Dr. Tom Isleib passed earlier this year. The following is something I wrote as a tribute to Tom and how he influenced me over the years.

When I interviewed for my current position in 1996, the person I spent the most time talking with was Tom Isleib. I had never met Tom until that interview. He completed his PhD at NC State under Johnny Wynne’s direction just before I was an undergraduate at NC State and then joined the faculty while I was in graduate school and working as a weed scientist in rice and soybean production systems in another part of the world. Tom had been on the faculty for a few years at NC State when I started my current position. Even though I did not know Tom at the time, when I would ride back and forth from home to Raleigh as an undergraduate, between Williamston and Everetts there were fields with a lot of dead peanuts and a few survivors in little squares. Eventually it became obvious these were research plots. At the time, I had no idea of what a research plot was. Those fields were a curiosity and opened my eyes to agricultural research designed to help farmers. The fields were full of black root rot, and they included the latest experimental lines that had possible resistance to this disease compared with varieties farmers were growing. As I look back now, Tom might have had more of an impact on my career decisions than I thought when I think of those rides to and from school. The conversation in the Brownstone parking lot during my job interview started a friendship and professional relationship. But I think, as I look back now, Tom was speaking to me through the breeding lines in those CBR-infested fields between Williamston and Everetts in the early 1980s.

There are many memories I will carry with me about Tom. Over the years, Tom and I worked together on various initiatives and projects. I observed Tom solve numerous problems for growers through his variety releases. As time went by, the varieties performed better and better and brought more to the table for North Carolina growers and the V-C Region in general. Along the way, Tom’s whit, sarcasm and humor made the journey through those improvements in varieties enjoyable – and they kept us all on our toes too. If sarcasm was ever considered a spiritual gift, Tom had it in abundance. Constructive sarcasm can help us all move down the road to where we need to be.

On a more technical note, a few years ago I was asked by a prominent researcher to give an estimate of the contributions of A. cardenasii segments to disease resistance and cultivar development. Bailey is an example of a successful variety with this element. In Extension, we are often asked to give estimates of the economic impact of our programs. As I provide my estimate of one of Tom’s contributions, I am reminded of what Alan York, a rather straightforward weed scientist who worked in peanuts years ago, told Extension agents. Just make sure the impact you report does not exceed the total value of the crop for the state. With that caution in mind, the following was my answer to the question about the contributions of A. cardenasii to Bailey and subsequently the peanut industry in the V-C region. This estimate is just a fraction of Tom’s numerous contributions to the peanut industry.

I would say for a decade, Bailey along with other changes had a huge impact on peanut yields in North Carolina. In addition to Bailey, longer rotations between peanuts, production of peanuts on more appropriate soils after changes in farm legislation in 2003, availability of plant protection products for most pests that develop, improvements in other technologies, and excellent management helped create an environment for yields to currently average 4000 pounds per acre. For much of that time, growers could apply four sprays rather than the traditional five sprays. Production in the V-C Region was likely around 200,000 acres with about 65% in Bailey (130,000 acres.)  Compared to the older varieties, I think yields per acre increased by 400 pounds with Bailey. My estimate is 700 pounds per acre total (average yield change after 2003 up to now) considering the contributing factors listed above along with the 400 pounds per acre from Bailey. Assuming $0.23 per pound, that is $92 per acre. Using the 130,000 acres, the increase was $12 million USD per year compared with what older varieties would have delivered. Over a decade, that is $120 million USD. For the savings in fungicide, that would be $10 per acre on half of the 130,000 acres per year for 10 years ($13 million USD.) The total estimate of the value of Bailey for a decade is $127 million USD.

Bailey has been replaced by Bailey II, and this new version sits at the top of the list for Virginia market types. In addition to the continued high yield, Bailey II is the high-oleic version of Bailey. Everyone benefits from its fatty-acid profile in the in-shell trade. I won’t even try to estimate the economic value of Bailey II. It would be a really big number, and Tom’s hand would be right in the middle of that success.