Goff Initiated into Louisiana Hall of Fame

Louisiana pecan growers recently presented Dr. William D. “Bill” Goff with their highest honor. Goff, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System pecan specialist and Auburn University professor of horticulture, is only the second non-Louisianian to be initiated into the Louisiana Pecan Growers Hall of Fame.

Goff is only the 19th individual initiated into the hall of fame in its 79-year history. Other inductees include two of the pecan industry’s most notable pioneers: Bob Williams, widely considered the father of the Louisiana pecan industry, and the late Travis Jenkins, the acknowledged father of Mississippi’s pecan industry.

"An Extension professional should never be speechless, but I initially couldn't say anything because it was a total shock and surprise to receive this award," Goff recalls.

Pecan industry leaders throughout the Southeast credit Goff with building a regional network among growers that has helped foster valuable information exchanges within the industry --- exchanges that otherwise would not have possible on such a scale.

Throughout his career as an Extension pecan specialist, Goff’s outreach efforts have been based on the principle that “seeing is believing” --- an approach he considers paramount to the continued success of the pecan industry in an era when land-grant universities no longer are able to support a regional network of pecan experts.

Much of Goff’s efforts have focused on developing regional tours enabling pecan growers to interact with their counterparts from other states. The pecan industry credits these tours with helping growers adopt radically new practices that, in many cases, have resulted in dramatic yield increases.

One notable example is the now widespread practice of thinning orchards in cases where too many trees have resulted in a crowding out of sunlight --- a practice many growers once regarded with suspicion until the tours enabled growers to see the practical benefits for themselves.

“If you can get them out on these tours, growers who have adopted these practices can vouch for their credibility,” Goff says. “They have to see it for themselves.”

The hall of fame induction represents only one of two major awards Goff received this year. He was also honored by the Southeast Pecan Grower’s Association with the “Excellence in Extension” award attesting to the work he has done on behalf of growers throughout the region.

A Mississippi native, Goff holds his bachelor’s degree in animal science and master’s degree in plant pathology from Mississippi State University. He earned his doctorate in plant pathology from Clemson University.

He joined the Alabama Cooperative Extension System as a horticulturist specializing in pecans in 1982.

Posted by Jim Langcuster at August 9, 2005 03:56 PM