David Uhr

Regional Corn Breeding Leader

Dow AgroSciences

Mount Vernon, IN USA

“No matter what perspective you come from, it’s amazing to see the natural world as it is and yet find ways to improve on it, to create something new.”

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By Roadtrip Nation

David Uhr

Milestones

My road in life has been direct.

Grew up in a small town in northern Florida.

His father was a forester and they would spend a lot of time in the woods where he would teach him about trees and plants.

When he was young, his grandfather helped him plant a small garden on his farm—says this is what sparked his early interest in agriculture.

Once in high school, he began expanding the garden and producing enough food from it to use on a regular basis.

In college, he decided to pursue agronomy, the science of soil management and crop production—says, “If I was going to spend my life doing something, I would rather be feeding the world”.

After graduate school, he moved to Kentucky and opened a research facility studying corn hybrids.

When that facility closed, he got a job doing research on corn breeding in Indiana and has been there ever since—he is now one of the leading corn breeders for Dow AgroSciences.

Says to succeed in this kind of farming, you have to be a really good business person and have a thorough understanding of how to grow crops.

Keep following my journey

Education

High School

Bachelor
Agronomy and Crop Science
Iowa State University

Doctorate
Agronomy and Crop Science
North Carolina State University at Raleigh

Career

Regional Corn Breeding Leader

I lead a corn breeding research station with the goals of developing commercial inbreds for the U.S.

Career Roadmap

My work combines:

Environment & Nature

Science

Problem Solving

Day to Day

We are in the seed business. I work to develop a hybrid that will help farmer's businesses increase production. In order to create a hybrid, you have to have two "parent" plants to cross breed. Part of my work is to develop those parent plants in a nursery that will contain the traits we desire in future generations (disease resistant, good kernel quality, pollen shed, etc.). The other part of my work is testing the hybrids we create to ensure performance and yield in a variety of environments.

Advice for Getting Started

Here's the first step for college students

Get out there and get involved. To succeed, you need a solid support structure. Join a club, find a mentor, network, and find the people doing what you are doing.