The SON Industry and Graduate Student Committees joined forces and organized the SON Student & Post-Doc West Coast Tour in early April 2024.  Hosts from various crop protection industries shared with the student and post-doc participants real-world aspects of University, Government, Growers, and Industry research and activities. This tour provided valuable insights to crop protection strategies and developments. Furthermore, the participants built new connections and increased their networking capabilities, meeting and discussing with top of the line scientists, researchers, and cooperators.

A Southeast Coast Tour  was offered in June of 2024. The final schedule was:

7:00 pm: Welcome social at local restaurant 

7:00 am: Breakfast in hotel 
7:45 am: Leave the hotel direction to University of Georgia, Tifton.   
8:00 am to 9:30 am: Dr. Timothy Brenneman – Plant Pathologist Professor, Peanut and Pecan Disease Management. University of Georgia, Tifton.
9:30 am: Leave for Bayer station. 
10:00 am to 12:00: Dr. Scott Russell – Entomologist and Field Development Representative at Bayer station in Tifton, GA.  
12:00 – 12:45 pm: Lunch sponsored by Bayer.
12:45 pm: Leave to the Corteva station in Cairo, GA 
2:00 pm 5:00 pm: Dr. Andy Shirly, Plant Pathologists and Field Scientist at Corteva station in Cairo, GA.  

5 pm: Dinner sponsored by Corteva.

Depart for the Hotel in Tifton.    

7:00 am: Breakfast in hotel. 
7:30 am: Leave the hotel direction to Byron GA. 
9:00 am – 11:00 am: Dr. David Shapiro-Ilan, USDA, Byron, GA. 
11:00 – 1:00 pm: Drive from Byron to Tifton and have lunch on the way at Buc-ee’s.  
1:00 – 5:00 pm: Visit a government, university, and industry scientists:

Dr. Richard Davis & Dr. Lesley Schumacher

– USDA,

Dr. Intiaz Chowdhury – UGA,

Dr. Clemen Oliveira – Certis Biologicals.  

5:00 pm: Dinner at UGA-Black Shank farm sponsored by Certis Biologicals.

Thanks to our sponsors who facilitated this opportunity! There is a hope to provide these opportunities every other year.