Hale interprets and extends information on diet/health, food safety, livestock growth and meat science to consumers, youth, health professionals, retailers, food service managers, packers, processors and livestock producers. He also performs industry applied meat science research, and he is a member of the faculty of food science and technology. Hale has worked with the National Consumer Retail Beef Study, the National Market Basket Survey and the Beef Tenderness Survey, which examined supplies of beef offered at the retail meat case and determined what consumers want in meat products. He also contributes information to many national consumer magazines. Hale is a member of the Texas FoodSafe team, an interdisciplinary group of Extension specialists who examine human food safety issues and agricultural practices. He also works in the area of beef quality assurance, coordinating a web-cd interactive training program.

He received the 1989 Progressive Farmer Magazine's Man of the Year award for service to agriculture in the Southwest, the 2003 Vice Chancellor's Award in Excellence for his contributions as an Extension specialist, and the 2003 Vice Chancellor's Award in Excellence for his contributions as part of the Extension Beef 101 Team. Hale recently completed a term as a director for the American Meat Science Association, and served as chair of the Reciprocal Meats Conference in 2003.