Mississippi State, Mississippi
June 19, 2008
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Mississippi State
University weed science associate professor
Alfred Rankins, left, and his student, Wes
McPherson of Inverness, go outside the classroom
to look for pest problems in greenhouse plants.
(Photo by Jim Lytle/MSU Agricultural
Communications) |
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James “Wes” McPherson had his mind
set on veterinary school three years ago when he began his
freshman year at Mississippi
State University, but his heart refused to listen.
The junior from Inverness grew up tending soybeans and corn on
his stepfather’s farm. The more he thought about leaving the
Delta behind, the more it beckoned. This soul-searching caused
McPherson to face facts and examine options. At stake were
scholastic success and personal satisfaction.
“I had been farming for almost 13 years,” McPherson said. “When
I went home that summer, I decided farming was what I wanted to
do for the rest of my life.”
Back at MSU, McPherson changed his major to integrated pest
management, an interdisciplinary study of entomology, plant
pathology and weed science. He said his choice will create
opportunities to be a better farmer and to start a business as a
crop consultant.
McPherson’s heart is finally content.
“Since I changed my major, I have really enjoyed all my course
work,” he said. “I feel I have learned something from each class
that I can use on the farm.”
MSU began offering integrated pest management as a major within
the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology in the early
1990s as farmers sought agricultural consultants well-versed in
managing a variety of pest problems.
Program coordinator Fred Musser said enrollment in the major
swelled to more than 50 students at the high point of the 1990s.
The 2000s ushered in a wave of pest management tools, such as
biotechnology, boll weevil eradication and remote sensing, that
provide farmers with effective control against many major
insects, diseases and weeds. These advances have altered some
farmers’ perception that consultants are needed, and student
interest in the major dropped.
The good news for students pursuing an integrated pest
management degree is the emergence of new pest problems and the
potential for employment.
Many crop consultants are close to retirement, and new people
will be needed to fill those positions, Musser said.
“With this major, there are more positions to fill than there
are students graduating,” Musser said. “In recent years, we have
had 100 percent job placement within the discipline for our
graduates.”
The integrated pest management curriculum offers students five
areas of concentration:
- Agricultural resources for crop
consulting;
- Agricultural business for combining pest management and
business insight;
- Applied precision agriculture for gaining expertise in
site-specific treatments of pest management;
- Environmental resources for managing natural and forested
habitats; and
- Urban resources for individuals managing pest problems in
populated areas.
“Integrated pest management is a
practical but rigorous curriculum,” Musser said. “Students get a
good dose of all three disciplines.”
McPherson said he enjoys soaking up every scrap of knowledge
within the three disciplines. One of his favorite courses in the
curriculum has been “Introduction to Weed Science” taught by
Alfred Rankins, associate professor of weed management with the
MSU Department of Plant and Soil Sciences.
“I really liked that class because I could apply what Dr.
Rankins covered to situations occurring on the farm,” McPherson
said.
Students majoring in integrated pest management are required to
complete three internships to learn the practical side of pest
management.
“Dr. Musser strongly urged me to do my summer co-op somewhere
other than at home on the farm,” McPherson said. “I discovered a
huge opportunity in soybean consulting after I followed his
advice.”
With his eye on the future, McPherson has sage advice for other
students.
“Do the required co-ops in different areas of agriculture,” he
said.
“This is the best way for a student to learn how research,
consulting and farming all relate within the scope of
agriculture.”
And as McPherson learned, go where the heart leads.
By Patti Drapala, MSU Ag
Communications |
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