Oregon State University Libraries and Press

Shaun Townsend Oral History Interview #1, May 7, 2014

Oregon State University
Transcript
Toggle Index/Transcript View Switch.
Index
Search this Index
X
00:00:05 - Early life, university, and present work with brewers

Play segment

Partial Transcript: So let's start with an easy question and that is the where did you grow up and how did you get here question.

Segment Synopsis: Shaun talks briefly about his childhood, his time at university, his interest in plants and his current work in breeding hops for craft brewers.

Keywords: Montana; Shaun Townsend; USDA; craft beer; craft brewing; hops; hops breeding; hops breeding program

00:06:20 - Early hops research + Reusing plant material

Play segment

Partial Transcript: Going back in time, the people who came before you--we had an email exchange about this at one point--How much do you go back to that early research?

Segment Synopsis: Shaun talks about using the hops research from the 40s and 50s as well as how he uses and reuses plant material.

Keywords: 1940s hops research; cascade hops; hops; hops breeding

00:11:53 - Collaboration between hop yards and student workers

Play segment

Partial Transcript: So what about the collaborative nature, having worked with John Henning and working with Dave Gent, physically where people's labs are.

Segment Synopsis: Shaun talks about what is shared between the three hop yards/labs and how many student workers they each keep on.

Keywords: Dave Gent; John Henning; collaberation; hop yards; hops breeding; hops research

00:14:12 - Tom Shellhammer's Lab, changes to the field, and Townsend's current work

Play segment

Partial Transcript: What do you think the biggest change in how research has been done in just the--this would be the same filed they would have been doing research on in the 30s, right?

Segment Synopsis: Shaun talks about his current work, what's changed in the field, and how old questions still affect the research.

Keywords: Tom Shellhammer; chemical analysis; craft brewing; experimental hops; hops; hops research; pesticides

00:21:07 - Closing Statements, favorite hops, hop growth and yield, and information sharing between programs

Play segment

Partial Transcript: So my--I don't know if you guys have any questions, but my last question is what's your favorite part.

Segment Synopsis: Shaun closes the interview by talking about his favorite hops, what the process of harvesting and processing hops looks like for him, and about sharing information and answering questions from around the country.

Keywords: Hops Research Council; craft brewing; hops breeding program; hops extension agent; processing hops