J. Neil Rutger

Dr. J. Neil Rutger, 90, of Woodland, Calif., died peacefully on June 6, 2024. Rutger was the former director and chief scientist of the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart, Ark. He retired after 38 years as a US Department of Agriculture rice geneticist in California, Mississippi and Arkansas, and six years on the plant breeding faculty at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Rutger was born to Frank Russell Rutger and Jennie Marie Pearce Rutger on March 3, 1934, on a farm in Noble, Ill., the last of a family of eight children. He rode a horse released by the school to attend a one-room elementary school where he was the only student. As a teenager, he rode his horse 3 miles to the bus stop, left his horse at a farmer's barn, and then rode the school bus 10 miles to attend Noble High School, from which he graduated in 1950. In 1954, he enlisted in the US Army which included service in Regensberg, Germany as an auto mechanic. He earned the Marksmanship and Expert Badges and the Good Conduct Medal and was honorably discharged. He also served in the US Army Reserves for six years, attaining the rank of Sergeant/SP5. He attended the University of Illinois, receiving his BS in Agricultural Science in 1960. He earned his MS in Agronomy in 1962 and his Ph.D. . in Genetics in 1964, both from the University of California, Davis. His first professional position was at Cornell University as an agronomy research scientist. He joined the USDA Agricultural Research Service at Davis in 1970, conducting rice genetic research in the UCD Department of Agronomy. In 1976, Rutger developed the first semi-dwarf table rice cultivar in the United States, Calrose 76, which had a 20 percent yield advantage over tall cultivars. This was followed by another half-year, the M-101, developed by running the Calrose 76 in a crossover program. Calrose 76 became the ancestral semi-poorism source for many additional varieties developed by rice breeders in California, Australia and Egypt. These semi-dwarfs resulted in increased farm yields by 20 percent and thus tens of millions of dollars in increased income for rice farmers. This work was widely recognized by the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna as an example of the successful use of induced mutation in plant breeding. In 1989, Rutger became associate director of the ARS Midsouth Area in Stoneville, Miss., for research in Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. In 1993, he returned to rice research as the first director of the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center, Stuttgart, Ark. In Arkansas he started an indica base expansion program to develop high-yielding indica (tropical) rice adapted to the US. which used to be a Japanese (temperate) rice-growing nation. In 2003, Rutger established the National Oryza Genetic Stock Collection to develop and accumulate specialized genetic stocks for the US rice research community. During his career, Rutger authored or co-authored over 200 papers and released 60 improved germplasm lines and genetic stocks. His many awards included Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He also received the ARS Western Region Scientist of the Year Award, the American Nuclear Society Award for Application of Nuclear Techniques in Food Production, the UCD College of Agriculture Distinguished Alumni Award, as well as California and National Rice Industry Awards . After his retirement, he was inducted into the USDA-ARS Science Hall of Fame in 2009, for demonstrating the utility of mutant induction, evaluation, and integration in rice genetics and breeding. In 2012 he was appointed emeritus professor at UCD. During his career, Rutger traveled to 57 countries on the rice business. His many professional activities included serving as president of the Stuttgart (Ark.) Rotary Club. After retirement, Rutger moved to Woodland to be near his children and grandchildren. He was an active member of the Woodland Sunrise Rotary Club. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 65 years, Peg, and son-in-law Nathan Bohl. Rutger is survived by two daughters, Ann Bohl of Woodland, and Robyn (Bruce) Rominger of Winters, and grandchildren Audrey, Andy and Gage Bohl; and John, Rachel and Justin Rominger. A graveside service with military honors will be held Friday, June 21, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. at Woodland Cemetery. A reception will follow at the Yolo Post 77 American Legion Hall, 523 Bush St., Woodland. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Woodland Sunrise Rotary Foundation, PO Box 8876, Woodland, CA 95776.