Starkey Selected for Bayer CropScience GRAD Program

By Jim.Robinson|July 20, 2010

Bayer CropScience is sponsoring Clay Starkey in its inaugural Graduate Recruiting and Development (GRAD) Program with the University of Arkansas.

The Bayer CropScience GRAD Program is designed to provide tuition assistance to university students who continue their education in agricultural sciences. Participants in the program were selected by a team of both university and Bayer CropScience staff based on academic achievements, agricultural focus of studies, interest in pursuing a career in an agriculture-based research industry and willingness to commit to the work program.

“Bayer CropScience is committed to helping sustain our nation’s farmers and food supply, as well as a future leader of the agriculture industry,” said Adrian Percy, vice president of development and market support. “We believe students such as Adam will build an even stronger interest and commitment to this mission through their experience with the GRAD program.”

A native of Illinois, Starkey earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Business Economics with a minor in Plant and Soil Sciences from Southern Illinois University in May 2009. His GRAD research project, Control of Herbicide Resistant Weeds using Ignite and HPPD Herbicides, involves studying the evolutionary dynamics of barnyardgrass, populations. The expected long-term benefit is to gain an understanding of how resistance develops and spreads and use this information to develop weed management plans to extend the effective life of products like Ignite herbicide.

The GRAD program is providing me valuable field experience and learning opportunities,” said Starkey. “Arkansas’s wide variety of herbicide resistant weeds will provide for the best research for controlling these resistant biotypes with Bayer CropScience herbicides. I’m looking forward to the work with HPPD chemistries and Ignite.”