Three UNL seed-industry professionals are well on their way to feeding and energizing the world: Amy Gonzalez, Dylan Ward and John Maxwell.

Gonzalez and Ward, both from Syngenta, and Maxwell, from Condor Seed Production, recently earned their Plant Breeding and Genetics Certificate through the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture at UNL. The distance students earned their certificates after completing 12 professional non-academic credits in plant breeding and genetics.

The slogan for the certificate program is “Feed and Energize our World.” To match the slogan, a key goal for graduates is to help develop more productive and efficient plant and grain varieties. By 2050, the world population is expected to reach 9 billion, according to the United Nations. That means farmers must meet the world’s estimated food demand by growing more food with fewer resources.

The certificate program is also designed so mid-level seed industry and plant-breeding professionals can learn cutting-edge technologies and methods online. By taking graduate classes, these professionals developed skills and expertise to help solve a global issue while increasing their knowledge and productivity, interacting with fellow learners around the world and advancing their careers.

It’s important for plant breeders to keep up with the latest advances. Ward explained that the primary reason he enrolled in the certificate was to stay abreast of current plant genetics topics for his position business side of the seed industry.

All three graduates found the program to be just what they needed for advancing their careers while allowing them to stay in their home communities.

“I appreciated the flexible schedule offered by the courses,” Ward explained. “The instructors were very accommodating to unexpected work demands and the accessibility of the lessons allowed for viewing lectures in many locations.”

The certificate earners also recommended the courses and certificate program to their peers.

“Anyone who is interested in getting ahead in the ever-changing field of agriculture should consider participating in this program,” Maxwell said.

Core courses in the certificate include: Crop Genetic Engineering, Crop and Weed Genetics, Self-Pollinated Crop Breeding, Cross-Pollinated Crop Breeding and Germplasm and Genes.

Elective courses include: Haploids and Double Haploids, Heterosis, Geneotype by Environment Interaction and two disease resistance breeding courses.

For a video on the benefits of the plant breeding and genetics professional certificate program, go to http://go.unl.edu/tv32.

For more information, go to the certificate website at http://agronomy.unl.edu/plantgenetics.