You can be a weed scientist. Who knew? The study of weeds is an actual degree program and a job that has a significant impact on the Louisiana economy, The Daily Advertiser reports.
Yes, we know what you’re thinking, but you would be wrong. Even though Louisiana has taken steps toward providing access to legal medical marijuana that’s not what this job is about—hence the title confusion.
LSU weed scientist Eric Webster has a doctorate on the subject, credentials he now uses to help troubleshoot problems in Louisiana agriculture through testing herbicides and experimenting with conversation tillage.
Webster is one of at least five weed scientists across Louisiana who focus their research on weeds that affect specific crops. Chief among these crops is Louisiana rice, which is an important economic asset to the state, but can be killed easily by rogue weeds.
Louisiana planted about 410,000 acres of rice in 2018, up 10,000 acres, or 3%, from last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service. Read the full story.
