Horticulture Innovators

S5: Episode 3: Krishna Bhattarai - Can We Grow Fresh Food Anywhere? The Science Behind Controlled Environment Horticulture

Krishna Bhattarai is an Assistant Professor of Controlled Environment Plant Breeding at Texas  A&M AgriLife Research and the Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A

S5: Episode 2: Ahmed Darwish - What If Your Next Medicine Came from a Blueberry?

Dr. Ahmed Darwish is an Assistant Professor of plant secondary metabolism at the Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M University. He also serves as a member of

S5: Episode 1: Lorenzo Rossi - Beneath the Surface: How Roots Shape the Future of Food, Farming, and Resilience

Dr. Lorenzo Rossi joined Texas A&M University in January 2025 as an Assistant Professor of Horticultural Plant Physiology, with 60% research, 30% teaching, and 10% servic

S5: Episode 4: Paul Christou and Teresa Capell - From Breakthroughs to Brushstrokes: Using Biotechnology and Art to Change the World

Dr. Teresa Capell is a Principal Investigator within the Agricultural Biotechnology Group at the UdL, since 2004. She became a full professor in 2011. Dr Capell is also a

Special Feature: Dr. Heath Mills and Dr. Laura E. Fackrell - Horticulture Goes to Space

Dr. Heath Mills (Co-I): Dr. Heath J. Mills is an extreme environment microbial ecologist with academic degrees from Duke University and the Georgia Institute of Technolog

S4: Episode 1: Joe Masabni - Hydroponics will Advance Us

Dr. Masabni earned his PhD in 1998 at Michigan State University. He joined the University of Kentucky in 2002 as the fruit and vegetable specialist. In 2008, he joined th

S4: Episode 2: Aidan Souder & Hikari Skabelund - Future Innovators

Aidan Souder is currently a Senior majoring in Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University. Throughout his undergraduate studies, he has set out to explore a wide rang

S4: Episode 3: Andreea Botezatu - The Wine Doctor

Undergraduate Education: B.S., Oenology, University of Agronomy and Veterinary Sciences, Iasi, Romania Graduate Education: Ph.D., Oenology, Brock University, St. Catheri

S4: Episode 4: Shane Moore - Follow the Crush, A Winemaker's Journey

A native of Orofino, Idaho, Shane had an early interest in wine and agriculture which led him to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Enology and Viticulture from Washington S

Special Feature! Troy Swift - Pecans and Bats

A graduate of Southwest Texas State University with a B.S. in Industrial Arts (1982), Troy Swift began his professional career in composite canoe and kayak manufacturing

Special Feature! Stephan von Rundstedt. RoBo®Tec - Leading Automation in Horticulture

Stephan von Rundstedt is the co-founder of RoBo®Tec PTC GmbH and brings over 25 years of experience across the production and services industries. His expertise lies in b

S3: Episode 1: Jim Antwerp - The Ways of Nursery

Jim Antwerp is a 1990 graduate of Texas A& M University with a B.S. in Horticulture with a study emphasis in horticulture of Wholesale Nursery Management and Production a

S3: Episode 2: Brad Abrameit - Tissue Culture is the Future

Brad Abrameit is a 1994 and 1996 graduate of Texas A&M University with a B.S. and M.S. in Horticulture. He is the President at Magnolia Gardens Nursery. Brad leads all fu

S3: Episode 3: Ockert Greyvenstein - Plant Breeding Leads the World

Ockert Greyvenstein joined Ball Horticultural Company, in 2014 as plant breeder with PanAmerican Seed. A transplant from South Africa, he came to the US for graduate scho

S2: Episode 1: Anna Ball - Leading Woman of Horticulture

Anna Caroline Ball is Chairman and CEO of the 119-year-old Ball Horticultural Company, which specializes in all aspects of horticulture, including breeding, biotechnology

S2: Episode 2: Haven Baker - Food Forward

Dr. Haven Baker co-founded Pairwise and served as Chief Business Officer from 2017 to 2024. Under his leadership, Pairwise secured $ 110 M+ of funding, completed multiple

S2: Episode 3: Arun Sharma - Keeping tomatoes fresh

Prof. Arun Sharma received his Ph.D. in Life Sciences from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, India, in 1987 after carrying out work on the regulation of nitra

Special Feature! Future Innovators: Mason Marshall & Trishia Nguyen

Ph.D. student Mason Marshall and undergraduate student Trishia Nguyen discuss what influenced their decision to pursue Horticulture as well as what they wish to accomplis

S1: Episode 2: Earth-Kind® Program - The power of environmental kindness.

Dr. Steve George is a Professor and Extension Horticulturist, and Landscape Horticulture Specialist since 1988 for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and is headqua

S1: Episode 3: Helping children all around the world through the Junior Master Gardener program

Lisa Whittlesey is an employee of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and received her bachelor and master’s degrees from Texas A&M University in horticulture with an em