Distinguished Service Award
ACN Distinguished Service Award Recipient
Each year, the Ag Communicators Network (ACN) honors an individual with the Distinguished Service Award. Presented since 1947, the DSA recognizes non-members who are leaders, give back to the agricultural community, and have demonstrated outstanding efforts in education, science, or public affairs relevant to agriculture.
ACN is proud to present its 2026 Distinguished Service Award to Dr. Albert Culbreath, research plant pathologist at the University of Georgia, in recognition of his outstanding leadership in agricultural science and education.
Photo Credit: Edwin Remsberg 9/17
Dr. Albert Culbreath, research plant pathologist at the University of Georgia, is recognized worldwide for his work on the ecology, epidemiology and control of thrips and tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV). When TSWV threatened to destroy the Southeast’s peanut crop in the early 1990s, Culbreath helped lead the multidisciplinary team that developed the Spotted Wilt Risk Index — now known as Peanut Rx — an integrated pest management tool that is still updated annually and credited with saving the peanut industry.
Culbreath has published 283 scientific articles that have been cited more than 4,800 times. His honors include the 2025 Distinguished Service Award from the Georgia Peanut Commission, the 2024 Peanut Research and Education Award from the American Peanut Council, four Wallace K. Bailey Awards, and recognition as a Fellow of both the American Peanut Research & Education Society and the American Phytopathological Society.
The Ag Communicators Network is honored to recognize Dr. Albert Culbreath with its 2026 Distinguished Service Award for his enduring contributions to agriculture and his unwavering support of truth, transparency, and stewardship in agricultural science. Watch his recognition video here.