A new endowed professorship at NDSU will ensure that soybean breeding research continues to thrive in North Dakota.
During the recent Northern Corn and Soybean Expo, the Ted Helms Endowed Professorship at NDSU was announced by Greg Lardy, NDSU vice president for Agricultural Affairs together with Joel Thorsrud, a Hillsboro, North Dakota, soybean farmer and Ted Helms, retired NDSU soybean breeder.
In 1986, one year after the North Dakota Soybean Council was established, the council worked with NDSU to begin funding the NDSU soybean breeding program which included the opportunity to hire Helms.
“Dr. Helms’ varieties have enabled farmers to thrive in spite of the short growing season, withstand extreme climate settings from drought to flood and harvest a crop even in the tough years,” said Kendall Nichols, North Dakota Soybean Council director of research. “Due to growing global demand, North Dakota soybean acres continue to expand, while offering profitable options for farmers in their planting rotations.”
Thorsrud, a 1973 NDSU alumnus, established a legacy gift to endow the soybean breeding position at NDSU in honor of Helms.
“I saw how very important it was to develop these varieties that did well in North Dakota,” said Thorsrud. “My association with NDSU and agriculture is very strong. So, I thought that certainly a portion of my estate should go towards agriculture and NDSU. I saw the different needs and the NDSU soybean breeding program was number one.”
The endowed professorship will allow NDSU to continue to build on the excellence in soybean breeding established by Helms.
“When this legacy gift is realized, it will support a faculty member in the NDSU Department of Plant Sciences in soybean breeding and allow NDSU to stay at the forefront of soybean breeding,” said Lardy. “It will provide funds that will expand research capacity and teaching methodologies to create superior soybean varieties that will benefit North Dakota farmers, as well as enrich the academic experience for hundreds of students in the future.”
“One of my most important goals was to always serve the family farmers to give them more value and to help farmers with their bottom-line profitability,” Helms sqid. “I am very honored. The most important thing is that this program is going to be supported and farmers are going to continue to be well-served by the NDSU research program.”
As NDSU’s soybean breeder for 33 years, Helm’s work made it possible for soybeans to grow from a minor crop to the production of over seven million acres in North Dakota in 2021. During his time at NDSU, 40 varieties of soybeans were developed.
“We are grateful to Ted Helms for his work to build a strong, thriving soybean breeding program that has and will have, a lasting impact for generations to come; to Joel Thorsrud for his long-time commitment to the soybean industry and his legacy gift to support NDSU and agriculture so that together we can continue to grow and thrive long into the future,” said Lardy.
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