September 13, 2019
K-State teams perform well at North American Weed Science Collegiate Contest
The K-State Weed Science Teams had a successful showing at the North American Weed Science Collegiate Contest, a national-level contest with universities from around the U.S. and Canada on July 25. There were also regional-level awards.
The four events in the contest include weed identification, farmer problem solving, written calibration problems and team field sprayer calibration, and identification of herbicide symptomology. A total of 241 students competed from 29 different universities, with 16 undergraduate and 51 graduate teams from across North America.
K-State competed with one undergraduate team and two graduate teams. At the national level, the undergraduate team took first place among all undergraduate teams. Members of that team included Dakota Came, Hayden Heigele, Jessica Schauf and Megan Workman. Came was recognized with top individual awards for the weed identification and identification of herbicide symptomology events.
The undergraduate team was recognized for additional awards at the North Central Weed Science Society level. They placed first among undergraduate teams competing in the North Central Weed Science Society. Individual awards included Came, first overall undergraduate score, and Schauf, third overall undergraduate score. Individual event winner was Came in the weed identification and identification of herbicide symptomology events.
The K-State graduate teams competed at the National level, and placed in the Western Society of Weed Science regional-level. One of the graduate teams placed first among all teams competing in the Western division of the contest, with the following members: Tyler Meyeres, Lindsey Gastler and Malynda O'Day. Individual graduate student awards included Meyeres, third overall graduate score. This team also placed first in the Graduate Team Field Sprayer Calibration event. Individual event winners were Gastler, weed identification, and Isaac Effertz, identification of herbicide symptomology. The members of the other graduate team were Ednaldo Borgato, Luke Chism and Effertz.
The teams were coached by Anita Dille, Kevin Donnelly and Dallas Peterson, all professors of agronomy.
The event was co-hosted by BASF, Bayer, Corteva and Valent at their research farms near Seymour, Illinois.