Thomas Peters has joined the North Dakota State University Department of Plant Sciences as an Extension Service sugar beet agronomist with an emphasis on weed control.

The position supports sugar beet growers in North Dakota and Minnesota.

Peters also is an assistant professor in the Department of Plant Sciences. His work responsibility is 80 percent Extension and 20 percent research.

He will be collaborating with other faculty and staff, sugar beet cooperatives and allied industries on a systems approach for controlling sugar beet weeds.

Peters was raised on a Stearns County, Minn. dairy farm. He received his bachelor’s degree in agronomy and soil science from the University of Minnesota. He earned his master’s degree in agronomy, specializing in weed science, from the University of Nebraska and his doctorate in agronomy, specializing in weed science from NDSU.

Peters retired from Monsanto after having spent almost 24 years with the company. Most of his career at Monsanto was in the biotech organization where he specialized in corn trait development.

While earning his doctorate at NDSU, Peters was under the supervision of Alan Dexter, a longtime NDSU and University of Minnesota sugar beet weed specialist.

Peters and his wife, Connie, have two children.

""We look forward to Dr. Peters joining the department and working with sugar beet growers and producers in the region,” says Rich Horsley, Plant Sciences Department head.

NDSU Agriculture Communication – March 20, 2014