Chapter 7 



Basic Research, Health Research and Biotechnology 



(1975-1987) 



The New Hampshire Agricuhural Ex- 

 periment Station has had 14 directors 

 during its first 100 years, two of whom 

 had lengthy terms of service. J. C. 

 Kendall, who served 28 years in that 

 capacity (1910-1939), was followed in 

 years of service by H. A. Keener with 

 20 years (1958-1978). Kendall Hall, 

 constructed in 1970, and named after 

 Director Kendall, houses the Depart- 

 ment of Animal and Nutritional Sci- 

 ences. (Appendix 1 gives the Directors 

 of the Station and Deans of the College 

 of Agriculture, 1887-1987. Appendix 

 2 indicates the Vice, Associate, and 

 Assistant Directors of the Station, As- 

 sociate Deans of the College and Assis- 

 tants to the Director, 1887-1987.) 



Director Keener earned his B.S. 

 degree at The Pennsylvania State Uni- 

 versity (1936), his M.S. at West Vir- 

 ginia University (1938), and his Ph.D. 

 at Pennsylvania State University 

 (1941), and was appointed an instruc- 

 tor of Animal and Dairy Husbandry at 

 the University of New Hampshire that 

 same year. 



Keener spent 17 years as a profes- 

 sor of dairy husbandry prior to suc- 

 ceeding H. C. Grinnell as Station 

 Director. As Dean and Director he 

 emphasized that the process of food 

 production was a matter of domestic 

 and international concern. Because the 

 quantity of food produced in New 

 Hampshire is only a small fraction of 

 that consumed in the state, he felt that 

 our productivity should be increased. 

 Since in New Hampshire transporta- 

 tion and processing costs represent a 

 substantial portion of the consumer 



price of food, both public and pro- 

 ducer stand to benefit from research on 

 food production. Hence, research con- 

 ducted by scientists in several depart- 

 ments in the college touches the lives 

 of all of us. 



Acreage available for agricultural 

 production in the state was known to 

 be decreasing for some time, but the 

 specifics of the change although un- 

 known were of concern to leaders in 

 several sectors because of their rela- 

 tionship to the economy, their impact 

 on the environment and loss of food 

 producing potential. In a study in 1 978 

 conducted by the Station, with the 

 advice and cooperation of several state 

 agencies and individuals, G. G. 

 Coppleman, S. A. L. Pilgrim and D. M. 

 Peschel, using aerial photographs, 

 determined land changes between 

 1950 and 1970. The focus was on the 

 most productive agricultural land and 

 changes which had occurred over the 

 20 year period. They found that (1) 27 

 percent of the best land in 1950 went 

 out of production; (2) approximately 

 17 percent of agricultural land in 

 Rockingham and Hillsborough coun- 

 ties in 1950 was lost to developments 

 by 1970, thus was no longer available 

 for production; and (3) developed land 

 in 1970 was 2.5 times greater than in 

 1950 and represented 4 percent of the 

 state's total acreage. 



When Keener retired as Dean and 

 Director, L. C. Peirce who had been 

 chairman of Plant Science since 1964, 

 was called upon to serve in an acting 

 capacity. As early as 1904, F. W. Rane 

 had stressed the economic potential of 



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