WELCOME DR. HANNA

            As you have read in the last issue of the Whitetail News, we bid a sad farewell to our wonderful agronomist Dr. Wiley Johnson, innovator of our original, ground-breaking Imperial Whitetail Clover.

            Being the responsible person he was, Dr. Wiley left us on a steady course and we could have rested on our laurels for a long time as far as nutrition and forage research. But we all knew it would be the greatest tribute to him and his work to search for the absolutely best qualified successor to fill his very large shoes and to continue the research he loved.

            So it is with great pleasure that I welcome or new Institute Agronomist and Director of Forage Research, Dr. Wayne Hanna. I had the pleasure of meeting with Dr. Hanna. I had the pleasure of meeting with Dr. Hanna this spring and was impressed not only by his credentials but with him as an individual. I could hear Dr. Wiley say, “Ray, that’s the one.”

            Wayne grew up near Flatonia, Texas halfway between San Antonio and Houston, working on a family farm. When he wasn’t working hard, he was hunting, fishing and looking for arrowheads after rains—three of my own favorite pastimes.

            His resume is awesome. Very briefly, he received his B.S. (Agricultural Education), M.S. (Plant Breeding) and Ph.D. (Genetics) from Texas A&M and went on to become a USDA Agricultural Research Service leader in cooperation with the University of Georgia in Tifton, GA. where he also served as a part-time professor upon his retirement in 2003. In 2006 he was inducted into the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agriculture Research Service Hall of Fame. This is only the tip of the iceberg as far as his activities and especially his numerous awards.

            Like Dr. Johnson, he loves a challenge and is eager to continue developing better forages for deer and wildlife, especially white clover. There’s no doubt in my mind he fully understands our mission.

            Someone with a better grasp of scientific research will enlighten you about Dr. Hanna’s exciting plans. All I want to do right now is welcome him to the Whitetail Institute. Dr. Hanna, we’re glad to have you on board!