NASHVILLE (AP) - A Tennessee State University professor is being honored for his contributions to the field of agronomy.

Jason de Koff is the winner of the American Society of Agronomy Early Career Professional Award.

The award, which comes with a $2,000 honorarium, recognizes young professionals who have made outstanding contributions in agronomy within seven years of completing their final degree.

De Koff works in TSU's College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Sciences and serves as assistant program leader in the school's Cooperative Extension Program.

As a state extension specialist, he has developed a series of workshops, videos, factsheets and a mobile demonstration for on-farm biodiesel production.

His responsibilities in extension and research focus on using switchgrass and winter canola for bioenergy production.