Together We Can recounts effective strategies for institutional change and focuses on collective leadership within the land-grant university system, with reflections on Hiler's long and successful career in academic leadership, both at Texas A&M University and within the larger Texas A&M System.Although many books discuss leadership and organizational change in the private sector, there are relatively few dealing with public-sector entities - especially public land-grant universities and academic agencies - and none on collective leadership, the standard for highly collaborative and interdependent groups and individuals.Hiler draws on more than four decades of academic leadership experiences and personal anecdotes to recount the history of the land-grant system and Texas' place in it. He also distills collective leadership 'principles-in-action' that he believes should sustain such institutions, including Texas A&M, in the future, articulating an unwavering argument that the land-grant mission, through teaching, research, and outreach through extension, remains the single most powerful educational force within our society to equip citizens with the means to adapt to create meaningful opportunities, improve quality of life, and keep the world on a sustainable course amid uncertain times.Bosserman then places Hiler's reflections in the context of institutional change strategies and situational leadership styles to establish a 'do-it-yourself tool kit' that includes effective leadership, collaboration, and mentorship approaches and techniques for those who strive to make a positive impact in their organizations, regardless of their starting point.

In a world facing chronic and increasing shortages in food crops and natural resources, visionary leadership in agriculture becomes more and more critical for building and maintaining a sustainable future. The authors of this book, veteran agricultural educators and administrators, assert the primacy of character in leadership. It is of paramount importance that the dynamic and challenging evolution in agriculture over the last century and a half be met today with imaginative leadership in virtually all aspects of activities and organisations involved.Leadership in Agriculture: Case Studies for a New Generation opens with narrative chapters focusing on key characteristics and elements of leadership. Next, using case studies from research, industry, education, administration, and extension services, the authors present real-world circumstances ranging from natural disasters to major restructuring that demanded problem solving, new initiatives, consensus, and organisational commitment. Drawing on their own experiences and covering topics as diverse as closing facilities, mounting a national research initiative, reinventing a major corporation, and dealing with invasive termites, the studies contain examples of both good and bad outcomes and refer back to the leadership principles and qualities outlined in the opening chapters.

In this complete and approachable manual on grape growing in Texas, Jim Kamas asks the essential question all potential growers need to answer: Why do you want to plant a vineyard? Outlining the challenges and risks to all who think viticulture is a weekend hobby, Kamas then identifies the state’s current grape growing regions and covers everything the commercial or home producer needs to know in order to have a successful vineyard.Well-illustrated text offers chapters on site choice and design, rootstock and fruiting varieties, pruning and training strategies, canopy and floor management, and disease and pest control. Kamas thoroughly explores grapevine horticulture, including the systematics, morphology, nutrition, and water needs of the genus Vitus. Finally, he addresses the issues of equipment and infrastructure before closing with some advice about vineyard-winery relations.Kamas was trained as a student in the grape growing country of western New York by some of the ""best viticultural minds"" in the US, and grape and wine lovers from all parts of the country will find this book a valuable resource.

The astounding success of agricultural research has enabledfarmers to produce increasingly more—and more kinds—offood throughout the world. But with a projected 9 billion peopleto feed by 2050, veteran researcher Gale Buchanan fears thathuman confidence in this ample supply, especially in the US, hascreated unrealistic expectations for the future. Without a workingknowledge of what types and amounts of research producedthe bounty we enjoy today, we will not be prepared to supportthe research necessary to face the challenges ahead, includingpopulation growth, climate change, and water and energy scarcity.In this book, Buchanan describes the historical commitment toresearch and the phenomenal changes it brought to our ability tofeed ourselves. He also prescribes a path for the future, pointingthe way toward an adequately funded, more creative agriculturalresearch system that involves scientists, administrators, educators,farmers, politicians, and consumers; resides in one “standalone” agency; enjoys a consistent funding stream; and operatesinternationally.

In The Rose Rustlers, Greg Grant and William C. Welch offer a personal, in-depth, and entertaining account of some of the great stories gathered during their years as participants in one of the most important plant-hunting efforts of the twentieth century—the quest to save antique roses that disappeared from the market in a notoriously trend-driven business.By the 1950s, almost exclusively, modern roses (those with one compact bloom at the top of a large stem) were grown for the cut-flower market. The large rounded shrubs and billowy fence climbers known to our grandparents and great-grandparents in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries had been reduced to this rather monotonous single style of plant.Yet those roses of old still grew, tough and persistent, in farmyards, cemeteries, vacant lots, and abandoned fields. The rediscovery of these antiques and the subsequent movement to conserve them became the mission of “rose rustlers,” dedicated rosarians who studied, sought, cut, and cultivated these hardy survivors.Here, the authors chronicle their own origins, adventures, and discoveries as part of a group dubbed the Texas Rose Rustlers. They present tales of the many efforts that have helped restore lost roses not only to residential gardens, but also to commercial and church landscapes in Texas. Their experiences and friendships with other figures in the heirloom rose world bring an insider’s perspective to the lore of “rustling,” the art of propagation, and the continued fascination with the world’s favorite flower.

