NEWS FLASH: SFA Horticulture Students Come Away With Awards in Regional Competition

A team of Horticulture majors traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, to attend the annual conference of the Southern Region American Society for Horticultural Science, January 30 – February 2, 2009.  The team of undergraduates Chris Capp, Andrea Schroeder, Carnan Anderson, and Rebecca Pledger competed in the J. Benton Storey Undergraduate Student Horticulture Judging Contest...

Besides taking the first place team award, they took first place team for woody ornamentals, 3^rd place team for greenhouse/floral crops, and 2^nd place team for Vegetable crops.  In addition, Chris Capps took high scoring individual in the entire contest and first place individual in woody ornamentals.  Horticulture professor and Horticulture Club advisor Jeff Adkins, said “While it’s great to beat the likes of Texas A and M, the University of Georgia, Arkansas and others, events like this provide a unique opportunity to interact with peers from similar institutions and to be recognized by horticultural professionals outside of SFA. Participation also serves to broaden the student’s prospects for employment or graduate school opportunities in addition to bringing prestige to the SFA horticulture program.” Ms. Lijing Zhou, PhD candidate in the College of Forestry and Agriculture presented the results of her salinity work with baldcypress in the poster session.  Dr. David Creech, Professor of Horticulture, presented two oral papers, one dealing with the developing blueberry industry in China, and another on the significant woody ornamental collections in the SFA Mast Arboretum.

IMAGE, LEFT TO RIGHT:  Chris Capps, Carnan Anderson, Andrea Schroeder, Rebecca Pledger, and advisor Dr. Jeff Adkins.