Meet the Associated Faculty and Staff

Patrick Byers

University of Missouri Extension - Webster County
800 S Marshall Street
Marshfield, MO 65706
(417) 859-2044

Patrick Byers is Regional Commercial Horticulture Specialist with University of Missouri Extension, serving 9 counties in southwest Missouri. His educational background includes degrees from the University of Nebraska, University of Missouri, and University of Arkansas, all in horticulture. Job experience includes 3 years at the University of Arkansas Fruit Substation, 18 years as Fruit Grower Advisor at the MSU State Fruit Experiment Station, and 10 years in his current position. Current job responsibilities include advisement to fruit and vegetable farmers with the goal of supporting sustainability and profitability. Research interests include elderberry, blackberry, pawpaw, persimmon, and garlic. Byers has an interest in international agricultural issues, having provided outreach training for farmers, scientists, and governmental/non-governmental agencies in Uzbekistan, Moldova, Lebanon, Azerbaijan, and China.

Areas of Work

Commercial Horticulture

Master Naturalists of Missouri

Counties Served

• Christian
• Douglas
• Greene
• Howell
• Ozark
• Taney
• Texas
• Webster
• Wright

Professional Background

2008-present Cooperative Extension Service, University of Missouri, Marshfield, Missouri.
Regional Horticulture Specialist. Responsibilities in outreach programming to commercial and home horticulture interests in the 17 county southwest region of Missouri. Assistance given commercial horticulture producers in the region via the services offered by Extension, such as farming practices for specialty crops, soil testing, disease diagnoses, and pest control recommendations. Coordinator of Springfield Plateau Master Naturalists.

2003-2015 International experience.
Participant in five volunteer assignments through the US Agency for International Development Farmer to Farmer Program to Uzbekistan, 19 Sept–5 Oct 2003 and 13-29 Sept 2004, Azerbaijan, 28 June-11 July 2006 and 9-23 June 2007, Lebanon, 3-14 May 2010, and Moldova, 23 July-7 Aug 2012 and 6-14 July 2013 . Participant in educational exchange to China (2-13 Oct 2005) organized by Missouri State University and Ningxia Forestry Institute.

1989-2008 Department of Agriculture, Missouri State University, Mountain Grove, Missouri
Fruit Grower Advisor. Major responsibilities in the area of advisement to Missouri fruit producers. Directed and cooperated on fruit production research, particularly in the development of non-traditional fruit industries. Undergraduate teaching responsibilities.

1986-1989 University of Arkansas Fruit Substation, Clarksville, Arkansas
Research Specialist in Tree Fruits. Major responsibilities in the areas of tree fruit breeding and research.

