Gale A. Buchanan is a native of Madison County, Florida. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Agronomy from the University of Florida in 1959 and 1962, respectively, and the Ph.D. in Plant Physiology, with minors in Botany and Agronomy, from Iowa State University in 1965.

Dr. Buchanan spent the first 21 years of his professional career with Auburn University in the Department of Agronomy and Soils, with primary teaching and research responsibilities in weed science. He served as Dean and Director of the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station from October 1, 1980 to September 30, 1985.

On April 14, 1986, he was appointed Associate Director of the Georgia Agricultural Experiment Stations and Resident Director of the Coastal Plain Experiment Station in Tifton, Georgia. He served as Interim Director of the Georgia Agricultural Experiment Stations from June 1994 to February 1995. He became Dean and Director of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences March 1, 1995, and served until 2006. He retired from the U.S. Army National Guard in 1992 and holds the federally recognized rank of Colonel 0-6 (ret).

He was nominated by President Bush in 2005 to serve as Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 12, 2006.