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Joseph Carroll Oakes

Superintendent
  • Extension Specialist
Joseph Oakes
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Location:

2229 Menokin Road
Warsaw, VA 22572
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Contact:

jcoakes@vt.edu
804-333-3485

AREC Fact Sheet

Eastern Virginia AREC Factsheet 2026

Eastern Virginia AREC Factsheet featuring a map of Virginia, with a collage of images of equipment in fields and a close up of soybean plants in the field
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Eastern Virginia Agricultural Research & Extension Center
Weather Station at the Eastern Virginia AREC

Inside the ARECs

Click here to take a closer look at Virginia Tech's Agricultural Research and Extension Centers
Education

Ph.D. Crop Science, 2015, North Carolina State University 
M.S. Crop Science, 2012, North Carolina State University
B.S. Biology, 2010, Bob Jones University

Experience

2025 – Present: Superintendent, Eastern Virginia AREC & Extension Specialist, Virginia Tech
2018 – 2015: Superintendent, Eastern Virginia AREC, Virginia Tech
2015 – 2018: Research Associate, Tidewater AREC, Virginia Tech
2010 – 2015: Graduate Research Assistant, Crop Science Department, NC State University

  • Grain crop (corn, soybean, wheat) variable rate fertility and seeding return on investment
  • Soybean and wheat agronomy
  • Specialty crop agronomy
  • Drones and sensors for nutrient and crop management
  • Conduct innovative, applied research and outreach on the latest relevant precision agriculture technologies, contributing to improving return on investment for producers
  • Develop and conduct targeted research and extension that focuses on Eastern Virginia crops
  • Planning and developing materials and educational programs to support extension efforts and maximize ROI in cereal and soybean cropping systems
 