Selected Publications

Refereed Journal Articles

• Byers, P.L., Thomas, A.L. & and Nathan, M.P. 2015. Effect of genotype, environment, growth stage, and foliage type on American elderberry leaf elemental status. Acta Horticulturae 1063:183-189.
• Perkins-Veazie, P., Thomas, A.L., Byers, P.L., and Finn, C.E. 2015. Fruit composition of elderberry (Sambucus spp.) genotypes grown in Oregon and Missouri, USA. Acta Horticulturae 1063:219-224.
• Piñero, J. C., J. Quinn, P. L. Byers, P. D. Miller, T. Baker, and D. Trinklein. 2015. Knowledge and Use of Integrated Pest Management by Underserved Producers in Missouri and the Role of Extension. Journal of Extension [On-line], 53(3) Article 3RIB3.
• Thomas, A.L., Byers, P.L., Avery, J.D. Jr., Kaps, M., & Gu, S. 2015. Horticultural performance of eight American elderberry genotypes at three Missouri locations. Acta Horticulturae 1063:237-244.
• Thomas, A.L., Byers, P.L., Avery, J.D. Jr., Kaps, M., & Gu, S., Johnson, H.-Y., and Millican, M. 2015. ‘Marge’: a European elderberry for North American producers. Acta Horticulturae 1063:191-199.
• Thomas, A.L., Byers, P.L., Gu, S., Avery, J.D, Jr., Kaps, M., Datta, A., Fernando, L., Grossi, P., & Rottinghaus, G.E. 2015. Occurrence of polyphenols, organic acids, and sugars among diverse elderberry genotypes grown in three Missouri (USA) locations. Acta Horticulturae 1063:147-154.
• Thomas, A.L., Avery, J.D., Byers, P.L., Easter, S., & Hunt, K. 2015. Ozark chinkapin demonstrates compatibility as a scion grafted to Chinese chestnut rootstocks: implications for ex situ conservation. Native Plants Journal 16 (2), 117-124.
• Thomas, A.L., Perkins-Veazie, P., Byers, P.L., Finn, C.E. & Lee, J. 2013. A comparison of fruit characteristics among diverse elderberry genotypes grown in Missouri and Oregon. Journal of Berry Research 3, 159–168.
• Byers, P.L., & Thomas, A.L. 2011. ‘Bob Gordon’ elderberry. Journal of the American Pomological Society, 65(2), 52-55.
• Johnson, S., R. Andersen, W. Autio, T. Beckman, B. Black, P. Byers, J. Cline, C. Chavez-Gonzalez, W. Cowgill, R. Godin, G. Greene, M. Kaps, J. Kamas, H. Larsen, T. Lindstrom, D. Miller, M. Newall, D. Ophardt, D. Ouellette, R. Parra-Quezada, R. Pokharel, G. Reighard, T. Robinson, J. Schupp, L. Stein, K. Taylor, C. Walsh, D. Ward, M. Warmund, and M. Whiting. 2011. Performance of the 2002 NC-140 Cooperative Peach Rootstock Planting. J. Amer. Pomol. Soc. 65(1): 17-25.
• Reighard, G.L., T. Beckman, B. Belding, B. Black, P. Byers, J. Cline, W. Cowgill, R. Godin, R. S. Johnson, J. Kamas, M. Kaps, H. Larsen, T. Lindstrom, M. Newall, D. Ouellette, R. Pokharel, L. Stein, K. Taylor, C. Walsh, D. Ward, and M. Whiting. 2011. Six-Year Performance of 14 Rootstocks at 11 Sites in the 2001 NC-140 Peach Trial. J. Amer. Pomol. Soc. 65(1): 26-41.
• Byers, P.L., Thomas, A.L., & Millican, M. 2010. ‘Wyldewood’ elderberry. Hortscience, 45(2), 312–313.
• Thomas, A.L., Byers, P.L., & Ellersieck, M.R. 2009. Productivity and characteristics of American Elderberry in response to various pruning methods. Hortscience, 44(3), 671-677.
• Finn, C.E., Thomas, A.L., Byers, P.L., & Serçe, S. 2008. Evaluation of American (Sambucus canadensis) and European (S. nigra) elderberry genotypes grown in diverse environments and implications for cultivar development. HortScience, 43, 1385 - 1391.
• Kaps, M.L. & Byers, P.L. 2008. Matted row strawberry cultivar productivity in Missouri, 2005-2006. Journal of the American Pomological Society, 62(2), 70-76.
• Reighard, G., R. Andersen, J. Anderson, W. Autio, T. Beckman, T. Baker, R. Belding, G. Brown, P. Byers, W. Cowgill, D. Deyton, E. Durner, A. Erb, D. Ferree, A. Gaus, R. Godin, R. Hayden, P. Hirst, S. Kadir, M. Kaps, H. Larsen, T. Lindstrom, N. Miles, F. Morrison, S. Myers, D. Ouellette, C. Rom, W. Shane, B. Taylor, K. Taylor, C. Walsh, and M. Warmund. 2004. Growth and yield of Redhaven peach on 19 rootstocks at 20 North American locations. J. Amer. Pomol. Soc. 58(4):174-202.

Book Chapters and Extension Guides

• Byers, P.L., Thomas, A.L., Cernusca, M.M., Godsey, L.D., & Gold, M.A. 2014. Growing and marketing elderberries in Missouri. University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry AF-1017.
• Hummer K.E., Pomper, K.W., Postman, J.D., Graham, C.J., Stover, E., Mercure, E.W., Aradhya, M., Crisosto, C.H., Ferguson, L., Thompson, M.M., Byers, P., and F. Zee. 2012. Emerging Fruit Crops. Chapter 4, pp.97-147. In: M. L. Badenes and D.H. Byrne (Eds.). Fruit Breeding. Springer, NY, NY. 875 pp.
• Charlebois, D., Byers, P.L., Finn, C.E., & Thomas, A.L. 2010. Elderberry: horticulture, botany, potential. In J. Janick (Ed). Horticultural reviews, Vol 37 (pp. 213-280). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.
• Thomas, A.L., Byers, P.L., Finn, C.E., Chen, Y-C., Rottinghaus, G.E., Malone, A.M., & Applequist, W.L. 2008. Occurrence of rutin and chlorogenic acid in elderberry leaf, flower, and stem in response to genotype, environment, and season. In: G. Gardner and L.E. Craker (Eds.). Plants as food and medicine: the utilization and development of horticultural plants for human health. Acta Horticulturae, 765 (pp. 197-206).