Two scientists have been inducted into the Agriculture Research Service (ARS) Science Hall of Fame. ARS has been honoring senior agency researchers for outstanding, lifelong achievements in agricultural science and technology in the Hall of Fame since 1986.
Plant geneticist Chad E. Finn has been posthumously recognized for his outstanding work with small-fruits crop research from the ARS Horticultural Crops Research Laboratory in Corvallis, Oregon. He helped develop, release and co-release more than 57 varieties of blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, and strawberry plants. He developed the world’s most diverse and extensive small-fruits germplasm program and led an international research project that developed the first black raspberry genome — the first in the genus Rubus. He died on December 17, 2019.
Hydrologist William P. Kustas has made significant scientific achievements concerning crop irrigation. Stationed at the ARS Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, he has used satellite data and computer modeling to monitor evapotranspiration, plant stress and drought. He is part of a team that helps vineyards and nut orchards in water-limited states monitor and reduce irrigation water to save business costs and manage groundwater levels.