Horsley

Richard Horsley, professor and department head for plant sciences, was honored as a fellow in the Crop Science Society of America during the annual joint meeting with the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America. The meeting was held Nov. 6-9 in Phoenix. Ten other CSSA members also were honored as Fellows.

Horsley has worked as the lead barley breeder for the NDSU Department of Plant Sciences barley breeding and genetics research project since 1988, and serves as the coordinator of the malting barley improvement program.

He has advised 23 graduate students and taught more than 1,000 students statistical techniques and biometrics in Plant Sciences 724 Field Design I. He also advises students on specifics of design and analysis of research experiments and periodically offers a short version of his course to technicians and researchers from private and public programs in the area.

Horsley was the chair of the CSSA committee for barley registration from 2001 to 2007. He serves on the board of trustees for the Wheat Quality Council and on the executive and steering committees for the United States Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative. His past professional service includes chair of the National Barley Improvement Committee, member of the North American Barley Genome Mapping Steering Committee and member of the Agronomy Journal Editorial Board.

Horsley has written more than 150 professional publications. Five barley cultivars approved as malting barley varieties by the American Malting Barley Association have been released from NDSU during his tenure as barley breeder. 

NDSU Cereal Crops Extension Agronomist Joel Ransom said, “Horsley’s leadership and administrative competence has allowed the plant sciences department at NDSU to expand, be more productive and better meet the needs of scientific communities and the farmers of North Dakota and the surrounding region. He is hard working, persistent, productive, generous with his time, and fair and effective in his administration.” 

The fellow award is given to only 0.3 percent of the CSSA membership and rewards outstanding contributions to agronomy. More than 5,000 crop scientists are members of the CSSA, and about 700 fellows have been honored since 1956 when the society was established.

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