Tim Coolong

2020 D.W. Brooks Faculty Award for Excellence in Extension

Tim Coolong
Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Horticulture

Coolong obtained all three of his degrees — his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate — from the University of Georgia Department of Horticulture and, after several years serving as the vegetable extension specialist at the University of Kentucky, he was hired at the UGA Tifton campus to perform vegetable research and outreach. After five years in Tifton, Coolong returned to the Athens campus to oversee teaching, Extension, and research for organic vegetable production. While he primarily conducts field research, he has worked on a broad variety of topics, from germplasm evaluation to food safety in vegetables. In spring 2019, Coolong began to manage research and extension outreach for industrial hemp production in Georgia. He currently teaches courses focused on experiential learning in organic agriculture and has directed or advised nearly two dozen graduate students. He is also the UGA coordinator for the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Coolong has received many honors including the 2019 Donnie H. Morris Award of Excellence in Extension from the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association; five Blue Ribbon Extension Communications Awards from the Southeastern Region of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences between 2016 and 2019; and the 2016 Service Award and the 2015 Outstanding Junior State Extension Specialist Award from the Georgia Association of County Agriculture Agents.