Dr. Lines, reared on a farm in New York state, received his BS degree in 1963 from Cornell University; he received his MS degree from Cornell University in 1969; and he received his PhD from Purdue University in 1973. His career at Ohio State focused on the development and implementation of Extension education programs that enhanced the economic decision-making skills of farm and agribusiness managers. He taught courses in farm management, farm finance and agribusiness finance. Dr. Lines was responsible for the popular OSU Economic and Agricultural Outlook Extension education program and initiated the development and publication of the OSU Farm Enterprise Budgets. He remains active as an agricultural consultant in Ohio, the U.S. and in international agriculture.