Bill Weir

Weir recently retired after 20 years of service as a part-time professor of plant sciences at Merced College.

Weir, 76, began work in the UC system in 1966 as a staff research associate at UC Davis. Weir, who holds a doctorate in soil science, retired from UCCE in 2002.

“Extension has been great for me,” he said when he retired from UCCE. “If I were independently wealthy, I still would have liked to do what I did during my career. That's how much I've enjoyed working in agriculture, helping farmers and being a part of extension."

When accepting the award from the state association, Weir expressed a similar sentiment: “If my name were Rockefeller, I would still be doing this same job. I love my work.”

With his own research and consulting company, Weir is now helping growers satisfy a new state law that says they must keep track of the nitrogen in their soils and determine the optimum amount to apply, the article said.