 From these platforms, Withycombe's efficient, innovative, and profitable farming methods became a model for farmers across the Pacific Northwest.His stature gained him an appointment as State Veterinarian in 1889, where he would diligently work to improve conditions of livestock health around the state.Although mostly self-educated, he was sought after by the Oregon Agricultural College at Corvallis (now Oregon State University) in 1898 to be the head of the college's experimental farming station.