By Maggie Edwards 

Dr. Andre da Silva is paving the way for Alabama specialty crop production through farm trials which help growers gain top vegetable varieties for their operations. 

Da Silva’s expertise scored him the Rittenour Award for Production Agriculture & Forestry Research, presented Aug. 3 during the Alabama Farmers Federation Farm & Land Conference in Montgomery.

“I always wanted to help the vegetable industry,” said da Silva, an Auburn University associate professor and Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) vegetable specialist. “I’m surprised but happy to see my work and drive to help was recognized.” 

His impact on Alabama began in 2021 when he and wife Dr. Camila Rodrigues moved to Auburn. She’s an associate professor and ACES food safety specialist.

Da Silva and Rodrigues hail from Maringá, Brazil, where they each earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees. After moving to the U.S., they received doctorates at the University of Florida.

“I like working with people,” said da Silva. “That’s why I enjoy working for Extension. When a grower has a problem, you help them, and then they succeed. It’s rewarding for me to see their harvest of vegetables and high-quality production.”

Da Silva has been instrumental in developing best management practices for high-yielding, high-quality crops. He helps farmers focus on irrigation and pest management, fertilizer applications and cultivar selections. That work has paid dividends for many members of the Alabama Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association (AFVGA), said Mike Reeves. 

“Andre is a huge supporter of AFVGA,” said Reeves, who raises specialty crops in Morgan County. “His strongest quality is his desire to help growers at the farm level.”

Recently, da Silva helped Reeves select a different variety of sweet corn, a move both men call a success.

“Mike was having problems with corn, and he gave me a call to see what I recommended,” da Silva said. “He was experiencing issues with weather and weeds. Because of past trials, I was able to suggest one of the newest varieties released by Syngenta. It led to his best harvest of sweet corn.”

Stories like that make da Silva special to AFVGA members, said the organization’s Executive Director Blake Thaxton. 

“We are fortunate to have Andre working with us,” said Thaxton, who is also a Federation commodity director. “His Variety Trial Showcase is a farmer favorite each year at the AFVGA annual conference. He’s taking our industry to the next level.”

Most of those trials begin thanks to one-on-one conversations with farmers, da Silva said.

“I choose research based off what farmers think is important,” da Silva said. “It’s weighed on geographic impact and need, too.”

Sweet corn isn’t da Silva’s only success. He’s worked with a host of farmers on broccoli, carrot, tomato and other produce trials.

His area of focus continues to diversify. As the sixth annual Rittenour Award winner, he received $10,000 toward programming costs courtesy of the Alabama Farmers Agriculture Foundation.

“I will continue the trials and begin exploring precision ag and drone use in vegetable production,” da Silva said. “I’m thankful for the opportunity to continue collaborating with farmers.”