Peer-Reviewed Publications
  1. Oakes J, Balota M, Cazenave A-B, Thomason W. Using Aerial Spectral Indices to Determine Fertility Rate and Timing in Winter Wheat. Agriculture. 2024; 14(1):95; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14010095
  2. Johnson, Kellie; Drape, Tiffany; Oakes, Joseph; Simpson, Joseph; Brown, Ann; Westfall-Rudd, Donna M.; and Duncan, Susan (2023) "An Interdisciplinary Approach to Experiential Learning in Cyberbiosecurity and Agriculture Through Workforce Development," Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice: Vol. 2024, Article 2. Available at; https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/jcerp/vol2024/iss1/2
  3. Dhakal, K.; Sivaramakrishnan, U.; Zhang, X.; Belay, K.; Oakes, J.; Wei, X.; Li, S. Machine Learning Analysis of Hyperspectral Images of Damaged Wheat Kernels. Sensors 2023, 23, 3523; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23073523
  4. Sarkar, S., Oakes, J., Cazenave, A.B., Burrow, M.D., Bennet, R.S., Chamberlin, K.D., Wang, N., White, M., Payton, P., Mahan, J., Chagoya, J., Sung, C.J., McCall, D.S., Thomason, W.E., Balota, M. Evaluation of the US Peanut Germplasm Mini-Core Collection in the Virginia-Carolina Region Using Traditional and New High-Throughput Methods. Agronomy 12(8) 01 Aug 2022; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12081945
  5. Sarkar, S., Cazenave, A.-B., Oakes, J., McCall, D., Thomason, W., Abbott, L., & Balota, M. (2021). Aerial high-throughout phenotyping of peanut leaf area index and lateral growth. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 17 pages; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-00936-w
  6. Brooks, W., Griffey, C., Vaughn, M., Seago, J., Thomason, W., Fitzgerald, J., Christopher, A., Pitman, R., Dunaway, D., Light, J., Rucker, E., Behl, H., Beahm, B., Browning, P., McMaster, N., Schmale III, D., Hardiman, T., Custis, J.T., Gulick, S., Ashburn, S.B., Jones Jr., N., Marshall, D., Fountain, M., Tuong, T., and Oakes, J. Registration of “SB255” winter barley. Journal of Plant Registrations; https://doi.org/10.1002/plr2.20124
  7. Oakes, J.C., M. Balota, D.L. Jordan, A.T. Hare, A. Sadeghpour. Peanut Response to Seeding Density and Digging Date in the Virginia-Carolina Region. Peanut Science. 1 November 2020; 47 (3): 180–188; https://doi.org/10.3146/PS20-16.1
  8. Meier, N.A., Malla, S., Oakes, J.C., Murphy, J.P., Baik, B., Chao, S., Griffey, C.A. Registration of three soft red winter wheat germplasm lines with exceptional milling and cookie baking performance. Journal of Plant Registrations. 2020: 1-7; http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/plr2.20055
  9. Sarkar, S., A.-B. Cazenave, J. Oakes, D. McCall, W. Thomason, L. Abbott, and M. Balota. 2020. High-throughput measurement of peanut canopy height using Digital Surface Models (DSMs). The Plant Phenome Journal; https://doi.org/10.1002/ppj2.20003
  10. Brasier K, Ward B, Smith J, Seago J, Oakes J, Balota M, et al. (2020) Identification of quantitative trait loci associated with nitrogen use efficiency in winter wheat. PLoS One 15(2): e0228775; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0228775
  11. Kyle Brasier, Carl Griffey, Clay Sneller, Joseph Oakes, Maria Balota, Mark Reiter, Ned Jones, Robert Pitman, Wade Thomason. Genotypic variation and stability for nitrogen use efficiency in winter wheat. 2019. Crop Science; https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2/20006
  12. Brasier, Kyle, Joseph Oakes, Maria Balota, Wade Thomason, and Carl Griffey. Greater Biomass Accumulation at Anthesis Increases Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Winter Wheat. 2019. Agronomy Journal. 111:2163-2173; https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2018.10.0693
  13. Alexandre-Brice Cazenave, Joseph Oakes, Wade Thomason, Maria Balota. Use of unmanned aerial vehicle extracted data to predict health and tiller count in wheat. Proceedings Volume 11008, Autonomous Air and Ground Sensing Systems for Agricultural Optimization and Phenotyping IV; 110080X (2019); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2518725
  14. Oakes, J.C., A. Sadeghpour, and M. Balota. Grain Sorghum Response to Irrigation in Virginia. 2017. Crop, Forage, & Turfgrass Management; https://doi.org/10.2134/cftm2017.08.0059
  15. Joseph Oakes and Maria Balota. Distinguishing plant population and variety with UAV-derived vegetation indices ", Proc. SPIE 10218, Autonomous Air and Ground Sensing Systems for Agricultural Optimization and Phenotyping II, 102180G (May 16, 2017); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2262631
  16. Maria Balota and Joseph Oakes. UAV remote sensing for phenotyping drought tolerance in peanuts ", Proc. SPIE 10218, Autonomous Air and Ground Sensing Systems for Agricultural Optimization and Phenotyping II, 102180C (May 16, 2017); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2262496
  17. Oakes, J.C., R.W. Heiniger, J. Murphy, C. Crozier, G. Wilkerson. 2016. Phyllochron Interval and Yield Response to Planting Date and Fertility in Wheat. Crop, Forage, & Turfgrass Management; https://doi.org/10.2134/cftm2016.03.0026
  18. Maria Balota; Joseph Oakes. 2016. Exploratory use of a UAV platform for variety selection in peanut. Proc. SPIE 9866, Autonomous Air and Ground Sensing Systems for Agricultural Optimization and Phenotyping, 98660F; http://proceedings.spiedigitallibrary.org/proceeding.aspx?articleid=2524597
