Let’s meet a few recent additions to our full-time staff. They all began their full-time career with the Carrington REC in March 2020, so we are overdue with introductions.

(In alphabetical order…)

Harley Burgard is a Field-Lab Research Technician in our agronomy program where she continues to provide support to our research programs.  She balances her time between the Lab and the field depending upon priority projects. Harley gained much experience operating the research planters by the end of spring planting! Harley started at the Carrington REC as part of our summer crew for multiple field research seasons. She also provided a ‘bridge’ in coverage during the winter when other staff changes occurred in our Lab.

Harley Burgard is a Field-Lab Research Technician in our agronomy program at the NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center.

Jesse Hafner is a Research Specialist on our Plant Pathology team. Jesse is a recent graduate of NDSU (December 2019, Bachelor of Science in Crop and Weed Sciences) who worked summers at the CREC before taking on more responsibilities and working remotely from campus prior to his graduation. Jesse works closely with droplet size studies.

Jesse Hafner is a Research Specialist on our Plant Pathology team at the NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center.

Melissa (Missy) Hafner is the Agronomy Laboratory Manager-Specialist. She directs the preparation of crops and soils experiments for planting in the spring and manages the processing of samples coming in during the season and after harvest. Her responsibilities extend to field research tasks. Missy worked as a grain quality coordinator at Dakota Growers Pasta Company for many years before coming to the CREC. Missy is also one of the co-founders of JunkFest, an annual vintage market festival featuring makers, vendors, and artisans, held each fall in Carrington.

Melissa (Missy) Hafner is the Agronomy Laboratory Manager-Specialist at the NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center.

Billy Kraft is now a Research Technician in our seedstocks and agronomy programs. Billy’s history with the CREC began as part of our summer crew, before joining our Plant Pathology team full-time where his specialty became keeping miles of misting systems functioning as part of fungicide trials. Billy now provides support for all phases of foundation seedstocks production. As harvest of the first 2020 foundation seed increase fields will soon begin, Billy will be gaining further experience operating the new seed plant under the careful direction of Dave Copenhaver.

Billy Kraft, Research Technician at the NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center.

Linda Schuster
Linda.Schuster@ndsu.edu
Administrative Secretary