“In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.” ~Mark Twain

Breeders, just like farmers the world over, look to spring planting with hope and anticipation.

Many farmers view the coming spring with the hope of a successful crop, and the anticipation of challenges that inevitably manifest in the form of unpredictable weather patterns, equipment issues and fluctuating commodity prices.

Farmers in the Dakota’s fall somewhere between cautious optimism and nervous angst on years like this, where winter has decided to drift right on through the month of April. They have been cooped up most of the long winter, and know they have a finite window of opportunity to get seeded once the frost starts to come out of the ground. With modern large equipment now at full-ready, much of the spring grains will be planted in the next two weeks, if weather continues to cooperate.

“When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of human civilization.” - Daniel Webster

Hi, I’m Blake Cooper. While we may have never met personally, the chances are good that you’ve grown crops, consumed baked goods, or enjoyed a cool refreshing beer that I may have had a hand in creating at some point in your life. Plant breeding has been my passion for the entirety of my collegiate and professional career. I consider it a great fortune to have spent my life working with, and for, the people who feed our nation.