UACES Facebook Bathke to supervise foundation seed at Rice REC
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Bathke to supervise foundation seed at Rice Research & Extension Center

By Dave Edmark

U of A System Division of Agriculture

Fast facts:

  • Glenn Bathke brings more than 20 years of experience at Syngenta Seeds
  • Will serve as assistant director of Rice Research and Extension Center

(407 words)

STUTTGART, Ark. – A new assistant director of the Rice Research and Extension Center will be responsible for supervising the Foundation Seed Program administered by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. Glenn Bathke began his duties March 28 as the Rice REC awaits the completion later this year of a new facility to house the program.

Glenn Bathke
Glenn Bathke, new assistant director at the Rice Research and Extension Center in Stuttgart.

Bathke served in a variety of capacities since 1993 at Syngenta Seeds as a product manager for corn genetics for the U.S. and Canada, a product evaluation and advancement scientist, a product development agronomist and a market development agronomist across the central and eastern U.S. Prior to joining Syngenta he was an agronomy and soils faculty member at Clemson University where he also served as the state water quality extension specialist. He was a research soil scientist and holds a doctoral degree in soil physics from North Carolina State University.

“The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is extremely pleased to have Dr. Bathke join us at the RREC,” said Richard Roeder, associate director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. “Dr. Bathke brings a wealth of experience from his former positions with Syngenta and Clemson University. The Division of Agriculture seeks to grow our proprietary seed enterprise in Arkansas as well as regionally.”      

“I am excited to work with a great team of scientists at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and the Rice Research and Extension Center,” Bathke said  “They have a history of producing excellent varieties that help the farmers of Arkansas lead the nation in rice production and also have excellent soybean and wheat varieties to add further support.”

Bathke will work in collaboration with plant breeders and the Division of Agriculture administration to develop and implement marketing strategies to increase adoption of varieties developed by the Division. He will also manage sales and inventory to licensed seed growers and dealers and provide oversight to production and conditioning. Bathke will collaborate with project leaders to facilitate land preparation, rotation crops and irrigation availability for small-plot research.

Foundation seed is seed stock produced from breeder seed under the control of a sponsoring institution. Registered seed is the progeny of foundation seed and used to grow certified seed that is used for crop production. The $8.6 million facility under construction at Rice REC will contain both seed cleaning and storage capabilities with the ability to serve more than 25 rice, soybean and wheat varieties each year.

To learn more about rice production, visit www.uaex.uada.edu or contact your county extension office. 

 The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. 

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Media Contact: Mary Hightower
Dir. of Communication Services
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2126
mhightower@uada.edu

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