Recap of the 2021 Western Society of Crop Science virtual meeting

The Western Society of Crop Science (WSCS) is a CSSA branch that comprises western states and provinces in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.

The 2021 WSCS virtual conference took place 22–23 June utilizing Zoom. Olga Walsh, WCSC President, started off Day 1 with a welcome, followed by oral presentations and a student competition. The format included a 12-minute talk followed by a three-minute question-and-answer period. Nine student oral presentations covered irrigation water and nutrient management practices and plant breeding issues for alfalfa, bermudagrass, wheat, and cover crops.

Next was the student poster competition with nine entries. Students prepared and submitted PDF posters and gave three- to five-minute presentations to highlight the research in their posters. The poster topics spanned management practices in wheat, sugar beets, beans, and corn.

On Day 2, the morning program began with three professional poster presentations on wheat, barley, and forages. Next, two professional oral presentations covered pasture grasses and genetically modified alfalfa.

After a break, the WSCS business meeting was held, followed by a virtual gavel transfer from President Olga Walsh (University of Idaho) to the President-Elect Anowarul Islam (University of Wyoming). Former Secretary/Treasurer, Sandya Kesoju (Columbia Basin College) is the new President-Elect, and Rajan Ghimire (New Mexico State University), is the new Secretary/Treasurer. Past President Mark Marsalis (New Mexico State University Agricultural) received warm thanks from the entire board for his dedication and great service to the WSCS over the years.

After the business meeting, awards presentations took place. Every year the WSCS offers the A.K. Dobrenz Student Awards for the best three student presentations. In addition to a cash prize, the first place winner of the oral competition also received a $750 travel stipend to attend the CSSA International Annual Meeting. The 2021 winners of the student oral competition were: First place, Paramveer Singh (New Mexico State University); Second, Hanna R. Burgin (Brigham Young University); Third, Michael Baidoo (University of Wyoming). Poster presentation winners were: First place, Pramod Acharya (New Mexico State University); Second, Karansher Singh Sandhu (Washington State University); Third, Emmanuella Owusu Ansah (University of Idaho).

Special thanks to Beth Jacques, ACSESS headquarters staff, for outstanding efforts to help organize the 2021 virtual meeting; Dr. Vara Prasad, CSSA President, for updating attendees on the present activities, initiatives, and budget of CSSA; and the program section moderators, student oral and poster competition judges, and all of the speakers for making this year’s program successful.