Personnel

Charlie Rife, Ph.D., is a crop breeder who has been specializing in canola and camelina for nearly 20 years.

After graduating from the University of Wyoming, he pursued his Ph.D. in Agronomy and Plant Breeding from Kansas State University. He then joined the KSU Agronomy department as a Research Assistant Professor, Research Associate, and Project Leader until 2004.

Charlie then turned his eyes toward the biodiesel industry, joining Blue Sun Biodiesel as the Oilseed Crop Breeder and Agriculture Project Manager. In 2010, he left Blue Sun to found High Plains Crop Development as a research and consulting firm to assist and collaborate with regional producers and researchers.

Years of working in the agriculture industry have created key relationships with top researchers at Kansas State University, Colorado State University, the University of Wyoming, and the University of Nebraska.