Released: March 09, 2007

Pierzynski Named to Head K-State’s Agronomy Department

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Gary Pierzynski has been named head of the Kansas State University Department of Agronomy – a post he has held on an interim basis for 14 months.

Pierzynski, who is a professor of soil and environmental chemistry and editor of The Journal of Environmental Quality, has been on the faculty at K-State since 1989.

“We are fortunate to have someone with Gary’s credentials lead the Department of Agronomy,” said Fred Cholick, dean of K-State’s College of Agriculture and director of K-State Research and Extension. “The department is involved in many new and exciting initiatives and Gary has the experience and vision to move it forward.”

Pierzynski earned a bachelor’s degree in crop and soil science and a master’s degree in environmental chemistry, both at Michigan State University. He earned a Ph.D. in soil chemistry at The Ohio State University.

“I am honored to have been selected as head of the Department of Agronomy,” Pierzynski said. “This is a great department and I look forward to the opportunity to further enhance our teaching, research, and extension programs.”

The responsibilities of the department relate directly to the production inputs of 65,000 farms on 47.5 million acres of cropland and rangeland in Kansas, Cholick said. Many research and extension activities are conducted cooperatively with faculty at outlying research centers, in other departments in the College of Agriculture, other departments at the university and with organizations beyond Kansas.

Based in Throckmorton Plant Sciences Center on the university’s Manhattan campus, the department provides teaching, research and extension in crop, soil, range science, weed science, crop breeding, climatology, and protecting soil and water resources. The department includes more than 110 faculty, adjunct faculty and staff members.

In a typical year, there are about 100 undergraduate students and 50 graduate students majoring in agronomy.

Research is also conducted at the university’s Agronomy Farm, Ashland Bottoms and Rannell’s Flint Hills Prairie units. The latter is devoted to range research.

In addition, seven experiment fields located throughout eastern and central Kansas are used to research specific soil-climate-cropping systems for their respective areas.

During his time at K-State, Pierzynski has taught classes on such topics as plant nutrient sources, soil fertility, environmental quality and soil and environmental chemistry.

He has served as an academic advisor for undergraduate and graduate students and has won numerous teaching, advising, and research awards.

Pierzynski is a member of several professional societies, including the American Society of Agronomy, the Soil Science Society of America, the International Society of Trace Element Biogeochemistry, and the International Union of Soil Science and has taken on many leadership roles in them. He has authored or co-authored many publications including a popular textbook entitled Soils and Environmental Quality, now in its third edition, and has maintained a large research program.

“Gary has the breadth of experience to lead the department as we conduct research, educate students and work with the farmers and ranchers of Kansas to develop and improve crops, rangeland and the environment,” Cholick said.

More information about K-State’s Department of Agronomy is available at http://www.agronomy.ksu.edu/.

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Mary Lou Peter-Blecha
mlpeter@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News