W. Ronnie Coffman

W. Ronnie Coffman is the chair of the Cornell University Department of Plant Breeding & Genetics & Director of International Programs at Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). He is also the Secretary of the Board of Directors at the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications. Coffman serves as a co-director of the USAID-funded Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project (ABSP) II that is run out of Cornell University.

As department chair, Coffman lists his responsibilities as "plant breeding activities related to international agriculture; maintaining a liaison with national and international agencies, foundations and centers and arranging for students to conduct research abroad in cooperation with appropriate institutions; serving as a member of the Graduate Faculty in the Field of International Agriculture as well as the Field of Plant Breeding and Biometry; serving as an advisor to students interested in plant breeding as it pertains to international agriculture, particularly students from other countries and those interested in conducting research abroad."

Selected Publications
Coffman's publications include:
 * Coffman, W. R. 1998. The Future of Plant Breeding in Public Institutions. Proc. Americ. Seed Trade Association. Chicago, IL.
 * Mackill, D. J., D. Garrity, and W. R. Coffman, 1997. Rainfed Lowland Rice. IRRI, Los Baños, Philippines.
 * Coffman, W. R. and D. M. Bates, 1993. History of crop improvement in sustainable agriculture. In M. B. Callaway and C. A. Francis, ed., Crop Improvement for Sustainable Agricultural Systems. University of Nebraska Press.
 * Coffman, W. R. and B. O. Juliano, 1987. Rice. In Nutritional Quality of Cereal Grains: genetic and agronomic improvement. Amer. Soc. Agron., Madison, WI, USA.
 * Hargrove, T. R., V. L. Cabanilla, and W. R. Coffman. 1988. Twenty years of rice breeding. The role of semidwarf varieties in rice breeding for Asian farmers and the effects on cytoplasmic diversity. Bioscience 38: 675-681.
 * McCouch, S. R., G. Kochert, Z. Yu, Z. Wang, G. S. Khush, W. R. Coffman, and S. D. Tanksley, 1988. Molecular mapping of the rice nuclear genome. Theor. Appl. Genet. 76:815-829.

Contact Information

 * W. Ronnie Coffman
 * Chair, Dept. of Plant Breeding & Genetics & Director of International Programs
 * 240 Emerson Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853
 * Ph: (607) 255-2554
 * Fax: (607) 255-9499
 * Web: http://ceem.cals.cornell.edu/theceemproject/training/projectstaff/coffman.htm

Related SourceWatch Articles

 * International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications
 * U.S. State Department Promotion of Agricultural Biotechnology
 * U.S. Department of State Biotechnology Outreach Funds
 * Monsanto's Use of Humanitarian Projects to Open Global Markets to GMOs
 * Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project (ABSP) I
 * Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project (ABSP) II
 * Program for Biosafety Systems
 * Presidential Initiative to End Hunger in Africa (IEHA)

External Articles

 * Peter Gregory, Robert H. Potter, Frank A. Shotkoski, Desiree Hautea, K.V. Raman, Vijay Vijayaraghavan, William H. Lesser, George Norton, and W. Ronnie Coffman, "Bioengineered Crops as Tools for International Development: Opportunities and Strategic Considerations," Experimental Agriculture (2008), 44: 277-299, June 20, 2008.