The Alabama Beef Cattle Improvement Association (BCIA) honored David Russell as the 2024 Outstanding Extension Educator during the 2025 Alabama BCIA Annual Meeting and Awards Program held April 12. This award recognizes and honors an exceptional Extension educator and their support and implementation of beef cattle performance programs in Alabama.

Russell serves an Alabama Cooperative Extension System assistant professor of weed science within the Auburn University Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences. His expertise brings vital information and training to cattle producers, helping them best manage weeds in their forage systems.

“Dr. Russell’s influence on beef cattle performance programs is guiding, supporting and providing tools to Alabama cattle producers to improve their knowledge and implementation of controlling weeds to improve their forage systems,” said Michelle Elmore, an Alabama BCIA representative and Extension associate professor. “He actively listens to producers to learn their needs and to how to best provide education.”

As a Mississippi native, he earned his doctorate at Mississippi State University researching the control of forage weed species that are detrimental to livestock production. Russell strives to increase producers’ knowledge of troublesome weeds that may lead to economic and environmental losses, increase the adoption of integrated, systems-based weed management techniques and improve animal performance by proactive weed control approaches. He reaches out to producers through field days, on-site demonstrations, consultations, publications and partnerships.

About Alabama BCIA

Alabama BCIA is a nonprofit organization seeking to promote, educate and facilitate the use of performance data, recordkeeping and marketing opportunities to improve the Alabama cattle industry. Formed in 1964, Alabama BCIA cooperates with Alabama Extension at Auburn University under a formal agreement.