It was only logical when Ray Scott set out to develop the absolute best food plot products available, he would search out the absolute best forage researcher to head the project.  And that’s exactly what he got in Dr. Wiley Johnson.

Little did Scott know that when he was searching for the man responsible for a highly productive clover he had used, he would find him at his own alma mater, Auburn University.  When Scott gave Dr. Johnson an open-ended commission to develop what would become the now-famous Imperial Whitetail Clover, he didn’t bat an eye.

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Along with the various plant breeds Dr. Johnson has developed while at the Whitetail Institute, the world-renowned plant breeder has also developed many other forages during his 35-year career at Auburn University.  Many are still widely used today.

Dr. Johnson began his academic career at Wake Forest University where he received a B.S. degree in General Sciences.  From there he studied at North Carolina State where he received a B.S. and Masters degree in Agronomy.  Finally he moved to Cornell University where he received his Ph.D. in plant breeding.  After one year of teaching at Cornell, Johnson moved to Auburn where he held several positions including Chairman of the Plant Breeding Unit Committee.  He also became a much-loved professor and in 1990 was selected Outstanding Teacher in the prestigious College of Agriculture.

Scott is not surprised at the honor.  He once asked the professor how many students he flunked and Johnson told him, “Ray, I don’t flunk anybody.  I teach them.”

With his clipboard in hand, inspecting test plots or working with seedlings in the green house, Dr. Johnson is a familiar sight at the Institute.  However, his interest in agronomy isn’t all business.  At home he is an avid gardener for flowers and vegetables and is constantly sharing his produce with Institute staff.