Pullman, Washington
August 28, 2008
Stephen S. Jones, whose wheat
breeding program at Washington
State University has been recognized nationally and
internationally, is the new director of WSU's Northwestern
Washington Research and Extension Center at Mount Vernon.
Dan Bernardo, dean of the College of Agricultural, Human, and
Natural Resource Sciences, made the announcement today.
"Steve is a veteran researcher with a proven track record and an
innate curiosity in agriculture that will serve northwestern
Washington farmers well," Bernardo said. "He also is one of the
most effective and committed teachers at WSU, which will be key
as we look to expand the way we engage students from around the
state. I'm excited about the possibilities that this appointment
represents for research, teaching and extension."
Pete Jacoby, associate dean in CAHNRS and agricultural program
director for WSU Extension, is serving as interim director at
NWREC; he succeeded Associate Plant Pathologist Debra Inglis,
who served as interim director for three years.
Bernardo said the transition of leadership at NWREC will begin
immediately. Jones will fulfill his research and teaching
responsibilities at Pullman and completely assume his new
responsibilities in spring 2009. Commodity-scale wheat research
projects funded by the Washington Wheat Commission will remain
at Pullman.
Jones will take his projects in low-input wheat, perennial
wheat, organic wheat and nitrogen use efficiency with him to
Mount Vernon.
"Small grains are a very important rotation crop for farmers
growing tulips, vegetables and berries, so I am eager to expand
my research into areas relevant to this part of Washington."
Jones said it was the diversity and heritage of agriculture in
the Skagit Valley region that attracted him to the NWREC
position.
"The agricultural diversity of this area is fascinating to me,"
Jones said. "Growers are facing the pressures of urbanization,
yet there is a rich history of agriculture in the Skagit Valley
and surrounding areas.
There are also great faculty and staff at the center. They have
a wonderful team in place, and I want to be a part of it."
Jones added that he also looks forward to the outreach aspect of
the position. "I'm looking forwarding to helping people growing
plants at all levels from home gardeners to the fairly large
scale operations on the west side."
Bernardo said he will be working closely with the Department of
Crop and Soil Sciences and the Washington wheat industry to
discuss the future structure of WSU's wheat breeding program.
"This is an opportunity to assess the current structure of our
wheat breeding program and determine how we should best organize
ourselves to meet the needs of the industry," he said.
Jones joined the WSU faculty in 1995. He first came to Pullman
in 1991 to serve as a molecular cytogeneticist for the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service housed
at WSU. In addition to traditional winter wheat breeding, his
research has focused on the development of perennial wheat - a
project that has been featured in The New York Times and Gourmet
Magazine. His work with organic wheat was recently covered in
The Wall Street Journal. Earlier this year, he was asked to
write the "wheat" entry for World Book Encyclopedia and just
this summer was invited to provide the entry for "sustainable
agriculture," which he will co-author with WSU Associate
Scientist and Extension Specialist Carol Miles, who is based in
Mount Vernon.
Jones holds a bachelor's degree from California State
University, Chico, as well as a master's in agronomy and a Ph.D.
in genetics from University of California, Davis. |
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