Printable version of this page

Quirine Ketterings | Karl Czymmek | Joe Lawrence | Greg Godwin | Caroline Rasmussen

Sheryl Swink | Scott Grandt | Kevin Dietzel | Patty Ristow | Miram Goler | Sarah Moss | Wayne Berry| Steve Kraszewski | Hettie Krol

We work in close collaboration with:

Cornell Cooperative Extension Field Crops Educators

Quirine Ketterings	Greg Godwin	Joe Lawrence	Sheryl Swink	Karl Czymmek
Hettie Krol	Caroline Rasmussen	Kevin Dietzel	Patty Ristow	Scott Grandt
Miram Goler	Sarah Moss	Steve Kraszewski	Wayne Berry

The Nutrient Management Spear Program was initiated in August 2000 when Quirine Ketterings joined the faculty of the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at Cornell University as assistant professor of nutrient management in agricultural systems. Key collaborator in the Spear Program is Karl Czymmek, PRO-DAIRY's senior extension associate in nutrient management. Caroline Rasmussen joined our staff as research support specialist in October of 2002. Besides work on our nutrient management software, Cornell Cropware, and our mass nutrient balance projects, Caroline also coordinates the CALS Integrated Nutrient Management Program Work Team. Sheryl Swink joined us as program support specialist for the NY Starter P Project in the fall of 2002 and is currently working on documentation of our soil fertility research history at Cornell University. Scott Grant, sophomore double majoring in Crop and Soil Science and Agricultural Economics, joined us in 2005 to work on an independent research project on spatial variability in soil fertility and its impact on fertilizer and management guidelines. Sarah Moss, freshman in animal science, joined us in the fall of 2006 and is helping Caroline with the whole farm nutrient balance project. Latest staff additions to our team are Patty Ristow, extension associate, and Kevin Dietzel, technician. Patty is responsible for Cropware support and development together with Caroline, and leads a project focussing on optimization of whole farm nutrient management with three case study dairy farms in New York. Kevin joined us in fall 2006 to help with harvest and decided to stay with us to work on a lime study and a phosphorus incubation study as well as assisting Joe and Greg with their field programs. Steve Kraszewski started as an MPS student in the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering this winter semester as well and he works with us on a research project with focus on mass nutrient balances for th Cayuga Lake Watershed. In winter 2007 another undergraduate student joined us, Miriam Goler, a sophomore majoring in Environmental Engineering. Miriam works with Joe on the ISNT project. Our latest undergraduate student addition to the team is Wayne Berry who is doing his SUNY Cobleskill internship with us this summer and fall. Wayne's academic advisor at Cobleskill is Dr. Bruetsch.

Of great help has been Hettie Krol. She helps with data entry, has been invaluable in the preparation of a 7-day trip to the Netherlands by a team of Cornell animal scientist and agronomists in 2003 to learn about nutrient management issues. She was instrumental in the development of our soil test summaries and co-recipient of the 2005 Outstanding New Publication Award from the NYS Association of County Agricultural Extension Educators (NYSACAA) for this publication series and is currently working on the 2002-2006 summaries in collaboration with Renuka Rao, Director of the Cornell Nutrient Analysis Laboratory.

A major role in the program is played by Cornell Cooperative Extension Field Crops Educators. Twice a year we get together to discuss progress, needs for future research and extension activities, new research findings, and to inform each other of subject matters that are of importance to the future of New York farming. Many of our projects were developed in collaboration with our field crop agents and almost all are involved in one or more of our research and demonstration projects.

Past Spear members include:

Our latest international visitor was Dr. Metin Turan, Ataturk University in Turkey. He joined us for 3 months of research on P sorption capacities of calcareous soils. We are now working on not only the publication of the research Dr. Metin did while at Cornell but also on a number of new joint projects.

Ryan Haden joined us in summer 2003 and again winter and summer 2006 to work on research on phosphorus dynamics including writing of a publication. Ryan is currently working on his PhD with Dr. John Duxbury as major advisor.

Hannah Graeper joined us in summer of 2006 to help Joe and Greg with field work. She is a geography student at Binghamton University.

