Rodney B. Holcomb, McLaughlin Family Endowed Chair and assistant director of Oklahoma State University’s Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center and professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, received the Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Southern Agricultural Economics Association.
Holcomb was recognized during the association’s 2026 annual meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, earlier this year.
“It’s both a blessing and a challenge to receive this award at this point in my career,” Holcomb said. “I’m so thankful that my peers have deemed my work worthy of recognition, but I also feel the challenge to continually prove that I deserve the award.”
The SAEA Lifetime Achievement Award honors individuals for sustained contributions to scholarship, outreach and leadership in agricultural economics. Holcomb said the recognition reflects nearly three decades of applied research and Extension work, much of it conducted through FAPC.
Roy Escoubas, director of the Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center, said Holcomb’s impact reaches far beyond campus.
“Rodney has spent nearly three decades ensuring that applied economics remains central to food and agribusiness decision-making,” Escoubas said. “His work has helped entrepreneurs launch businesses, supported established processors through periods of change and strengthened the
long-term competitiveness of Oklahoma’s value-added food industry. This recognition reflects not only his scholarship, but his lasting impact on the people and businesses we serve.”
Holcomb said his efforts through FAPC have focused on ensuring that economic insight remains central to food industry innovation.
“I believe the award reflects my Extension work through OSU’s Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center,” he said. “The value-added agribusiness decision aids, fact sheets and workshops we’ve developed over the years have contributed meaningfully to the profession and to the industry we serve.”
Throughout his career, Holcomb has emphasized interdisciplinary research, outreach and teaching focused on the food industry, adapting alongside changing consumer preferences, technologies and regulatory requirements.
“It’s always been my goal to add a ‘dollars and sense’ angle to the work of the FAPC faculty and staff,” he said. “In the end, regardless of the science and technology, a new product or new business must make economic sense.”
Among the initiatives he considers most representative of his long-term impact are the Basic Training: A Guide to Starting Your Food Business workshop – now in its 26th year – and his involvement in establishing VAP Inc., a farmer-owned frozen dough manufacturing facility in Alva, Oklahoma, which continues to operate 25 years after its founding. He also helped launch Plains Grains Inc., which today represents the entire U.S. hard red winter wheat production region and annually maps crop quality profiles.
Holcomb credits colleagues and students as central to his career.
“I’ve been blessed to work with undergraduate and graduate students from all over the world,” he said. “In many cases, they taught me more than I taught them. Their excitement about the work helped me keep excited about various projects over the years.”
He also emphasized the importance of professional engagement within the association.
“Watching them share their work, collaborating with them on projects and asking them for advice truly set the stage for my career,” he said.
Recognized alongside Holcomb were Ron Rainey of the University of Arkansas and Dr. Lal Almas of Prairie View A&M University. Holcomb described sharing the stage with Rainey as one of the most meaningful aspects of the honor.
“Honestly, the best part of the award was knowing he and I would share the stage and the recognition,” he said.
Looking ahead, Holcomb said the constantly evolving food industry continues to motivate his work. He noted that key challenges and opportunities for agricultural economics in the southern United States will likely center on changing trade policies, shifts in farm ownership structures and evolving regional food production patterns.
Holcomb has served at OSU for 29 years and remains actively engaged in applied research and Extension programming focused on strengthening Oklahoma’s food and agribusiness sector.
The Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center, a part of OSU’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, helps to discover, develop and deliver technical and business information that will stimulate and support the growth of value-added food and agricultural products and processing in Oklahoma.
