Ollie Ezekiel Reed. By his work as well as by his position Ollie E. Reed is one of America’s foremost authorities on dairy husbandry. He holds that chair in the Kansas State Agricultural College at Manhattan. While Professor Reed has contributed extensively to standard works on agriculture and stock raising, all his writings bear the earmarks of practical experience, and the value of his teaching has been largely as practical demonstrator of the most effective methods to be employed particularly in dairy husbandry.
He has always lived in close touch with the soil and its products. He was born on his father’s farm near Fayette in Howard County, Missouri, August 19, 1885. His parents, William L. and Annie E. (Manion) Reed were both born in Kentucky. Reared on a farm, Mr. Reed attended country schools, graduating in 1903 from the high school at Moberly, Missouri, and then continued his education in the scientific and agricultural departments of the University of Missouri, from which he was graduated in 1908 bachelor of science in agriculture. In 1908-09 he taught dairy husbandry at the Missouri State University and in 1909-10 was instructor in the same subject at Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana. In 1910 the University of Missouri conferred upon him the degree Master of Science.
Since the fall of 1910 Professor Reed has been connected with the Kansas State Agricultural College at Manhattan, at first as assistant professor of dairy husbandry and since 1911 as full professor of that subject. In 1910 he married Miss Lucy Ann Lee.
Among his practical contributions to the science and business of the livestock industry should be mentioned his aid in solving the problem of making silage from alfalfa and also his effective work in building up a dairy hard which is undoubtedly equal to that maintained by any institution in the United States. Many valuable bulletins have been issued under his authorship or editorship. One of these that has proved of greatest value to cattle men is a treatise on sorghum crops for silage. He was also an associate editor in the one volume work on “Dairy Cattle and Milk Production.” He contributed the dairy chapters of an agricultural text book now used in Kansas and elsewhere, and is also author of the dairy chapters in Doctor Waters’ work on Essential Agriculture.
He is a member of the honorary agricultural fraternity, Alpha Zeta and of the honorary college fraternity Phi Kappa Phi. He is a Master Mason and a member of the Christian Church.