A new spring wheat breeder for WSU.

Washington Ag Today August 13, 2009 Washington State University has a new spring wheat breeder. He is Michael Pumphrey, a research geneticist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service in Manhattan, Kansas. He will assume his new responsibilities in January of 2010. Pumphrey succeeds former spring wheat breeder Kim Kidwell.

Rich Koenig, chair of the WSU Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, says Pumphrey was the number one choice of the search committee for the spring wheat breeding position.

Koenig: “I think what impressed the search committee and everybody else about him is what he has done in his short career with the USDA. He is working on a large, actually an international project, focused on this Ug99 stem rust that is a concern around the world for wheat areas. He has been entrusted as the leader of this large project, which includes scientists from the U.S as well as some international individuals as well.”

Koenig says WSU had to make counter offer after counter offer competing against the ARS who tried to keep Pumphrey. Koenig says he couldn’t be more pleased with the new WSU wheat breeding team which also includes newly named winter wheat breeder Arron Carter.

Koenig: “I think we landed our two top choices, Arron Carter for the winter wheat position, Michael Pumphrey for the spring wheat position. We hired the young guns and we are excited to so what they can do.”

I’m Bob Hoff on the Northwest Ag Information Network.