Eckhoff Appointed Interim Superintendent Of EARC

The Montana State University has appointed agronomist Dr. Joyce Eckhoff as interim superintendent for the Eastern Agricultural Research Center (EARC), Sidney. Eckhoff takes over the position vacated by Dr. Jerry Bergman, who retired from the EARC to accept the position of director at the Williston Research and Extension Center.

Eckhoff’s duties include 25% administration, 60% research and 15% outreach activities. Administrative responsibilities include general oversight of new construction or renovations, general operation and management of the existing facility and equipment, budget development and prioritization, and personnel management.

Eckhoff’s outreach responsibilities and her duties as an agronomist will remain the same.

Eckhoff has as part of her overall focus for the EARC the securing of additional funding for the research center system. “The budget gets cut and cut and cut,” she remarks. “This is starting to hurt our ability to conduct research. Because of lack of funding, we not only need to reduce the scope of our research, but we also can’t hire the help necessary.”

She continues, “The need to produce more food for a growing population continues to escalate. The increasing demand for more production, coupled with the decreasing amount of land available for farming, presents serious challenges. We need agricultural research to help our farmers and ranchers survive and to help them become more efficient so they can produce as much as possible.”

Eckhoff also hopes that MSU will hire another researcher for the EARC. “We want to hire another scientist,” she says. “However, the focus and scope of any new research has not yet been determined.”

Eckhoff has served as agronomist at the EARC for the past 26 years. Along with her duties as superintendent, she will continue her research on crop management and on durum breeding.