CHS Alumni Speaks At Twilight Garden Club

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In 2013, Twilight Garden Club awarded its Mary Alice Butcher Scholarship to Clinton High School Senior, Matthew Wilson. This year, Matthew was contacted by Twilight Garden Club Member, Martha Lowe, and he agreed to be the Speaker for the club’s March meeting.
After graduating from Clinton High School, Matthew went on to achieve his Associate Degree from State Fair Community College. At Mizzou, he earned his Bachelor of Plant Science Degree with an emphasis in breeding, genetics, and crop management. He is currently working on a Master Degree in Plant Science at Mizzou while working for Lange, a Research and Consulting Firm in Columbia.
There is a system of pesticide regulations, put in place from the laws written and passed by our Congress and enforced by agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, to protect pesticide applicators, consumers, and the environment. There are many areas of research that are done and a multitude of tests a product must undergo before being made available to the public. Efficacy, residue, dissipation, worker exposure, pollinator health, and crop yield are just a few of the areas in which Lange provides results they received from their on-site testing as well as their mobile lab.
Matthew also talked about the failsafe, global seed storage facility and how the individual seeds were chosen and the tests the seeds had to undergo. Many heirloom varieties of corn were chosen from precise locations in Missouri. Matthew’s research project for his master’s degree is on the effects and tolerance of herbicide applications on heirloom corn.
Matthew ended his program by going over the process of plant breeding at home. Roses, daylilies, and iris are common perennials gardeners are usually interested in trying. He warned that it can be a very long process that requires a lot of patience!
Twilight Garden Club members enjoyed visiting with Matthew and wish him continued success in his chosen field.