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In Touch with the Agronomy Department

Author: Steve Watson

Agronomy Communications

Faculty Changes: New hires and retirements

Posted on by Steve Watson

New Faculty

 

Dr. Ray Asebedo

eNewsletter-Winter-2015 Asebedo
Dr. Ray Asebedo

Dr. Ray Asebedo is the new assistant professor of precision agriculture, as of May 2015. Asebedo is a native of Kansas, home grown in the Flint Hills. He received his B.S. degree in Agronomy from Kansas State University. He completed his Ph.D. in Agronomy from Kansas State University in 2015, where his research focused on developing nitrogen recommendation algorithms utilizing remote sensing technologies for winter wheat, corn, and grain sorghum. Continue reading “Faculty Changes: New hires and retirements” →

In memorium: Oliver Russ

Posted on by Steve Watson

Oliver Russ

Oliver Russ
Professor Emeritus Oliver Russ

Oliver George Russ, weed scientist and professor emeritus of agronomy, died at the age of 94 on February 25, 2015 at Life Care Center of Seneca.

He was born August 10, 1920, on a farm southwest of Kelly, Kansas, the son of George C. and Pauline Wilhelm Russ. He first attended Sunny Knoll School near his home. Later the family moved to the Corning, KS, area where he attended several rural schools before graduating from Corning Rural High School in 1938. After a year of Normal Training, he taught in a rural school south of Sabetha for two years and at Pleasant Ridge School north of Baileyville, Kansas. Continue reading “In memorium: Oliver Russ” →

Agronomy’s Crops Team: Two More Championships in 2014!

Posted on by Steve Watson

1. K-State Crops Team Claims Sixth Straight National Championship

The Collegiate Crops Team recently captured the title of national champion for the sixth year in a row. K-State teams have now won the collegiate crops contest championship in 13 of the past 16 years. To win the 2014 national title, the team won both the Kansas City American Royal Collegiate Crops Contest on Nov. 18 and the Chicago Collegiate Crops Contest on Nov. 22.

 

K-State 2014 Collegiate Crops Team (l to r): Dr. Kevin Donnelly (Coach), Samantha L’Ecuyer, Ben Coomes, Hayden Guetterman, Sam Knauss, Micheala Simmelink, Tyler Herrs.
K-State 2014 Collegiate Crops Team (l to r): Dr. Kevin Donnelly (Coach), Samantha L’Ecuyer, Ben Coomes, Hayden Guetterman, Sam Knauss, Micheala Simmelink, Tyler Herrs.

Continue reading “Agronomy’s Crops Team: Two More Championships in 2014!” →

Making Foods Safer When Grown on Contaminated Soils

Posted on by Steve Watson

Gardening on vacant lots in urban and suburban areas is becoming more and more popular. There are many benefits to this, provided some basic precautions are taken, says Ganga Hettiarachchi, Associate Professor of Agronomy, Soil and Environmental Chemistry.

“Anyone who raises food on these soils should have the soil tested for potentially harmful contaminants,” Hettiarachchi says. Continue reading “Making Foods Safer When Grown on Contaminated Soils” →

New Hires in Agronomy

Posted on by Steve Watson

The Department of Agronomy has made three key new hires since September 2014: Andrew Esser, Agronomist-in-Charge, North Central Experiment Field; Kim Kerschen, Academic Coordinator; and Colby Moorberg, Soils Teaching and Research. Each of them is working hard for you!

Andrew Esser

Andrew Esser has been hired as the new Agronomist-in-Charge at the North Central Experiment Field in Belleville and Irrigation Experiment Field in Scandia. He began his duties at the fields on Dec. 1, 2014. Continue reading “New Hires in Agronomy” →

Kansas Mesonet on Agronomy’s Weather Data Library Site

Posted on by Steve Watson

The Kansas Mesonet, available on Agronomy’s Weather Data Library (WDL) web site, provides a detailed, near real-time look at weather and soil conditions in Kansas. Each site reports a set of automated data, some of which are similar to data reported by the National Weather Service. But the Mesonet adds additional sites to what’s in the NWS full-service network, and more sites are being added. This fills in many areas of Kansas otherwise unserved.

Continue reading “Kansas Mesonet on Agronomy’s Weather Data Library Site” →

Agronomy’s Student Teams Keep Winning and Winning!

Posted on by Steve Watson

The Department of Agronomy’s Crops, Weeds, and Soil Judging Teams have made a truly amazing tradition of winning national and regional contests. Teams from other states look to the K-State teams as the ones to beat every year, but our K-State teams have stayed on top. Here’s a wrap-up of the winning teams from the past four years.

Continue reading “Agronomy’s Student Teams Keep Winning and Winning!” →