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“TRIBUTE TO DR. THAYNE DUTSON” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Senate section on pages S6280 on June 26, 2008.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO DR. THAYNE DUTSON
Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, today I wish to highlight the importance of acknowledging and celebrating extraordinary efforts by ordinary Americans who have led the way in protecting and preserving America's natural resources. I am honored to commend a natural resource hero in my home State of Oregon, Dr. Thayne Dutson. After a lifetime of service to farmers and ranchers in this country, Dr. Dutson is hanging up his hat and I honor his service.
Dr. Dutson has been dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University since 1993 and has acted as director of the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station since 1987. As head of Oregon's College of Agriculture Sciences, Dr. Dutson has dedicated the past two decades of his life to Oregon's farmers and ranchers.
Along with being Oregon Agriculture's resource for cutting-edge research, knowledge about food systems, environmental quality, natural resources and rural communities, Dr. Dutson has also led a team of public servants to administer the extension service throughout the State. Dr. Dutson and his team led Oregon State University's outreach mission by engaging with Oregon's people and communities and focusing his efforts on community livability, strengthening the economic vitality of rural communities and maintaining Oregon's natural resource base. Based on these positive impacts and the leadership of Dean Dutson, the OSU Extension Service is recognized as one of America's top-5 land-grant university extension systems in the country. Dr. Dutson was also instrumental in Oregon State University's selection as one of five regional centers for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Sun grant initiative, which is working to advance the development of new biobased fuels and products.
I have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Dutson on many projects over the years. Dean Dutson has worked tirelessly on behalf of Oregon's farmers and ranchers. Under Dr. Dutson's watch, Oregon State University has secured critical Federal research funding for grass seed, potatoes, livestock grazing, small fruits, barley genome mapping, soil and air quality, organic Agriculture, nursery crops and biofuels. It is because of his leadership that Oregon agriculture and Oregon State University continue to lead the nation as innovators in all agricultural sciences.
As a young Boy Scout, I was taught that one's duty was to respect and protect the world around you. I believe that we have a responsibility to encourage efforts in conserving our natural resources by responsibly using them, not abusing them. Dr. Thayne Dutson has made major contributions to a proud Oregon pioneering spirit of innovation and responsible management of our natural resources. What Dean Dutson has given back to the Oregon agriculture community is invaluable, for he has taught us that everyone doing their small part can achieve huge successes. I wish Thayne, his wife, Missy, and their family all the best as they pursue future endeavors. Oregon's farmers and ranchers owe him a debt of gratitude.
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