Dale Hess

Collegiate Program Director
Associate Professor of Agroecology

B.A. Millersville State College, 1976
M.S., Purdue University, 1984
Ph.D., Purdue University, 1989

Contact info
Office: Merry Lea
Phone: (260) 799-5869
E-mail: dhess@goshen.edu

How I became an agroecologist
My interest in the natural world manifested itself early in childhood. My aptitude for the natural sciences was confirmed in high school, and in college I chose to major in biology. Following a volunteer term in Burkina Faso with Mennonite Central Committee, I undertook graduate training in botany and plant pathology, rounding out my training as a plant scientist with a terminal degree in genetics and plant breeding. While working as a plant pathologist in West and Central Africa I became acutely aware of the need to emphasize sustainability in food production systems and this became an integral part of my research and training program. Wes Jackson has pointed out that we are living in the "Prodigal Era" when most of the topsoil and most of the fossil fuels will be used up. I wish to help students understand the importance of developing local food economies supplied by local producers and supported by local consumers.

Ideas that matter to me
Creation, in all its amazing diversity and complexity, declares God’s glory. We are privileged to study and learn about the natural world through scientific investigation. And we find, as have those who have gone before us, that the more we explore and find out, the more manifest God becomes in creation. It is important to me to use my gifts to serve God through service to others and to bear witness to the great good news of the gospel.

The classes I teach and how I teach them
I teach/coordinate the four courses of Merry Lea's Agroecology Summer Intensive as well as Botany of Seed Plants. It is important to me to cultivate in students a curiosity and love of learning that will grow throughout life. And I want them to realize that learning is a collective and cooperative undertaking. Some learning is achieved through traditional lecture and laboratory sessions, but we take advantage of the natural laboratory that is Merry Lea to learn through hands-on doing.

Research Interests
I serve as curator of the Merry Lea Herbarium and contribute to cataloging the biodiversity found in Merry Lea’s 1,189 acres through collecting and identifying Merry Lea’s flora. My primary research interest is integrated management of crop pests and diseases.

Selected Publications:

Yonli, D., Hess, D.E., Abbasher, A.A., Sereme, P. & Sankara, P. 2005. Biological control of witchweed in fields of Burkina Faso using isolates of Fusarium oxysporum. African Crop Science Journal 13: 41-47.

Haussmann, B.I.G., Hess, D.E., Omanya, G.O., Folkertsma, R.T., Reddy, B.V.S., Kayentao, M., Welz, H.G. & Geiger, H.H. 2004. Genomic regions influencing resistance to the parasitic weed Striga hermonthica in two recombinant inbred populations of sorghum. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 107: 1005-1016.

Hess, D.E., & Dodo, H. 2004. Potential for sesame to contribute to integrated control of Striga hermonthica in the West African Sahel. Crop Protection 23:515-522.

Hess, D.E., Bandyopadhyay, R. & Sissoko, I. 2002. Pattern analysis of sorghum genotype x environment interaction for leaf, panicle and grain anthracnose in Mali. Plant Disease 86:1374-1382.

Presentation topics
I am available to speak to groups about topics in agriculture, plant health, and social consequences of various agricultural systems.

Personal Interests
Bicycling, gardening, languages, music, photography, reading, and stamp-collecting.

Countries Visited
Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, D.R. Congo, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Ghana, Great Britain, Guinea Bissau, Holland, India, Japan, Kenya, Mali, Mexico, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda.

Have You Considered?

"The first principles of agroecology appear to be essentially the same as the first principles of human happiness:
Life has purpose;
Life is interconnected;
Life is good."

John Ikerd

"If we could think locally,
we would take far better care of things than we do now.
The right local questions and answers will be the right global ones."

Wendell Berry

About Merry Lea

Dale Hess Collegiate Program Director Associate Professor of Agroecology

Dale Hess

Collegiate Program Director
Associate Professor of Agroecology