Byron started his career at his stepfather’s ag retail business, Terayne Ag Specialties, near Okawville, Illinois, and fell in love with agriculture after working a full summer while attending Western Illinois University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in ag business in 2000. He continued at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, earning a Master of Science in plant and soil science in 2002 under the tutelage of weed scientist Dr. Bryan Young. He then moved to Kewanee, Illinois, and worked in ag retail until 2005, when he became a sales representative for Dow AgroSciences (now Corteva). In 2008, Byron moved to the seed side of Dow AgroSciences and was an agronomist for Mycogen Seeds through 2012. With Enlist on the horizon, he switched gears and became an Enlist field specialist for the Upper Midwest and Plains through 2014. He then moved back to southern Illinois to help with his stepdad’s business once again through 2016. Byron then moved his family back to Kewanee and worked for Verdesian as well as Stine Seed before entering the adjuvant business in 2018. He has been a Certified Crop Adviser for 22 years and recently became a technical service provider. Byron is a 2025 IL Soy Envoy.