A native of Lafayette County, Florida (which is located in the historic Florida Tobacco Belt), Dr. Vann greatly understands the value of tobacco to the family farm.  Growing up he enjoyed working on his family’s Century Pioneer Farm, and spent many summers working the neighboring tobacco and watermelon fields in his community.  After high school, he enrolled at the University of Florida – graduating in 2009 with a degree in Environmental Management in Agriculture and Natural Resources and a double minor in Plant Science and Soil Science.  He completed his M.S. (2011) and Ph.D. (2015) in the Crop and Soil Sciences Department at North Carolina State University where his research and education focuses were to the agronomic management of flue-cured tobacco.  In 2015, Dr. Vann was appointed to the Dr. William K. Collins Tobacco Agronomist Position in Research, Teaching, and Extension Endowment.  His responsibilities include teaching tobacco production courses in both the two (CS 116) and four year (CS 216) programs at NC State University, advising M.S. and Ph.D. level graduate students, supporting the efforts of Cooperative Extension Agents with tobacco responsibilities, directing Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) training for North Carolina tobacco farmers, and providing timely Extension information to allied industry.

 

Dr. Vann serves as a primary author of bi-weekly tobacco production updates entitled “From the Field-Agronomy Notes”, which are available during the production season through the NC State Tobacco Portal.  He is a member of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of American, American Society for Horticultural Sciences, and the Weed Science Society of North Carolina.  In addition, he serves an author or co-author of five chapters of the annual NC State Flue-Cured Tobacco Production Guide, two chapters of the Burley and Dark Tobacco Production Guide, and three tables in the annual North Carolina Agricultural Chemicals Manual.

He conducts applied research in areas related to variety evaluation, plant nutrition, crop physiology, greenhouse production, weed management, sucker control, organic tobacco production, and pesticide residue quantification.  Dr. Vann utilizes research facilities located in Whiteville (Border Belt Tobacco Research Station), Kinston (Cunningham Research Station), Rocky Mount (Upper Coastal Plain Research Station), Oxford (Oxford Tobacco Research Station), Clayton (Central Crops Research Station), Laurel Springs (Upper Mountain Research Station), and Waynesville (Mountain Research Station).  His research efforts are focused on flue-cured, burley, and cigar wrapper tobacco production.

Dr. Vann also participates in the Cooperative Centre for Scientific Research Relative to Tobacco (CORESTA), which is based in Paris, France.  To date he has authored or co-authored more than 30 conference abstracts and currently serves as the Secretary to the Agrochemical Residue Field Trial Task Force.  The efforts of the task force serve to generate the data necessary for the establishment of Guidance Residue Limits as they pertain to Crop Protection Agent residues detected in/on cured leaf.

 

Current Graduate Students:

-Patrick Maxwell (Ph.D., committee co-chair)

-Raymond Rodriguez (Ph.D., committee member)

-James Martin (M.S., committee member)

-Maggie Short (M.S., committee chair)

-Dwayne Dabbs (Master of Crop Science, committee chair)

-Collin Blalock (Master of Crop Science, committee chair)

 

Former Graduate Students:

-Nicholas J. Manning (M.S., 2020, committee chair)

Thesis title: “Screening Organic Nitrogen Sources of Seedling and Field Production of Flue-Cured Tobacco”

-Samuel Hahn (M.S., 2020, committee member)

Thesis title: “Winter Cover Crop Management in the Production of Organic Flue-Cured Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.)”

-Joshua B. Henry (Ph.D., 2019, committee co-chair with Dr. Brian Whipker)

Dissertation title: “Characterization of Tobacco Nutrient Disorders via Aerial and Ground-Based Hyperspectral Remote Sensing”

-Denis J. Mahoney (Ph.D., 2019, committee member)

Dissertation title: “Biology and Management of Palmer Amaranth in North Carolina”

-Matthew D. Inman (Ph.D., 2019, committee co-chair with Dr. Loren Fisher)

Thesis title: “Weed Competition and Herbicide Use and Management in Flue-Cured Tobacco and Cotton”

-Chris Smith, (Master of Soil Science, 2019, committee member)

Project title: “An Analysis of Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Distributions in an Agroforestry System on a North Carolina Coastal Plain Planted with Native Warm Season Grasses”

-Derek Washburn (Master of Crop Science, 2019, committee chair)

Project title: “A Case Study: Organic Agronomics and Economic Implications from a Whole Farm Perspective”

-Andrew M. Clapp (M.S., 2019, committee chair)

Thesis title: “Evaluation of S-metolachlor for Use in Flue-Cured Tobacco Production (Nicotiana tabacum L.)”

-Madison B. Hilton (M.S., 2018, committee co-chair with Dr. David Jordan)

Thesis title: “Nitrogen Contribution from Peanut and Soybean to Succeeding Crops and Implications for Nitrogen Management”

-Cara R. Pace (M.S., 2018, committee co-chair with Dr. Loren Fisher)

Thesis title: “The Influence of Chloride Application and Nitrogen Interaction on the Yield and

Quality of Flue-Cured Tobacco”

-Camden E. Finch (M.S., 2018, committee chair)

Thesis title: “The Effect of Lower Leaf Removal Number, Leaf Removal Timing, and Nitrogen Application Rate on the Yield, Quality, Value, and Crop Throw of Flue-Cured Tobacco”

-Joseph A. Cheek (M.S., 2018, committee member)

Thesis title: “Comparison of Transgenic and Non-Transgenic Tobacco Varieties for Low Alkaloid Flue-Cured Tobacco Production”

-W. Tyler Whaley (M.S., 2017, committee member)

Thesis title: “Evaluation of Non-Tobacco Labeled Herbicides for Late Season Application”

-J. Hunter Mason (M.S., 2017, committee chair)

Thesis title: “Nitrogen Management for Field and Greenhouse Production of Flue-Cured Tobacco”

-Lyndon Askew (Master of Crop Science, 2016)

-Carla Cave (Master of Crop Science, 2015)

 

Current Research Group Members:

Joseph A. Cheek

Jeremy L. Machacek

1. Scott Whitley

 

Professional Experience

March 2015 – current: Assistant Professor & Tobacco Extension Specialist, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, NC State University, Raleigh, NC

March 2012 – March 2015: Tobacco Extension Associate & Ph.D. Student, Crop Science Department, NC State University, Raleigh, NC

June 2009 – March 2012: Graduate Research Assistant, Crop Science Department, NC State University, Raleigh NC

 

Professional Service

-Associate Editor, Agronomy Journal (2020 – current)

-Conference Chair, 50^th Tobacco Workers Conference (2020 – current)

-Organizing Committee and Agronomy Section Chair, 49^th Tobacco Workers Conference (2018 – 2020)

-Secretary, CORESTA Residue Field Trial – Sub-Group (2015 – current)

-Ad-Hoc Reviewer:

-Agronomy Journal

-Agronomy

-Plant Health Progress

-Geoderma

-Beitraege zur Tabakforschung International

-International Journal of Agronomy

-Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Sciences

-Soil Science Society of America

-Scientia Agricola

-Tobacco Science

 

Awards & Certificates

-NC State College of Agriculture & Life Sciences Outstanding Young Alumnus (2019)

-North Carolina Association of Cooperative Extension Specialists Outstanding Subject Matter Program

Developed by an Individual (2019)

-CALS – Agricultural Leadership Learning Institute Certificate of Completion (2018)

-Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina – Excellence in Extension Award (2017)

-Weed Science Society of North Carolina: 3^rd Place Ph.D. Poster Competition (2014)

-NC State Agronomy Club: Advisor of the Year (2014)

 

Extension Publications

 

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