A seasoned agriculturalist who spent 21 years with the College of Agriculture at Auburn University will give a special lecture on agricultural research at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22.
Gale Buchanan will give a lecture titled “Agricultural Research: What has it done for you?” at the Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center Auditorium as part of the College of Agriculture’s 150th anniversary year-long celebration.
“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Buchanan back to our college to share his wealth of knowledge on agricultural research with our students and faculty,” said Paul Patterson, dean of the College of Agriculture and director of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station. “I encourage anyone interested in agricultural research to attend and take advantage of the wisdom he brings.”
Buchanan spent 16 years as a professor in the Department of Agronomy and Soils (today the Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences), followed by five years as dean and director of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station.
In 1986, he became associate director of the Georgia Agricultural Experiment Stations and resident director of the Coastal Plain Experiment Station in Tifton, Georgia. He served briefly as director of the Georgia Agricultural Experiment Stations before he was appointed dean and director of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences in 1995. After nine years in the role, he then served as a professor at the National Environmental Sound Production Agriculture Laboratory until his retirement from UGA in 2005.
In 2005, he was nominated by U.S. President George W. Bush to serve as Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. With the passage of the 2008 Farm Bill, he became USDA Chief Scientist in addition to his role as under secretary. He served in this capacity until 2009.
Buchanan also served more than 30 years with the U.S. Army National Guard. He retired from the guard in 1992 with the federally recognized rank of Colonel.
The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information about Buchanan’s lecture and to RSVP, go to auburn.campuslabs.com/engage/event/8153717.
