The Weed Science Society of America and its regional affiliates announce the national and regional weed science contest winners.

More than 240 students from 29 universities tested their mettle during the recent 2019 North American Weed Science Contest - an event endorsed by the Weed Science Society of America and its regional affiliates.

This year's contest was hosted by the BASF Midwest Research Farm, the Valent Midwest Agricultural Research Center, and Klein Farms, a multigenerational family farm based in Seymour, Illinois. Sponsors included Bayer, Corteva Agriscience and Syngenta.

The nation's top weed science students competed in multiple events - from identifying weeds to solving complex weed management challenges faced by farmers and land managers.

"It was a great educational experience that offered students a chance to apply what they've learned in the classroom and to network with some of the top talent working in weed science today," says Dawn Refsell, a Valent field development manager who helped organize the event.

NATIONAL WINNERS

Students competed as both individuals and as teams. Kansas State University took top honors at the undergraduate level with team members Dakota Came, Hayden Heigele, Jessica Schauf and Megan Workman. Matt Spoth of Cornell University placed first among undergraduates for individual performance.

Virginia Tech took top honors at the graduate level with team members Shawn Beam, John Brewer, Wykle Greene and Eric Scruggs. Scruggs, a graduate research assistant and master's degree student at Virginia Tech, also placed first among graduate students for his individual performance.

The dual wins by Virginia Tech were hard-earned. The team practiced twice a week for three months, coached by university weed scientists.

Scruggs describes the contest challenges as they encountered when they arrived in Illinois as incredibly realistic - especially the problem-solving scenarios devoted to farmer problems and herbicide symptomologies.

"It was like solving a mystery," he said. "You walk into the field to look for clues and try to figure out what's going on. I hope to work as a tech rep or sales rep after I graduate, and it gave me a great feel for the kinds of situations I might encounter on the job."

REGIONAL WINNERS

In addition to honoring the best overall performances by individuals and teams, regional awards were presented to top-performing students from four weed science societies.

Northeastern Weed Science Society: The graduate-level team from Virginia Tech that placed first in the overall competition also took top honors in this region. Canada's University of Guelph took top undergraduate honors (Matt Fletcher, Aleksander Kus, Kurtis Pilkington and Hannah Symington). Top individual winners were Eric Scruggs of Virginia Tech (graduate) and Matt Spoth of Cornell University (undergraduate).

North Central Weed Science Society: A team from Purdue University took top honors at the graduate level (Jesse Haarmann, Matt Osterholt, Nick Steppig and Marcelo Zimmer), while the undergraduate Kansas State University team placing first in the overall competition also took top honors in the region. Individual winners with the best overall scores were Nick Steppig of Purdue University (graduate level) and Dakota Came of Kansas State University (undergraduate level).

Southern Weed Science Society: A team from the University of Arkansas took top honors at the graduate student level (Rodger Farr, Zachary Lancaster, Grant Priess and Hannah Wright). Zachary Lancaster of the University of Arkansas also took top honors at the regional level for individual performance by a graduate student. Eli Russell of Auburn University took top regional honors at the undergraduate level.

Western Society of Weed Science: A graduate-level team from Kansas State University took top honors at the regional level (Lindsey Gastler, Tyler Meyeres and Malynda O'Day). Hannah Kuhns, a graduate student at the University of Wyoming, took top honors at the individual level.

About the Weed Science Society of America
The Weed Science Society of America, a nonprofit scientific society, was founded in 1956 to encourage and promote the development of knowledge concerning weeds and their impact on the environment. The Society promotes research, education and extension outreach activities related to weeds, provides science-based information to the public and policy makers, fosters awareness of weeds and their impact on managed and natural ecosystems, and promotes cooperation among weed science organizations across the nation and around the world. For more information, visit http://www.wssa.net.

Supporting photos and a complete list of all winners are available for download from the WSSA website at http://wssa.net/winners-of-student-weed-contest.