Honoring Agricultural Heroes
Honoring Agricultural Heroes
Continuing in this month’s series of honoring our agricultural heroes, we introduce Dr. Booker T. Whatley. Dr. Whatley was a African American horticulturist and ag professor at Tuskegee University in Alabama. Dr. Whatley was known as a strong supporter for regenerative agriculture as well as a pioneer of innovative solutions for farmers with limited resources.… Read More »
Continuing in this month’s series of honoring our agricultural heroes, we introduce Dr. Booker T. Whatley. Dr. Whatley was a African American horticulturist and ag professor at Tuskegee University in Alabama. Dr. Whatley was known as a strong supporter for regenerative agriculture as well as a pioneer of innovative solutions for farmers with limited resources. Dr. Whatley created “clientele membership clubs” which can be seen as the beginning of CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) model. This model empowers the farmer to seek the support of the local community to purchase a share of the farm which supports the farm efforts all year long rather than generating income just at harvest time. There is much a farm has to do before produce is ready for sale and this model provides a way for small farmers to have a steady income in order to continue necessary operations all year long. This is also believed to have sparked the eat local food movement which is so prevalent and important today.
Dr. Whatley received his agricultural degree from his studies at Alabama A&M University before serving in the Korean War. While serving in the war, he operated a 55 acre hydroponic farm which allowed him the opportunity to grow crops for the troops and hone his agricultural skills even further which paved the way for his earning his doctorate degree in horticulture and becoming a professor at Tuskegee University.
Dr. Whatley also researched the benefits of growing small fruit production as a way of making income for low acreage farmers rather than monoculture farming of cotton or corn. This support and interest in the success of small farmers paved the way for some of the fundamentals of farming today. His research on sweet potatoes, small fruits, and honeybees is another example of his understanding of small farms and what they need to be successful which he dedicated his life’s work to achieving. We honor and thank Dr. Whatley for his dedication to changing modern agriculture for us today.
