Robert Masson had an unusual path to Yuma, Arizona, and growers in the desert southwest are glad he made it.

After time in the U.S. Navy, as a researcher for a Midwest popcorn company and soybean breeding technician in North Carolina, Masson has been an agricultural extension agent for the University of Arizona in Yuma since 2019.

Masson works in several ways to help growers succeed, including contract field research with companies including ours, covering soil health, efficient nutrient uptake and water use efficiency. 

He said occasional failure is an important part of putting maximum effort into research.

“Setbacks are essential,” Masson said. “That’s one thing that defines the American culture. … You get wiser after a failure. If you’re not failing, you should probably be dreaming a little bigger, as long as you can get the recovery.”