Long Time Louisiana Ag Consultant Dies Sunday

By Don Molino

Voice of Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction

Ray Young, whom many call The Father of Agriculture Crop Consulting , died early Sunday morning.

Young, who lived in Wisner, was the recipient of many awards and honors during his lifetime, including induction into the Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction in 2017.

He was the nation’s longest-tenured crop consultant, having started scouting cotton for insects in 1949, and for his decades of service to cotton and agriculture, he was named the 2019 recipient of the Southern Cotton Ginners Association Vandergriff Pioneer Award. The award recognizes those who have made contributions that represent industry-changing advancements.

Ray and Dorothy Young, whose four children first worked on the family farm as youngsters and then received their degrees from Louisiana Tech, supported two professorships in the School of Agricultural Sciences and Forestry with a focus on Agriculture in Tech’s College of Applied and Natural Sciences.

“Mr. Ray” was selected to receive the Syngenta/Cotton Farming Cotton Consultant of the Year 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Funeral arrangements are pending.