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     Dr. James C. Kroll will receive the Agriculture Pioneer of the Year award sponsored by Heritage Land Bank at the 11th Annual Agriculture Appreciation and Awareness Banquet, Monday, Apr. 2 at Banita Creek Hall.

     “Known nationally as ‘Dr. Deer,’ Dr. Kroll is now considered to be the father of modern deer management,” said Texas Forest Service District Forester John Boyette. “James has been working professionally with whitetails for 40 years. His depth of knowledge has come from working in almost every state and province from Mexico to Canada. He hunts deer, he studies deer, he lives with deer; and most importantly he loves deer.”

     For the past 36 years, Kroll has been director of The Institute for White-tailed Deer Management & Research in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture at StephenF.AustinStateUniversity.

     “During the last nine seasons of the award-winning television program, ‘North American Whitetail,’ Kroll has been a co-star and appears each week in a special segment, ‘Dr. Deer’s Whitetail World,’ Boyette said. “James now co-stars with North American Whitetail executive editor Gordon Whittington in a new show, ‘Winchester presents Dr. Deer’ on Sportsman Channel, now in its second season.”

     During the span of his career, Kroll has published more than 300 technical and popular articles and contributed to 35 magazines. He has monthly columns in “North American Whitetail (NAWT) Magazine” and the “Journal of the Texas Trophy Hunters Magazine.” He has published eight books, two of which are best-sellers, and contributed to two others.

     Currently, Kroll is completing a new book with his colleague and research partner, Ben Koerth, titled “Forage Management for Whitetails, The Dr. Deer System.” Kroll and Koerth also completed a landmark study on antler development in free-ranging deer recently, results of which were published in the journal of Wildlife Management. This work also led to a new DVD titled, “Antlers,” co-produced by NAWT magazine and Intermedia Outdoors.

     Kroll co-founded the Texas Deer Association, which according to Boyette is the fastest growing conservation organization in the LoneStarState. His research is far reaching, including behavior, habitat management, genetics, artificial breeding, hunting economics and tactics.

     Dr. Kroll’s significant institute accomplishments include:

-First work with infrared-triggered cameras.
-First research on food plots.
-Establish common use industry terms including: sanctuaries, travel corridors, staging areas, sign posts and funneling features.
-Landscaping techniques for whitetails.
-Developed production level semen collection and AI techniques for whitetails.
-First development of DNA markers for parent certification.
-Electric fence technologies for whitetails.
-Modern, intensive deer management strategies.

     Kroll is a Distinguished Graduate of Texas A&M University, and a distinguished alumnus of BaylorUniversity and WacoIndependentSchool District. Kroll was recently elected to the Muy Grande Hall of Fame and currently occupies the Henry M. Rockwell Chair in Forest Wildlife. He is married to Susie and has two children, Cody, a sculptor in New York, and Sydney, a doctor of psychology at the Veterans Administration.

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     The 11th annual Agriculture Appreciation and Awareness Banquet begins at 6 p.m., Monday, Apr. 2 at Banita Creek Hall, 401 W. Main St. Event chair is Angela Shannon, Agriland Farm Credit.

     The keynote speaker is well-regarded humorist Sheriff J.B. Smith from SmithCounty.

Honors at this year’s banquet are the following:

-Farm Family of the Year: Forrest Lee Meador Family (Sponsor: Tipton Ford).
-Agriculture Pioneer: Dr. James Kroll (Sponsor: Heritage Land Bank).
-Agribusiness of the Year: Bright Coop, Inc. (Sponsor: First Bank & Trust, East Texas).
-Agriculture Educator of the Year: Dr. Leon Young (Sponsor: Citizens 1st Bank).

     “The purpose of the event is to recognize the impact the agriculture industry has in our county, honor the people that stand out in our ag community and foster the future growth of the industry,” Agribusiness Committee Chairman David Alders said. “Scholarship funds will be awarded to deserving youth who are attending the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture at SFA, and this year’s award recipients will be honored.”

     The banquet begins with a meet and greet at 6 p.m. Dinner service will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the program begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 each or $250 for a table of eight and are available now at the Nacogdoches County Chamber, 2516 North St. and from committee members. Businesses are welcome to sponsor tables to provide complimentary admission for youth ag groups.

     Call the Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce, 936-560-5533 for ticket and table reservations, or download a registration form from nacogdoches.org.

     The Nacogdoches Agriculture Committee consists of representatives from Nacogdoches County Farm Bureau, Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce, Nacogdoches Economic Development Corp., Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Cooperative Extension Program, Pineywoods RC&D, StephenF.AustinStateUniversity – Agriculture Department and the Texas Forest Service are proud to co-sponsor the Agriculture Banquet honoring the Agriculture Industry in NacogdochesCounty.

     In addition to the banquet, the committee has organized farm tours of the County for media and business representatives on Friday, Mar. 30. Contact Jamie Sugg or Crispin Skinner, 560-7711, for tour information and reservations.