Gore, Pieralisi awarded excellence in Cotton IPM

STONEVILLE, Miss. -- Two Mississippi State University Extension agricultural specialists were recognized for their contributions to cotton research and educational service.

Delta Research and Extension Center head and MSU Extension entomologist Jeff Gore received the 2026 Recognition Award for Excellence in Cotton Integrated Pest Management at the National Cotton Council’s Beltwide Cotton Conferences. MSU Extension cotton specialist Brian Pieralisi received the 2026 Beltwide Extension Cotton Specialist of the Year award.

Gore has served as a researcher with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and as an entomologist with MSU Extension for 18 years and his experience includes work at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service. He was named DREC head in 2023. Pieralisi has served as MSU Extension cotton specialist since 2020.

The Excellence in Cotton Integrated Pest Management award recognizes outstanding career contributions to applied integrated arthropod pest management across the U.S. Cotton Belt with successes in allied industry, research or educational programs that have benefitted the cotton industry.

In nominating Gore for the award, colleague and fellow entomologist Don Cook noted that Gore excels at refining insect management strategies and is widely respected by diverse groups of agricultural stakeholders like growers, consultants, colleagues and industry representatives.

“Dr. Gore has the gift of being able to think deeply and broadly about a topic and see things that other people do not,” Cook said. “He is also able to easily share information with diverse groups ranging from technically oriented scientists to the average person on the street about agriculture and entomology and make each one feel comfortable and informed.”

Gore completed his undergraduate studies in integrated pest management at Auburn University and obtained master’s and doctoral degrees in entomology from Louisiana State University before moving to Mississippi to work at USDA-ARS. He joined MSU as an assistant research professor in 2007.

A native of Leland, Pieralisi earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural pest management from MSU before returning to his family farm and earning a master’s degree in business administration from Delta State University. He returned to MSU to work on a doctoral degree in agronomy with an emphasis on nutrient management and soil fertility and was named MSU Extension cotton specialist in 2020.

“Throughout Dr. Gore’s and Dr. Pieralisi’s careers, their dedication to generating and disseminating both applied and basic research findings at the producer and academic levels have been unparalleled,” said Angus Catchot, MSU Extension director. “Their contributions to the scientific and agricultural communities are truly exceptional.”