Together We Can recounts effective strategies for institutional change and focuses on collective leadership within the land-grant university system, with reflections on Hiler's long and successful career in academic leadership, both at Texas A&M University and within the larger Texas A&M System.Although many books discuss leadership and organizational change in the private sector, there are relatively few dealing with public-sector entities - especially public land-grant universities and academic agencies - and none on collective leadership, the standard for highly collaborative and interdependent groups and individuals.Hiler draws on more than four decades of academic leadership experiences and personal anecdotes to recount the history of the land-grant system and Texas' place in it. He also distills collective leadership 'principles-in-action' that he believes should sustain such institutions, including Texas A&M, in the future, articulating an unwavering argument that the land-grant mission, through teaching, research, and outreach through extension, remains the single most powerful educational force within our society to equip citizens with the means to adapt to create meaningful opportunities, improve quality of life, and keep the world on a sustainable course amid uncertain times.Bosserman then places Hiler's reflections in the context of institutional change strategies and situational leadership styles to establish a 'do-it-yourself tool kit' that includes effective leadership, collaboration, and mentorship approaches and techniques for those who strive to make a positive impact in their organizations, regardless of their starting point.

In a world facing chronic and increasing shortages in food crops and natural resources, visionary leadership in agriculture becomes more and more critical for building and maintaining a sustainable future. The authors of this book, veteran agricultural educators and administrators, assert the primacy of character in leadership. It is of paramount importance that the dynamic and challenging evolution in agriculture over the last century and a half be met today with imaginative leadership in virtually all aspects of activities and organisations involved.Leadership in Agriculture: Case Studies for a New Generation opens with narrative chapters focusing on key characteristics and elements of leadership. Next, using case studies from research, industry, education, administration, and extension services, the authors present real-world circumstances ranging from natural disasters to major restructuring that demanded problem solving, new initiatives, consensus, and organisational commitment. Drawing on their own experiences and covering topics as diverse as closing facilities, mounting a national research initiative, reinventing a major corporation, and dealing with invasive termites, the studies contain examples of both good and bad outcomes and refer back to the leadership principles and qualities outlined in the opening chapters.

In this complete and approachable manual on grape growing in Texas, Jim Kamas asks the essential question all potential growers need to answer: Why do you want to plant a vineyard? Outlining the challenges and risks to all who think viticulture is a weekend hobby, Kamas then identifies the state’s current grape growing regions and covers everything the commercial or home producer needs to know in order to have a successful vineyard.Well-illustrated text offers chapters on site choice and design, rootstock and fruiting varieties, pruning and training strategies, canopy and floor management, and disease and pest control. Kamas thoroughly explores grapevine horticulture, including the systematics, morphology, nutrition, and water needs of the genus Vitus. Finally, he addresses the issues of equipment and infrastructure before closing with some advice about vineyard-winery relations.Kamas was trained as a student in the grape growing country of western New York by some of the ""best viticultural minds"" in the US, and grape and wine lovers from all parts of the country will find this book a valuable resource.

The astounding success of agricultural research has enabledfarmers to produce increasingly more—and more kinds—offood throughout the world. But with a projected 9 billion peopleto feed by 2050, veteran researcher Gale Buchanan fears thathuman confidence in this ample supply, especially in the US, hascreated unrealistic expectations for the future. Without a workingknowledge of what types and amounts of research producedthe bounty we enjoy today, we will not be prepared to supportthe research necessary to face the challenges ahead, includingpopulation growth, climate change, and water and energy scarcity.In this book, Buchanan describes the historical commitment toresearch and the phenomenal changes it brought to our ability tofeed ourselves. He also prescribes a path for the future, pointingthe way toward an adequately funded, more creative agriculturalresearch system that involves scientists, administrators, educators,farmers, politicians, and consumers; resides in one “standalone” agency; enjoys a consistent funding stream; and operatesinternationally.

In The Rose Rustlers, Greg Grant and William C. Welch offer a personal, in-depth, and entertaining account of some of the great stories gathered during their years as participants in one of the most important plant-hunting efforts of the twentieth century—the quest to save antique roses that disappeared from the market in a notoriously trend-driven business.By the 1950s, almost exclusively, modern roses (those with one compact bloom at the top of a large stem) were grown for the cut-flower market. The large rounded shrubs and billowy fence climbers known to our grandparents and great-grandparents in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries had been reduced to this rather monotonous single style of plant.Yet those roses of old still grew, tough and persistent, in farmyards, cemeteries, vacant lots, and abandoned fields. The rediscovery of these antiques and the subsequent movement to conserve them became the mission of “rose rustlers,” dedicated rosarians who studied, sought, cut, and cultivated these hardy survivors.Here, the authors chronicle their own origins, adventures, and discoveries as part of a group dubbed the Texas Rose Rustlers. They present tales of the many efforts that have helped restore lost roses not only to residential gardens, but also to commercial and church landscapes in Texas. Their experiences and friendships with other figures in the heirloom rose world bring an insider’s perspective to the lore of “rustling,” the art of propagation, and the continued fascination with the world’s favorite flower.