June 2008
USDA Under Secretary Returns to Auburn for Visit

By Grace Smith     2007-2008 AU College of Agriculture student body president, Erin Hunter, poses with Dr. Gale Bucanan, Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics for the USDA after his April 7 presentation which kicked off the College of Agriculture’s annual Ag Week celebration. Auburn University’s College of Agriculture held its annual Ag Week celebration April 7-11 and to kick-off the week’s activities the college hosted a very special speaker for Monday night’s Contemporary Agriculture Program. Dr. Gale Bucanan, Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics for the USDA spent Monday, April 7 touring Auburn University’s campus and he concluded his visit by speaking to agriculture students, faculty members and industry leaders. Bucanan, who received his B.S. degree in 1959 and M.S. degree in 1962 from the University of Florida and his Ph.D. from Iowa State University in 1965 with minors in Botany and Agronomy, didn’t need much of a tour of the campus considering he spent the first 21 years of his career at Auburn University (AU). After receiving his Ph.D., Bucanan came to AU as a professor in the Agronomy and Soils Department and focused his teaching and research on weed science. In 1980, he was named Dean of the College of Agriculture and Director of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, a position he held for five years before going to work for the University of Georgia as Associate Director of the Georgia Agricultural Experiment Stations and Resident Director of the Coastal Plain Experiment Station. In March of 1995, he began serving as Dean and Director of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and he served in this capacity until 2006. After an introduction from Erin Hunter, the 2007-2008 AU College of Agriculture student body president, Bucanan began his presentation by referencing what he referred to as the "Auburn Spirit," recalling the excitement of activities like rolling Toomer’s Corner and watching AU athletic star, Fred Beasley, play football in Jordan Hare Stadium. But his presentation quickly moved toward what he called agriculture’s "most urgent issues." The first "urgent issue" he discussed was the upcoming Farm Bill noting it is a difficult process to understand until one is involved first hand with it. Bucanan reported an administration proposal for the Farm Bill was currently underway. He added these proposals were based on over 4,000 comments submitted from listening sessions the USDA held last summer in 48 states for farmers’ and ranchers’ input. He concluded discussion of this topic by noting President Bush had approved another 31-day extension for farm bill legislation and he, personally, hoped to see a farm bill that could be agreed upon because of the benefits it provides for agriculturalists. His next issue was the Agriculture Census and the importance of completing the form and returning it. Bucanan discussed the necessity of obtaining the information so lawmakers could propose appropriate policies and programs to aid farmers. He said, as of the previous Friday, April 4, only 62.5 percent of the forms had been collected. The Columbian Free Trade Agreement was the third issue Bucanan presented. He opened his discussion by mentioning the importance of increasing export markets and how it would expand economic opportunities for U.S. farmers. He said this agreement would expand trade with Columbia by eliminating tariffs on goods and services. He concluded his presentation by speaking on the importance of sustaining energy security. Bucanan pointed out the U.S. uses 25 percent of the oil in the world while our population only makes up about five percent of the world’s population. This is a staggering figure considering China only uses 11 percent despite making up 21 percent of the earth’s population. He said for every two barrels of oil we use, we only find one barrel to replace it, so it is important to find alternative energy sources. "There are two things we know for certain; energy is necessary for life and today much of our energy is being derived from finite sources," Bucanan said. "If we are concerned with our life on this planet, we must move toward sustaining energy security for the future." He mentioned wind or hydro-power as a possible energy option, but said his bet was on the solar energy pointing out "the sun will be here longer than any of us will." Bucanan ended the evening’s presentation by addressing the students specifically. "You [students] have so many exciting challenges ahead of you, but you may be thinking, ‘What do any of these topics have to do with me,’" he said. "They have everything to do with you. I don’t think the future’s ever been so bright for agriculture." Grace Smith is an associate editor for AFC Cooperative Farming News.