A distinguished chemist, chemical technologist and developer, author and administrator, Travis P. Hignett received global recognition for his many accomplishments in the fertilizer industry over the course of his career. After 35 years at TVA, Hignett served as a special consultant to IFDC for more than a decade. Often referred to as the “Father of Fertilizer Technology,” Hignett held 15 patents and was the author of more than 150 publications. He received numerous awards, including The Francis New Memorial Medal from the Fertiliser Society of London. In 1994, IFDC dedicated its library as the Travis P. Hignett Memorial Library in honor of his work and accomplishments in the agricultural field.

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The IFDC Library was originally established to provide services for local and outposted IFDC staff engaged in agricultural research, including marketing and plant-nutrient technology, training activities and technology transfer. Industries, businesses, individual scientists and national and international organizations have all benefited from the resources and capabilities of the Library. The growth of the Library collection tripled with the inclusion of all the fertilizer research, agriculture and agronomy books and publications from the TVA Fertilizer Library when the agency closed the TVA Muscle Shoals Research Library in September 2010. The fertilizer subject focus of the Library collection remains unmatched around the globe.