We walk on it. We dig in it. As children (and sometimes as adults, too), we play in it. We grow our food in it, and on it. It’s plain oi’ “dirt” to most of us, but to a soil scientist, it’s a world of opportunity. DeAnn Presley is a professor in environmental soil science and management, in the College of Agriculture at Kansas State University. She is also the K-State Research and Extension soil management specialist. She’ll discuss her work with cover crops as a means to improve soil health… and why it’s so critical that we all work together to keep our soils healthy.

Dr. Charles W. Rice (better known as “Chuck”) began his explorations of science as a curious youngster, encouraged by parents and teachers throughout his life. During his three-decade career at Kansas State University, he has traveled the world on behalf of soil science, agriculture, climate science and more.

While some agricultural research happens in various indoor laboratories on the K-State campus, even more research occurs within the network of agricultural experiment stations located across Kansas. The Western Kansas Agricultural Research Centers (WKARC) includes locations in Colby, Garden City, Tribune and Hays, the headquarters of the WKARC. Bob Gillen has been the director of these centers since 2006. Gillen explains what goes into agricultural research... the importance such research plays in our everyday lives... and looks back at some of the accomplishments of the WKARC, as well as some of the key areas of study expected in the years ahead.

The next Kansas City Strip steak you cut into will probably be a little different than the steak you cut into 20 years ago — the difference being, it’s probably a better steak. Great strides are being made in America’s beef industry to deliver a higher quality product to every supermarket, backyard grill and dinner table. Our guest on this edition of Dig Deep is A.J. Tarpoff, an assistant professor in the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry at Kansas State University. He is also the Beef Extension Veterinarian for K-State Research and Extension.

Whenever astronomers peer through their telescopes at distant planets, orbiting stars in galaxies far, far away…and when NASA dispatches probes to Mars, the one thing they all look for is water. If there’s evidence of water on a distant planet, then there might be life of some sort. Certainly on our planet, water is life, for all but a handful of life forms. As our population grows, so does the need for water, and by extension, the need for increasingly efficient strategies for water conservation.

Dan Devlin is a professor in the Department of Agronomy at Kansas State University. He is also director of the Kansas Center for Agricultural Resources and the Environment (KCARE), as well as project director for the Great Plains Grazing Project.

We humans know what goes into the food on our plate (usually!), but what goes into that can of dog food, or bag of dry cat food? How is it formulated and processed? How can anyone know that your dog or cat is going to like that new food you brought home from the store?

Dr. Greg Aldrich is a Research Associate Professor at Kansas State University, and the Pet Food Program Coordinator in the Department of Grain Science and Industry. His research focuses on the effect processing has on safety, nutrition, and shelf-life of modern pet foods. Dr. Alrich has also taught several courses, both graduate and undergraduate, on subjects including pet food processing and companion animal nutrition. In 2019, he received the Corbin Award in Companion Animal Biology from the American Society of Animal Science for excellence in research and teaching in companion animal biology.

Dr. Cassie Jones is an Assistant Professor of Feed Technology at Kansas State University where she has a joint research, teaching and outreach appointment in the Department of Grain Science & Industry. Her research efforts include evaluating the effects of ingredients or feed processing technologies on feed safety and animal nutrition. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on ingredient quality and feed safety, as well as industry feed manufacturing short courses through the IGP Institute.

Cheryl Boyer is an associate professor of nursery crops at Kansas State University and co-founder of the Center for Rural Enterprise Engagement. Currently, Boyer has a 75% extension and 25% research appointment, and she co-teaches the course Nursery Management. Boyer is the first faculty member to hold her position at K-State, and she is eager to help increase the size of the nursery industry in Kansas. This industry is her focus for both her extension and research responsibilities. She serves the growers in Kansas as well as county horticulture extension agents through service to their Master Gardener educational programs. Her position allows Boyer to travel across the state and do what she loves most: helping people meet their business goals and solve production problems, or teaching consumers about landscaping and woody plants.