Western Illinois University Weed Science Team Wins North Central Weed Science Society Competition
The Weed Science Team from the Western Illinois University School of Agriculture recently captured first place in the undergraduate division of the North Central Weed Science Society competition in July in Fargo, N.D.
The team was made up of agriculture science majors junior Dustin Steinkamp, of Coatsburg, IL; senior Luke Bergschneider, of Franklin, IL; junior Jacob Johnson, of Geneseo, IL; and junior Stephanie Reiter, of Hebron, IL. The students are coached by WIU Agriculture Professor Mark Bernards.
Steinkamp received first place in weed identification, while Bergschneider received first place in herbicide identification and farmer problems. Bergschneider and Johnson won first and second place respectively in the undergraduate overall individual competition.
“Dr. Benards has done a fabulous job in the classroom preparing us,” said Johnson. “WIU has the most underrated agricultural undergraduate program in the Midwest, period.”
WIU alumna Claudia Bland, a Spring 2020 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture, received second place overall in the graduate competition and first place in the herbicide identification graduate division. Bland is now a graduate student at Purdue University.
For more information about the WIU School of Agriculture, visit wiu.edu/agriculture.
