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Bob Hartzler Extension Weed Specialist and 2104 Agronomy Hall |
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My motto at work: It takes more than herbicides to keep a good weed down.
What I do: My appointment is 60% extension, 20% research, and 20% teaching (or something close to that - the actual % fluctuate based on a number of factors I don't fully comprehend). The major focus of my extension activities is promoting the adoption of integrated weed management programs for corn and soybeans. My approach is to develop within extension clientele an understanding and appreciation of weed biology and ecology. Hopefully, persons equipped with this knowledge will be better equipped to design holistic weed management systems and recognize the difficulty in relying solely on herbicides for weed control. The weed science web page has evolved into a primary outlet for disseminating information concerning weed management. My goal is to place information on the web that would otherwise be unavailable to growers and others involved in weed management.
My research program focuses on aspects of weed biology that directly impact efficacy of weed management programs. I am particularly interested in the impact of weed seed rain on future weed populations and effectiveness of control tactics. This work has led me to discount the concept of economic thresholds due to the 'cost' of weed seed production on future weed problems. Projects I'm currently involved with include investigating the impact of past management and cultural practices on weed communities found in individual fields. Specifically, we are trying to determine if the level of reliance on Roundup Ready crops and glyphosate is causing measurable shifts in weed communities.
One of the more 'interesting' projects I worked on was a survey of common milkweed across Iowa. Doug Buhler and I decided to conduct this survey after an article appeared in Science expressing concern that the widespread adoption of herbicide resistant crops in the Midwest might impact monarch butterflies by reducing the availability of milkweed. We decided it would be important to determine how much common milkweed occurred in cropland versus other habitats. Shortly after we developed our survey protocol the article reporting the potential for Bt pollen to harm monarchs hit the press, and what we thought was going to be an obscure little study suddenly was of considerable interest to many persons. We have monitored the populations of common milkweed in approximately 100 fields for the past three years to determine whether changes in weed management practices are influencing the prevalence of milkweed in agronomic fields.
In addition to my research and teaching responsibilities, I began teaching Agronomy 317, Introduction to Weed Science, in 2002. Teaching undergraduates is a whole lot different than working with extension clients, and I have a lot to learn. Hopefully I'm not too old a dog to learn new tricks, but I suspect some of my students may look at it that way.
For those desiring more specific information about my activities, click here.
Where I came from:
I’m originally from Ft.
Wayne, Indiana (home of the Ft. Wayne Komets, formerly
of the International Hockey League), one generation removed from the farm.
The thumbnail at the left is a picture taken in 1932 of my grandfather (on
right) and the Sullivan County Extension Agent in a field trial on the family
farm (SW Indiana). So although I grew up selling Converse All Stars at my
dad's sporting goods store, at least there is a history of family involvement in
agricultural research and extension. After being influenced by my high
school biology teacher and Earth Day in 1970, I enrolled in forestry at Purdue,
but eventually ended up in the Plant Protection major (a precursor of IPM).
After completing my B.S., I was employed by a large tree and ornamental care firm in Atlanta, GA. After two
years of spraying trees for non-existent pests, I returned to academia at VPI&SU,
earning a M.S. in weed science. From there I moved to ISU to work on a Ph.D. while holding
a full-time extension associate position. Upon completing my Ph.D.,
I took a job as Asst. Professor/ Extension Weed Scientist at Penn State University.
I returned to Iowa State in my current position in 1989.
Warning: The following contains
information that has nothing to do with
weed management or my job. Please do not proceed if you don't have a sense of humor.
What I do when I’m not doing weeds (I’m not quite sure why you would be interested):
I decided to update this section after about four years, and decided my life is pretty boring since there isn't much to report. Outside of my family (wife and two daughters), the primary things I do for enjoyment are golf, hockey and home brewing.
I probably spend more time on the golf course than I should, but what the heck, life is short. I serve as the director of the Weed Science Invitational Golf Tournament. After a one year hiatus, the WSIGT made a return in 2004. John Hinz (Bayer) and Dawn Nordby (Univ. Illinois) were the mens and womens champions, respectively. I tied for 7th in the Ames City Golf Tournament in 2004, my best showing (possibly an indicator of the decline in the caliber of golfers residing in central Iowa). The 2004 golf season ended on an unusual note on Nov. 21 with me walking off the golf course (while under par I should add) and going straight to the emergency room because of intense chest pains. While I wasn't having a heart attack, I did have 99% blockage of one of the coronary arteries and spent Thanksgiving in the ICU asking for morphine instead of turkey. All's well now except for all the drugs I'm on - just doesn't seem right taking four prescription medicines every morning.
The only sport I pay much attention to is hockey, specifically the Des Moines Buccaneers, a Junior A team in the USHL. Doug Buhler and I held season tickets to the Bucs for six years. Upon hearing that Doug was leaving for Michigan State, my youngest daughter's first response was: "Alright, you won't be going to any more hockey games!!". Unfortunately for Abby, I told her that she and Alice, my older daughter, would have to accompany me to the games from now on. I've succeeded at turning my older daughter into a hockey fan, although I am disappointed that she is into the fighting aspect of the game. I think Alice may be a better judge of hockey than I - she's been saying the team sucks since the first game of the year, whereas I was holding on to false optimism that they had potential. At the mid-season mark they were 3-19-4, guess she knew what she was talking about.
When I’m not playing with my kids,
golfing or watching hockey, I try to keep our chocolate labs
(Ginger and Hershey) out of trouble.
Life was pretty peaceful in the Hartzler backyard until July 2002 when the rest
of the family decided Ginger (lab # 1) was lonely. This came about after
we babysat a lab puppy for a few days for my grad student. After Dawn took
the puppy to her home farm, Ginger went on a hunger strike and the daughters
decided she needed a companion. The Ames Animal Shelter just happened
to have a 4 year old chocolate lab and the rest is history. Hershey
is a nice dog, but I think Blockhead might be a more appropriate name. So
far she has chewed through two seat belts in the van and dug too many holes in
the yard to count. Thank goodness she is four years old rather than a mere
puppy.
My only other hobby is brewing beer, and of course the
obligatory drinking of the finished product. The adjacent label is one of my
favorites - I wish I could take credit for it but it is something I found on the internet.
Although my primary reason for brewing is the enjoyment of making and drinking the beer, Doug Buhler and I have entered the Iowa State Fair home brewing contest since 1997. Doug totally me humiliated in the 2001 Iowa State Fair Contest. Doug was able to capture a Blue and Gold ribbon for his porter, and a White ribbon for his Indian Pale Ale. I failed to win anything (in previous Fair Contests Doug and my beers had been pretty much equal). I was somewhat comforted in that the judges said my beer was very good, but I had entered them in the wrong category. Just as in plant taxonomy, beer drinkers are classified as lumpers and splitters. I'm one of those people who don't see a need for 15 different classes of beer, and therefore am not real good at determining whether I have made an English Brown Ale or an American Brown Ale. Oh well, there's always next year.
My motto when I leave work:
Give a man a beer and he wastes an hour...
Teach him to brew and he wastes a lifetime.
For more information contact:
ISU Extension Agronomy
2104 Agronomy Hall
Ames, Iowa 50011-1010
Voice: (515) 294-1923
Fax: (515) 294-9985
http://www.weeds.iastate.edu