USDA scientist, Auburn alumnus presenting Fall York Lecture Sept. 26

The Auburn University College of Agriculture’s E.T. York Distinguished Lecturer Series will present U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Undersecretary Scott Hutchins as the Fall 2019 York Lecturer Thursday, Sept. 26, in Auburn.

In the lecture, set for 4 p.m. in the grand ballroom of The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center, Hutchins will discuss the next era of U.S. agriculture and five overarching themes that will define it.

A 1981 Auburn alumnus with a bachelor’s degree in entomology, Hutchins officially assumed the position as deputy undersecretary of the Agriculture Department’s Research, Education and Economics mission area in January. As such, he oversees the Agricultural Research Service, Economic Research Service, National Agricultural Statistics Service and National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The area focuses on creating a safe, sustainable and competitive U.S. food and fiber system and building strong, healthy communities, families and youths through integrated research, analysis and education.

Hutchins is retired from 32 years with Corteva Agriscience, formerly Dow AgroSciences, last serving as the company’s global leader of integrated field sciences. The board-certified entomologist is a fellow and past president of the Entomological Association of America and an adjunct professor of entomology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He has a master’s degree from Mississippi State University and a doctorate from Iowa State University, both in entomology.

Hutchins’ lecture is free and open to the Auburn campus and community.

The E.T. York Distinguished Lecturer Series was established in Auburn’s College of Agriculture in 1981 through a gift from the late E.T. York and wife Vam Cardwell York, both Auburn University alumni and native Alabamians. More information is available by visiting the website, www.agriculture.auburn.edu/yorklecture, or by calling 334-844-4768.

(Written by Jamie Creamer)