 Dr. Gale A. Buchanan The SIVB keynote speaker will be Dr. Gale Buchanan giving a presentation entitled “Agricultural Research and the Next Green Revolution: Increased Productivity and Food Security”.He has a very interesting career as described below. Gale A. Buchanan was born in Madison County, Florida, where he spent his first 18 years on a general farm that produced crops and livestock. He received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in Agronomy (minor in Biochemistry) from the University of Florida. He received the Ph.D. from Iowa State University where he majored in Plant Physiology with minors in Agronomy and Botany. Dr. Buchanan spent the first 21 years of his professional career with Auburn University. The first 16 years as a professor in the Department of Agronomy and Soils. His teaching and research focused on weed science. He then served as Dean and Director of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station from 1980 to 1985. On April 14, 1986, he was appointed Associate Director of the Georgia Agricultural Experiment Stations and Resident Director of the Coastal Plain Experiment Station in Tifton. He was appointed Dean and Director of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences March 1, 1995. He relinquished the position of Dean and Director on December 31, 2004. He then served as a professor at the National Environmental Sound Production Agriculture Laboratory (NESPAL) in Tifton, Georgia until his retirement from UGA in April 30, 2005. During this time he served on the Board of Directors of the Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition and the Georgia Agrirama Foundation Board. In 2005, he was nominated by President Bush to serve as Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He was confirmed for this position by the United States Senate on May 2006. He assumed the responsibility of USDA Chief Scientist along with that of Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics. He served in this capacity until January 20, 2009. Dr. Buchanan currently serves as Dean and Director Emeritus, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia, Tifton Campus. Also, after 32 years of service, he retired from the U.S. Army National Guard, with the federally recognized rank of Colonel (0-6). Submitted by David Songstad |
2011 Keynote Speaker
