Current position
I am a forage specialist at Oregon State University with research, teaching, extension, and international projects responsibilities.
Education
Degrees were obtained from the University of Delaware (B.S., Plant Science), University of Tennessee (M.S., Plant and Soil Sciences), and University of Kentucky (Ph.D., Plant Physiology).
Research
Initial research focused on biological nitrogen fixation of forage legumes. Recent work has been directed toward physiological ecology; matching forage species with climate and soil conditions using crop simulation modeling and GIS-based mapping.
Extension
Extension activities included national standards for forage quality evaluation and practical computer applications, including extensive work on the Forage Information System (https://forages.oregonstate.edu).
Teaching
Teaching responsibilities have included the CROP310: Forage Production undergraduate class (both on-campus and eCampus), developing Organic Forages modules for an eCampus Organic Production Systems class, and developing a National Forage and Grasslands Curriculum (https://forages.oregonstate.edu/nfgc).
International
International work has included USDA projects in Tunisia in the 1980s, sabbatical leave assignments with the INRA Bioclimatology Unit in Avignon, France in 1999-2000, Nanjing Agricultural University in 2008-2009, Lincoln University, New Zealand in 2018, and 34 years of working in China, with support from the USDA FAS MAP and EMP, the Oregon Seed Council, and USTDA.
Two Fulbright awards included: (1) a 2008-2009 Senior Scholar two-phase project in Banda Aceh, Indonesia to assist with tsunami recovery and develop improved capacity for applied research work at Syiah Kuala University, and (2) a 2012-2013 Distinguished Chair China Fulbright Award for teaching and research at Sichuan Agricultural University and Nanjing Agricultural University.
Family Connections with China and Current Activities
Family China connections go back over 100 years to the work of my great uncle Edward Hume with the Yale-in-China and Johns Hopkins University program that led to establishing a medical center in Changsha, Hunan Province.
My own China activities began in 1982 with receiving two visiting scholars, one from China Agricultural University and one from the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences. My first trip to China was in 1984 and I've now made scores of trips to China, to nearly every Province, agricultural university, and research academy related to forage-livestock systems. Work has been in support of Oregon's seed industry, promoting Oregon State University, and helping faculty and students design, execute, and publish their work in English language journals. Signature products include publication of a book describing the "Forage Resources of China" and a map atlas: "Visualizing China's Future Agriculture: Climate, Soil, and Suitability Maps for Improved Decision Making"; evaluating the potential for Chinese use of cool-season grasses grown in Oregon.
Key collaboration has been with Christopher Daly and his PRISM system for interpolating ground-based climate station data into gridded, high-resolution maps of precipitation and temperature. This has allowed us to develop forage species suitability maps based on climate and soil information and an innovative Internet Mapserver application.
My current international activities in China include continuing forage-livestock system research collaboration leading to joint journal publications, teaching at various universities as part of the "Foreign Experts" program, and assisting Extension Director and Outreach Vice Provost with OSU's participation in the China-US University-based Extension Alliance.
