AMES, Iowa – After a nearly 30-year absence, Wesley Everman is finally back home in Iowa and is excited to help farmers tackle the many weed management challenges they face.
Everman started on Nov. 1, coming to Iowa State University by way of North Carolina State University where he spent the last 13 years as professor and extension weed specialist. There he conducted research and extension activities, finding economical solutions to the growing problem of herbicide resistance in weeds.
In addition to his extension appointment, Everman will conduct research and teach an upper level, weed management course in the fall of 2025. He will be housed on campus but anticipates an initially heavy travel schedule, planning a “get-to-know-me” state tour that hits all corners of the state.
“I’ll be arranging small-grower roundtable discussions and will do the same for industry folks, too, so I can better evaluate the most pressing needs across the state,” said Everman. “Getting my face out there and letting folks know who I am, that I’m here, that I’m willing to come to them and get to know their challenges is the goal. I’m hoping this gives me a clearer directive on how to structure my research and which projects are going to be top priorities.
“I really want to be accessible, and I want to directly address challenges across the state,” Everman continued. “Helping growers implement tools that I know work here, or find how best to adapt those tools, so that farmers in Iowa don’t have to make drastic changes. Moving that needle a bit on integrated management practices and control measures that keep resistance at bay. The challenge is to come in and hopefully get those things adopted: it’s a big ask, and it’s a big task.”
Everman stated that he has a direct, applied approach to managing weeds with extension and research going hand in hand. Precision weed mapping and spraying, weed biology and cultural weed management practices including cover crops are just some of the tools Everman intends to deploy to tackle herbicide resistant weeds.
“It’s a big thing for me to return and have an opportunity to make an impact in my home state – herbicide resistance is here and it’s a major concern. I have a lot of experience with herbicide resistant weeds, trying to manage them, and identify tactics and tools that growers can adopt,” Everman said.
Everman can be reached at [email protected].
–ISU Extension
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