Cropping Systems Researchers
Ignacio Ciampitti
Dr. Ignacio Ciampitti is an associate professor of crop production and cropping systems in the Department of Agronomy. Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Dr. Ciampitti’s research focus is on crop production for corn, soybean, sorghum, canola and cover crops. He leads projects examining nitrogen use efficiency in corn and nitrogen management approaches for maximizing yield. Dr. Ciampitti’s other areas of interest include sustainable crop production, minimizing crop yield gaps, and soybean nitrogen fixation. He also is the leader of the KSUCROPS Production Lab, which focuses on dissecting complex interactions among genotype, environment, and management practices.
Dr. Ciampitti received his bachelor’s degree in agronomy and his master’s degree in soil fertility and plant nutrition from the University of Buenos Ares in Argentina. He moved to the United States for his doctoral degree, where he studied crop physiology and plant nutrition at Purdue University. He received his Ph.D. in 2012.
Read more about Dr. Ciampitti.
John Holman
Dr. John Holman is the Cropping Systems Agronomist at K-State’s Southwest Research Extension Center in Garden City and an associate professor in the Department of Agronomy. His expertise is in integrated cropping systems with emphasis in water use, crop/livestock integration, weed science, and forages. With this in mind, Dr. Holman’s focuses his research on improving the economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture production systems, with an emphasis on utilizing cultural and technological tools to address underlying concerns for cropping systems. Dr. Holman’s KCARE-affiliated investigations include crop rotations suitable for limited irrigation and the development of advanced dryland production systems. These systems include tillage, livestock integration, crop rotations, and cover crops.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy and a master’s degree in weed science from Montana State University. He received his doctoral degree in plant science from the University of Idaho. Dr. Holman joined Kansas State University in 2006.
Learn more about Dr. Holman and his current research.
Romulo Lollato
Dr. Romulo Lollato is an assistant professor of wheat and forages production in the Department of Agronomy at K-State. Originally from southern Brazil, Dr. Lollato’s research projects examine management aspects for improving Kansas farm productivity as well as profitability for wheat and forages. These projects include environmental assessment of maximum attainable wheat yields and yield gaps using crop simulation models, modeling plant available water at sowing in continuous winter wheat systems, and agronomic practices leading to maximized wheat yield and profitability. His extension work focuses on management and sustainability strategies, including the use of smartphone apps to improve wheat grazing management.
Dr. Lollato has been a faculty member at K-State since 2015. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Engineering from Londrina State University in Brazil. He moved to the United States for his graduate work, and has a master’s degree in Plant and Soil Sciences and a doctoral degree in Crop Sciences from Oklahoma State University.
Learn more about Dr. Lollato and his research.
Nathan Nelson
Dr. Nathan Nelson is an associate professor in K-State’s Department of Agronomy, specializing in soil fertility and nutrient management. His research projects primarily explore nutrient management, cycling, and distribution within soil profiles and across landscapes. Part of this research is investigating ways to increase the efficiency of phosphorus applications in agriculture, with a main goal of increasing food production while reducing phosphorus runoff into surface waters. Dr. Nelson’s work with KCARE resulted in the development of the Kansas Agricultural Watershed Field Laboratory, a large in-field water quality laboratory at the Ashland Experiment Farm near Manhattan. This facility is used to investigate effects of agricultural systems on surface water quality and develop and verify best management practices to reduce non-point source pollution from agricultural lands.
A native of Manhattan, Dr. Nelson graduated from K-State with a B.S. in agronomy before moving to North Carolina State University where he received his M.S. and Ph.D. in soil science. He has been with the K-State faculty since 2005.
DeAnn Presley
Dr. DeAnn Presley is a professor in the Department of Environmental Soil Science and Management at K-State. She has been with the department since 2007, where she works on a range of projects that extend to both agricultural and suburban environments. Specifically, her research focuses on cover crops and how they affect soil health and crop production.
Dr. Presley’s unique understanding of cover crops and her passion for soil science are a great asset to KCARE’s Great Plains Grazing research on how climate change, land use, and markets affect cattle production in the southern Great Plains. Her work on this project includes evaluating multi-species cover crops for forage production as well as soil health evaluation in no-till, cover crop, and pumpkin production systems in the Southern Great Plains.
Dr. Presley received her bachelor’s degree in agronomy from Iowa State University, and her master’s and doctoral degrees in agronomy from Kansas State University.
Get more information about Dr. Presley and her work.
Kraig Roozeboom
Dr. Kraig Roozeboom is a professor in the university’s Department of Agronomy. His research investigates how include crop production systems balance productivity, sustainability, and profitability. Another of Dr. Roozeboom’s interests is exploring ways to optimize no-till cropping systems by evaluating crop sequences and rotations, increasing crop diversity via new crops and cover crops, and exploring cropping systems that maximize water use efficiency.
He has been at K-State since 1990, when he served as the coordinator of the Kansas Crop Performance Test after receiving his master’s degree in Crop Production and Physiology from Iowa State University. Dr. Roozeboom completed his Ph.D. at K-State in 2006 and worked as an extension specialist in Crop Production and Cropping Systems until 2012, when he joined the agronomy department.
Learn more about Dr. Roozeboom’s research.
Gretchen Sassenrath
Dr. Gretchen Sassenrath is a professor of agronomy at K-State’s Southeast Research and Extension Center in Parsons, Kansas. Her research focuses on the improvement of long-term sustainability of farming for both farmers and consumers. Dr. Sassenrath has created a program concentrating on integrated crop and animal production systems that improve agronomic productivity, enhance soil and water resources, and increase economic return for producers.
A member of the Department of Agronomy since 2013, Dr. Sassenrath previously worked as a lead scientist and research plant physiologist for the USDA Agricultural Research Service where she led research examining the status of farming systems in the U.S. and the future of agriculture. Dr. Sassenrath holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from Oberlin College. She attended the University of Illinois for her graduate work, where she received her master’s degree in biophysics and her doctoral degree in plan physiology and biology.
