfgrass weed scientist looks forward to serving Georgia
On July 1, Dr. Ben Pritchard joined the UGA Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, based on the Griffin Campus, as Assistant Professor of Turfgrass Weed Science. He has a majority extension appointment with research covering the remainder of his responsibilities.
Ben is very passionate about extension and aims to develop a program that develops and executes research that directly serves all of Georgia's stakeholders.
Ben is originally from the northeast corner of Tennessee where he spent his weekends helping on his uncle’s farm, developing his love for agriculture. At the University of Tennessee, he obtained his B.S. in Horticulture Science then his M.S. and Ph.D. in Turfgrass Weed Science under Dr. Jim Brosnan. During his graduate studies, he worked on developing a bioassay to detect indaziflam resistance in Poa annua and then determining the applications for a novel mode of action herbicide in turfgrass, respectively.
Now at UGA, Ben is eager to conduct research to offer solutions for turfgrass weed issues representative of the regions in Georgia.
He plans to use a survey, face-to-face interactions, digital engagements, as well as Georgia’s comprehensive extension agent system to synthesize the turfgrass weed issues in Georgia that warrant further investigation.
Ben now resides in Griffin, GA with his dog Lyla. Outside of his passion for work, he enjoys picking bluegrass, deer hunting, hiking, the occasional round of golf, and then tending to his landscaping!
You can reach him at [email protected].
