b'Dr. Asunta (Susie) Thompson Was Destined For A Career In Agriculture by Tom Berg, NDSU Extension Writing AssociateAsuntaSusieThompsongrewUnited States. She has been a co- toes. uponafarmnearBarnesville,inventorofninecultivars.HerSheattendedNDSU,graduating Minnesota,andworkedontheaim is to find and develop vari- withabachelorsdegreeinag-farmwithherfather,drivingeties that produce high yields ofronomyin1983.Duringher combinesandtractors,workingattractive,highquality,usefultime at NDSU, she worked for a with potato harvest and a lot intubers,andalsoareresistanttoweed scientist and got a taste of between.pests,chemicals,diseasesandag research.physiological disorders. She loved working on the farm.Itwasasparkintermsofmy Somuch,infact,aftergraduat- She has been a vital part of devel- interest in research, Thompson ing high school, had an eye onopingtworussetcultivarsthatsaid.becoming a full-time farmer.are resistant to the sugar end dis-order.Aftergraduating,shewashired WhenIgraduatedfromhighhourly by Pioneer at their spring school,IreallywantedtobeaThe overall goal of our breedingwheatbreedingstationnear farmer.Ijustlovefarming.Myprogram is that we are develop- Glyndon. real thought was I was going toing new varieties that serve the gobacktofarmwithmydad,growersoftheMidwest,Theytreatedmelikearealag Thompson said.Everybody wasThompsonsaid.Imtryingtotechnician, and they allowed me trying to accumulate more land;incorporate sustainability attrib- to do so many things, Thomp-we didnt have enough land forutes. We are trying to make theson said. I fell in love with plant the two of us. So, I started look- varietiesmoreresistanttopestsbreeding. ing around for other things.and/orphysiologicaldisorders. We have a lot of producers thatThat opened the door for a new While she didnt get into farm- grow for the processing industry.job as a researcher on the potato ingfull-time,herexperienceIftheycangrowavarietylikebreeding project at NDSU, giving growingupdidfirmlyplantaour Dakota Russet, that fits bet- her a chance to work with highly seed about a career in agricultureterintoourshortgrowingsea- regarded potato breeder, Dr. Bob for Thompson, who is an associ- son.Johansen. While working in that ate professor and potato breederrole, she completed her masters at North Dakota State University,Potatoeswerentnewfordegreeinhorticultureand her alma mater.Thompson; her fathers farm wasforestry. a seed potato farm, and her 4-H ThompsonisoneofasmallandFFAprojectsfeaturedpro- ShethenventuredtoIdaho number of potato breeders in theductionofcertifiedseedpota- wheresheworkedforthe 24 POTATO GROWER JANUARY 2023'