Dr. C. E. “Chuck” Caviness

Dr. C. E. “Chuck” Caviness is “Dr. Soybean” in the minds of many mid-south soybean producers due to the tremendous contribution he has made to the soybean industry. Dr. Caviness has released 9 widely adopted varieties of soybeans and for several years Arkansas farmers planted over 50% of their acreages in one or another of his productions. Dr. Caviness earned B.S.A. and M.S. degrees from the University of Arkansas and went on to complete his Ph.D. at the University of Missouri. He began teaching at the University of Arkansas in 1956 and was named Distinguished Professor in 1989. A large number of Dr. Caviness’ former students are now outstanding professional agronomists, plant breeders and teachers. Dr. Caviness’ breeding work in developing disease and stress resistant soybean cultivars has contributed to both increases in production and acreage expansion on land that previously was not suited for soybeans. This effort alone has resulted in Arkansas producers generating millions of dollars over and above the previous potential for this crop. Dr. Caviness coauthored the development of a Soybean Growth Stage Description that is used internationally and has been translated in a number of foreign languages. This was one of the most frequently quoted publications in the scientific literature and became a “Citation Classic.” He has published 38 referred publications and more than 100 technical papers. Dr. Caviness has received numerous awards, including the 1987 American Society of Agronomy Achievement Award—Crops and the 1989 Prosoja Award for outstanding contributions to world soybean research. In addition to his success as a plant breeder and geneticist Dr. Caviness has frequently been invited to speak before professional societies, industrial groups and farmers. The list of honors and awards he has received from diverse groups attests to his ability to communicate clearly with both layman and professional.