Friends of the Arboretum Lecture

"Outlook for Turkey's Agriculture"
S. Metin Kara, Ph.D. Department of Field Crops, Ordu University, Ordu, Turkey

Canceled

• Thursday, August 15, 2013 — 7:30 pm - 9 pm

Note: Metin had to return to Turkey unexpectedly. His FOA Lecture has been canceled, but it can be viewed online.

Turkey, with a wide range of climatic conditions and rich natural resources, has a high agricultural potential which enables the cultivation of several crop species. Agriculture still plays an important role in the economy of Turkey, but its share has declining gradually in the last years. With increased research and investments in agriculture, productivity and profitability are expected to increas in the years ahead so that the country can economically benefit from its natural resources.

About Metin Kara

Metin's study areas include oil crops (soybean and rapeseed) and medicinal and aromatic plants. He spent 15 years as a researcher at the Black Sea Research Institute of Ministry of Agriculture, Turkey, after receiving his B.Sc. from Cukurova University, Turkey, in 1980. With an M.Sc. from the University of Nebraska, and Ph.D., he is currently a member of the Faculty of Agriculture at Ordu University, Turkey.

Years ago, after joining a seven-month-course on wheat breeding at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico, Metin made a one-week visit to Kansas State University on his way going back to his home country, Turkey. It was a splendid time for him and he was deeply impressed. Metin dreamed of coming back to the United States which came true three years later when he became a graduate student in the Department of Agronomy at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. After twenty years, Metin's back in the United States, this time as a visiting scientist in the Department of Horticultural Science at NC State University. Studying abroad runs in the family. Metin's son, Ömer, is a graduate student at NC State and his daughter, Göknur, is also a visiting scientist at NC State.