In February of 2002, Greg Albrecht became extension associate with teaching and extension responsibilities. Greg's major responsibilities were in teaching an undergraduate capstone course on whole farm nutrient management (AS/CSS 412), support, further development and teaching of Cornell Cropware, and development of learning modules and nutrient management tools (calculators etc.). Greg left NMSP to become statewide CNMP specialist working with the Soil and Water Conservation Committee, a newly created job for CNMP support in NY, in February of 2006.

Liz Brock joined us in January of 2004 to work on her masters in Soils and Crops with research on phosphorus dynamics on dairy farms. She succesfully defended her thesis in December 2005. Her work generated one journal article that is in press, one that is in review and a third one that will be submitted for review shortly.

Beth Medvecky transferred into the program in the spring of 2003. She worked on her PhD degree in Soils and Crops with research on the interactions between bean root rot diseases and soil fertility management Kenya. She graduated in August 2005. Her work resulted in three papers (one in press, a second one in press and the third one in review).

These past 4 years, we worked closely with Micah Woods, graduate student in the Department of Horticulture. Micah worked on nonacid cations bioavailability in sand rootzones. His work had generated four published papers to date and two additional papers are currently in review. Micah succesfully defended his dissertation in December 2005 and received his PhD in January 2006.

Andy Durow joined us in the summer of 2003 after graduation from Suny Morrisville. He did his junior and senior year at Cornell in the Dairy Fellows Program and is currently operating a 500-cow dairy farm in Minnesotal. Rory Mauro joined us in the summer of 2004. He went on to pursue a degree in Environmental Health from Columbia University in 2005.

Jason Kahabka joined us in November of 2003 as extension associate with half-time duties for phosphorus research in Northern New York, including rainfall simulations (he build our rainfall simulator) on farms and research stations. Jason left our team in November 2005 to pursue a 2-year contract with the Graduate School at Cornell University.

Naoko Suzuki joined our staff in November of 2002 to work on laboratory analyses for a project on phosphorus dynamics in Northern NY. She moved to North Carolina in October 2004.

In the spring of 2002, Jonathan Klapwyk joined us to pursue a masters degree in soil and crop sciences. Jonathan graduated with a degree in Agronomy from the University of Guelph in May of 2003 and conducted his research project at Cornell on testing and calibration of the Illinois Soil N Test for corn in New York. Jon Graduated in August 2005 and is currently working as a lecturer in Kemptville College - University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Jon's work generated three journal articles of which one was published before he graduated. The last two will be published in 2006.

In the winter of 2003, we had Marike Noij and Desiree Brandhorst, two undergraduates (juniors) from Larenstein University of Professional Studies, the Netherlands, with us for their 3-month internship. Marike conducted research on aggregate distribution and stability as part of a study on the effects of manure management on soil health and Desiree worked with Natalie Galens on the NY Amino Sugar Project. Sander van den Hoogen joined us for 6 months in the winter and spring of 2004 helping us with field projects and working with Jon Klapwyk on analyses of samples for the aminosugar N project. Erwin Nijsingh did his 3- month internship with us in the fall of 2004 working on assessment of soil physical characteristics of production fields that have been amended with compost or manure. Our last intern was Johan Mekken. He conducted a 6 month research project with us in 2005.

Natalie Galens joined in the spring of 2002 when she a junior majoring in agronomy at Cornell. She led the New York Amino Sugar Project until she graduated in May of 2003. Natalie presented her research at the 2003 undergraduate research forum organized by CURB. This June, she was selected as the winner of the 2003 NE Region Agronomy Society of America Outstanding Senior Student Award. She received the award at the 2003 NE-ASA/SSSA meeting that was held in Burlington, Vermont. Natalie was first employed as the Horticulture/Nutrition Educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer County following graduation and then moved to New Hampshire in December of 2003.

Joe Orloski (Cornell biology major) joined the program as summer intern in 2001 and continued to work with us through fall 2001 and spring 2002 on his individual research project on the effects of N and K fertility management on reed canary grass root systems (jointly advised by Dr. Jerry Cherney). He finished his undergraduate thesis in May of 2002 and graduated in May of 2003. Joe presented his research at the 2002 undergraduate research forum organized by CURB. He is coauthor on a publication that appeared in the Journal of Plant Nutrition in 2004. Joe is currently in medical school in his home state of Pennsylvania.

Tim Byron was our first research support specialist in the program. He joined in February of 2001 and left us to return to Montana in August of 2002.