  19. Oakes, J.C., R.W. Heiniger, J. Murphy, C. Crozier, G. Wilkerson. 2015. Kernel Development in Wheat. Crop, Forage, & Turfgrass Management; https://doi.org/10.2134/cftm2015.0156
Extension Publications
  1. S. Reiter, S. Romelczyk, T. Clarke, E. Cooper, H. Doughty, R. Flanagan, B. Jones, J. Jones, F. Long, R. Longest, N. Sedghi, J. Oakes, C. Ortel. Virginia On-Farm Soybean Research. 2025; https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/spes/spes-761/SPES-761.pdf
  2. N. Santantonnio, L. Liu, A. Perry, J.Seago, J. Oakes, C. Bishop, O. Walsh. Virginia Small Grain Official Variety Trials, 2025; https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/pubs_ext_vt_edu/en/SPES/spes-746.html
  3. R. Longest, T. Jones, S. Reiter, R. Flanagan, B. Jones, J. Jones, N. Sedghi, T. Minx, J. Oakes. Virginia On-Farm Wheat Test Plots. 2025; https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/pubs_ext_vt_edu/en/SPES/spes-737/spes-737.html
  4. Joseph Oakes. Selecting an Appropriate Planting for Winter Wheat. 2025; https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/spes/spes-730/SPES-730.pdf
  5. R. Longest, C. Stafford, T. Clarke, B. Jones, J. Jones, T. Jones, T. Scott, T. Minx, P. Davis, J. Oakes. 2024. Virginia On-Farm Wheat Test Plots; https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/pubs_ext_vt_edu/en/SPES/spes-634/spes-634.html
  6. Joseph Oakes. Aerial Spectral Imagery to Determine Wheat Fertility Rate and Timing. 2024; https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/spes/spes-582/SPES-582.pdf
  7. R. Longest, M. Broaddus, S. Romelczyk, T. Clarke, F. Hobbs, B. Jones, J. Jones, T. Jones, P. Davis, J. Oakes. 2023 Virginia On-Farm Wheat Test Plots; https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/spes/spes-523/SPES-523.pdf
  8. S. Reiter, S. Romelczyk, T. Clarke, R. Flanagan, M. Gunn, S. Irby, B. Jones, J. Jones, T. Jones, F. Long, R. Longest, N. Sedghi, D. Langston, J. Oakes, C. Ortel. 2023 Virginia On-Farm Soybean Research; https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/spes/spes-577/SPES-577.pdf
  9. M. Lee, J. Oakes. Effective Tiller Management for Winter Wheat. 2023; https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/spes/spes-431/SPES-431.pdf
  10. R. Longest, M. Broaddus, C. Stafford, S. Romelczyk, T. Clarke, C. Gregg, S. Rutherford, F. Hobbs, T. Jones, P. Davis, A. Ching, J. Oakes, W. Thomason. 2022 Virginia On Farm Wheat Test Plots; https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/spes/spes-422/SPES-422.pdf
  11. W. Thomason, N. Santantonio, J. Mott, C. Bishop, E. Rucker, T. Custis, H. Frame, K. Jones, J. Oakes, M. Vaughn, N. Jones, W. Brooks, J. Light, B. Clark, G. Lilliard. Small Grains in 2022; https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/spes/spes-420/SPES-420.pdf
  12. W. Thomason, C. Griffey, N. Lawton, E. Rucker, T. Custis, D. Langston, K. Jones, J. Oakes, M. Vaughn, N. Jones, W. Brooks, J. Light, B. Clark, G. Lillard. Small Grains in 2020; https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/spes/spes-227/SPES-227.pdf
  13. W. Thomason, E. Rucker, T. Custis, K. Jones, J. Oakes, M. Vaughn, N. Jones, W. Brooks, J. Light, G. Lillard, B. Clark, H. Behl, C. Griffey, D. Langston. Small Grains in 2019; https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/spes/spes-153/SPES-153.pdf
  14. E. Rucker, B.K. Chim, T. Custis, D. Langston, K. Jones, R. Pitman, J. Oakes, M. Vaughn, N. Jones, C. Griffey, W. Brooks, J. Light, D. Horn, B. Lael. Small Grains in 2018; https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/spes/spes-46/SPES-46.pdf
  15. M. Balota, T.G. Isleib, J. Oakes, D. Anco. Peanut Variety and Quality Evaluation Results, 2017 II. Quality Data; https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/AREC/arec-231/AREC-231%20.pdf
  16. M. Balota, J. Oakes. Virginia Grain Sorghum Performance Tests. 2017; https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/CSES/cses-227/CSES-227.pdf
  17. M. Balota, T.G. Isleib, J. Oakes, D. Anco. Peanut Variety and Quality Evaluation Results, 2017 I. Agronomic and Grade Data; https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/AREC/arec-231/AREC-231%20.pdf
  18. M. Balota, J. Oakes, H. Mehl, B. Acharya. Virginia Grain Sorghum Performance Tests. 2016; https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/AREC/AREC-201/AREC-201-PDF.pdf
  19. M. Balota, T.G. Isleib, J. Oakes, J. Chapin. Peanut Variety and Quality Evaluation Results, 2016 I. Agronomic and Grade Data; https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/AREC/AREC-198/AREC-198-PDF.pdf
  20. M. Balota, T.G. Isleib, J. Oakes, J. Chapin. Peanut Variety and Quality Evaluation Results, 2016 II. Quality Data; https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/AREC/AREC-208/AREC-208-PDF.pdf
  21. M. Balota, T.G. Isleib, J. Oakes, J. Chapin. Peanut Variety and Quality Evaluation Results, 2015 I. Agronomic and Grade Data; https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/AREC/AREC-164/AREC-164-PDF.pdf
  22. M. Balota, T.G. Isleib, J. Oakes, J. Chapin. Peanut Variety and Quality Evaluation Results, 2015 II. Quality Data; https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/AREC/AREC-172/AREC-172-PDF.pdf
  23. M. Balota, J. Oakes, W. Thomason, B. Pitman, H. Mehl. Virginia Grain Sorghum Performance Tests. 2015; https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/PPWS/PPWS-72/PPWS-72-PDf.pdf