Jeb Fields

Louisiana State University Ag Center

Assistant professor and Extension specialist

What 3-4 professional and/or personal accomplishments are you most proud of? 

• I am an Eagle Scout.
• I created a damned fine baby daughter.
• I am extremely proud of my academic career, from my research to my students’ success; the impact my career has on the world is something I truly hold dear. 

What led you to work in the horticulture industry? 

• It’s in my blood really. My father always loved plants and graduated from University of Florida in a horticultural field. My grandfather was an irrigation and spray tech in the citrus groves before working his way to starting a tractor dealership, which my family still owns to this day. We even had a garden center and retail nursery for a while, too.
• Growing up, I was around agriculture all the time. I would spend countless hours with my dad in the yard working with plants. He also encouraged science, education and a respect for nature. When I was picking a life path, everything I loved seemed to intersect in the horticulture field, so here I am.

What’s the best thing about your job? 

• I get to do what I love, every day. 

Describe to a 6-year-old what you do in life? 

• I get to learn and discover new things EVERY DAY! 

What are your favorite hobbies?

• Cooking
• Traveling
• Camping
• Reading
• Anything that brings the family together

When you’re not working, what are two to three things we could find you doing? 

• Sitting fireside with a nice drink
• Looking through the telescope
• Checking out a random lecture

Do you have any unusual talents, or can you tell us something interesting about yourself that other people may be surprised to find out? 

• I absolutely love astronomy and paleontology. My wife says I have the interests of a toddler, but dinosaurs and space can occupy my mind for hours. I have spent countless hours researching and learning everything I can to the point that I likely know way too much about these topics.
• Also, I love to write essays about my theories and crazy ideas that nobody has ever seen. Mostly about astronomy and the history of the world/prehistory, but also some other philosophical topics. Maybe one day I will publish them under a pseudonym.

One thing you can’t live without? 

• I know I should say my wife and daughter, but definitely my dog, Magnolia — or Maggie as we call her. 

What are you (un)secretly good at? 

• Cooking, I love to pretend to be a master chef. 

What are your top three bucket list items? 

• Learn to fly
• Spend a winter snowed in, in a mountain cabin
• Visit a true dark sky where you can clearly see the sky like it was 1,000 years ago

What’s your favorite plant variety and why? 

• This is unfair and I am going to cheat and go with magnolias (yes, all of them) — such diversity and unique interest.
• The classics give you a warm feeling of simpler times. 

You’re buying a vacation package to anywhere in the world without a budget, where are you going? 

• An adventure in the Alaska backcountry.
• Cities and culture are great to explore, but I’ll take the remote wilderness any day.