From Crossroads
to Careers
AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS FACULTY PATHS LEAD TO OSU
I
n the semi-arid, windy Hetao Plains of Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region of Northern China, a young Lixia Lambert established her roots in the Chinese agricultural industry. On the other side of the globe, Dayton Lambert stepped into his education in Ohio. After living and learning all across the world, their paths unexpectedly crossed in West Lafayette, Indiana. The Lamberts met while earning their doctorates in agricultural economics, said Lixia Lambert, assistant professor in agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University. Now, both are faculty members in the OSU Department of Agricultural Economics, but their early journeys were far different. Dayton Lambert, professor and Willard Sparks Chair in Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and began his post-secondary studies in anthropology at Miami University of Ohio. After he completed his undergraduate degree, he earned a master’s degree in cultural anthropology from Rutgers University. After Rutgers, Dayton became a Peace Corps volunteer. “I met Dayton on April 10, 1993, at an airport on our way to volunteer for the Peace Corps in Africa,” said
64 SUMMER/FALL 2022
Michael Wilcox, Purdue University programs in Gabon and Zambia, where Extension assistant director and he trained new volunteers to construct lifelong friend. “We were in North earthen ponds and raise fish. Carolina for a 12-week aquaculture “The Peace Corps is where my training before we were sent overseas interest in agricultural economics to serve the people of West Africa.” and international development really Dayton was sent to Burundi, East began,” Dayton Lambert said. “I really Africa. There, he worked as an exwanted to step back and understand tension agent with the Ministry this more completely from the perof Environment, Agriculture and spective of markets, prices, risk Livestock, teaching aversion, and smallholder farmtechnology adopTHE STUDENTS SEE ers how to grow tion. Agricultural Tilapia in earthen economics was a ponds and how to natural discipline HOW IT IS POSSIBLE integrate aquafor me.” culture into other In 2000, TO BE SUCCESSFUL AS farm operations. Dayton Lambert In 1993, Burundi was accepted to INDIVIDUALS AND AS experienced civil Purdue’s docunrest, which eventoral program tually culminated in agricultural PARTNERS. in the 1994 Rwanda economics, which CHERYL DEVUYST genocide. Dayton is where the Lambert was couple’s paths evacuated from Burundi and re-postcrossed, thanks to their mutual friend ed in Gabon, Central Africa, where he Michael Wilcox. finished his volunteer service. Wilcox and Lixia Lambert started After his service in Gabon, he entheir friendship early in their studies rolled in Auburn University’s graduate at Purdue University. program in fisheries and allied aqua“While I was at Purdue as a strugculture, where he received a master’s gling doctoral student, I met this young degree in 1998. woman named Lixia in my econometThe rare opportunity arose again rics class,” Wilcox said. “I enjoyed her to consult the Peace Corps fisheries to absolutely the end of the earth.
