Back in the mid-1800s, Gregor Mendel was making notes of his observations of the inheritance of traits in pea plants in the garden at an abbey in what is now the Czech Republic. From his observations came his work Experiments on Plant Hybridization, which set the foundation for the academic discipline of genetics.

We’ve come a long way since then. Rapid scientific advancements, using new knowledge based on genomics and bioinformatics, are adding to the breadth and depth of plant breeding study and practice. Global conditions and looming shortages of food, fuel, and fiber are making the work of plant breeders of increasing importance to the future of our world. In fact, the demand for qualified plant breeding professionals far exceeds the supply available to industry, government, and academia.

That’s where the land-grant mission of the University of Illinois comes into play. At the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, we’ve long served as a hub for plant breeding research and training through the work of faculty in our Department of Crop Sciences and Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences.

This summer, the College of ACES emphasized its commitment by establishing the Illinois Plant Breeding Center.

The Center’s vision is to serve as the premier resource for transforming students into skilled and innovative plant breeders to meet the needs of the seed industry, while also serving as a national model for education and research in plant breeding. Realizing this vision will be no easy task, but I am confident that our talented faculty members are up to the challenge.

The College of ACES is proactively recruiting gifted students for the Illinois Plant Breeding Center. This fall, the Center was able to offer 12 graduate fellowships to outstanding students interested in plant breeding. The College is also fostering partnerships with leaders in the plant breeding industry for graduate student support. In fact, it is $1.3M in new graduate funding from Monsanto Company and Pioneer Hi-Bred International that is undergirding 10 of our Plant Breeding Fellows this year. It will be the generous donations of industry leaders like these, along with the support of alumni and friends of the College, which will make the ongoing excellence of the new Plant Breeding Center a reality.

With your help, I am confident that the Illinois Plant Breeding Center will leverage the financial, human, and technical resources necessary to produce the next generation of vibrant and talented plant breeders ready to address and solve the agricultural challenges facing our state and our world.

Robert A. Easter, Dean