February 6, 2020
 

My name is Michelle Shepherd and I am the new research associate for the Midwest & Eastern Region. I grew up in Richwood, a small rural town in central Ohio. My passion for agriculture originates from spending a lot of time on my grandpa’s grain farm as a child and being very involved in FFA. I graduated twice from The Ohio State University where I received a bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness and Applied Economics and a master’s degree in Horticulture and Crop Science.
 

Out on the drill.
 

As a research associate in the Eastern Region, my job is to help Dr. Don Obert with all aspects of the soft red winter wheat breeding program. This includes planting, managing, and harvesting the yield trials and crossing blocks.
 

Harvesting plots.
 

I started working for Limagrain at the end of May 2019. In my first couple of months on the job, I helped with taking field notes and harvesting our plots in Kentucky and Indiana. Once all the seed had been collected and final selections were made, I began preparing the seed to be planted in the Fall.
 

Emasculating wheat.
 

In December, we worked a lot on making crosses in the greenhouse. This involves emasculating one plant and matching it up with another plant that is starting to pollinate. I have gained a lot of knowledge and experience with wheat in just a short amount of time and I look forward to growing my career here with Limagrain.

~ Michelle Shepherd

Website: http://www.limagrain.com

Published: February 6, 2020