Past and present advances in the fields of agronomic, crop, soil, and environmental sciences. Enjoy interviews with researchers published in journals, books, and magazines from the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.
Opinions and conclusions expressed by authors are their own and are not considered as those of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America, its staff, its members, or its advertisers.
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Giant Ragweed Suppression with Guilherme Chudzik and Dr. Rodrigo Werle
Episode 136
Friday, November 21, 2025 • Duration 47:39
"Cereal Rye Biomass Effects on Giant Ragweed Suppression Inform Management Decisions" with Guilherme Chudzik and Rodrigo Werle.
For farmers in the Midwest, giant ragweed can be a giant problem. In Wisconsin, where long emergence windows, aggressive growth, herbicide resistance, and power-packed seeds make suppression difficult, farmers are always looking for more hammers to hit this nasty nail on the head. In this episode, Guilherme and Rodrigo join me to discuss their work investigating cereal rye as an additional tool in this long-running fight.
Tune in to learn:
· What challenges farmer's face when trying to incorporate cereal rye for weed suppression.
· How much biomass is needed to suppress giant ragweed by 50%
· When to terminate cereal rye for the best impacts
· How implementing cereal rye is like a tiny hammer
Contact us at podcast@sciencesocieties.org or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don't forget to subscribe. If you'd like to see old episodes or sign up for our newsletter, you can do so here: https://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/.
Field, Lab, Earth is Copyrighted by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.
Halloween Special: Spring Dead Spot with Dr. Wendell Hutchens
Episode 135
Friday, October 31, 2025 • Duration 52:50
"Fifteen years of findings: Advancements in spring dead spot research from 2009 to 2024" with Dr. Wendell Hutchens
Spring dead spot is a disease that lies in wait before going after your turfgrasses, transforming your favorite golf course into the set of your favorite PG-13 slasher. This episode, Wendell joins me to discuss the mega gains made in the last 15 years of spring dead spot research, in hopes that someday we can turn this slow-moving monster into just the stuff of legend.
Tune in to learn:
· What symptoms point to spring dead spot
· What methods are best to combat spring dead spot
· How spring dead spot spreads
· Where the future of spring dead spot research is moving
Contact us at podcast@sciencesocieties.org or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don't forget to subscribe. If you'd like to see old episodes or sign up for our newsletter, you can do so here: https://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/.
Economics of Autonomous Strip-Cropping with Professor James Lowenberg-DeBoer
Episode 126
Friday, February 14, 2025 • Duration 34:46
"Economics of strip cropping with autonomous machines" with James Lowenberg-DeBoer.
With the growing global population, the demand for food continues to rise. However, increasing food production often depends on intensive farming practices and agricultural inputs that can negatively impact environmental health. To counter this, promoting crop diversity, improving soil health, and reducing disease and pest pressure are crucial. Mixed cropping presents a viable solution but poses challenges for mechanization and labor efficiency. In this context, customized autonomous machines and advanced technology can play a key role in facilitating mixed cropping while lowering production costs. In this episode, Dr. James Lowenberg-DeBoer shares insights from his research on the economics of strip cropping—the simplest form of mixed cropping—using autonomous machines. He explores the feasibility and profitability of this approach, along with the challenges and opportunities in restoring crop biodiversity and ecosystem services, ultimately fostering better environmental health and sustainable agriculture.
Tune in to learn:
What is mixed cropping?
What makes a farm machine "autonomous"?
How do autonomous machines contribute to environmentally friendly agriculture?
What are the economic differences between automated strip farming and conventional strip farming?
Contact us at podcast@sciencesocieties.org or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don't forget to subscribe. If you'd like to see old episodes or sign up for our newsletter, you can do so here: https://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/.
Water Retention Products on Home Lawns with Vikram Baliga
Episode 36
Friday, May 15, 2020 • Duration 43:34
"Evaluation of Water Retention Products to Conserve Urban Water Resources in Home Lawns" with Vikram Baliga.
Water retention products are designed to help turfgrasses conserve water. But as water conservation becomes an issue of ever greater importance, it is important not only to know which of these products to use, but also how best to use them within larger water conservation initiatives. Enter Vikram Baliga and his team. In the field, they compared four different water retention products to see which performed best under harsh, drought like conditions. In tandem, they also sent out surveys to homeowners, investigating what kinds of messaging and incentives might best influence homeowner behaviors.
It will be freely available from 15 May to 31 May, 2020.
If you would like to find transcripts for this episode or sign up for our newsletter, please visit our website: http://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/
Contact us at podcast@sciencesocieties.org or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don't forget to subscribe.
If you would like more information on Vikram's Planthropology podcast, you can find it here: Website: https://www.planthropologypod.com/ Twitter: Facebook: Instagram:
Oil Spill Remediation in North Dakota with Dr. Tom DeSutter and Sam Croat
Episode 35
Friday, April 17, 2020 • Duration 38:49
"Crop Production on Heavily Disturbed Soils following Crude Oil Remediation" with Dr. Tom DeSutter and Sam Croat.
When an oil spill occurs on land, there are myriad ways to approach cleanup, from adding oxidizers or nutrients to speed natural processes, burning off surface oil, replacing contaminated top soil with top soil from other regions, or even just removing the soil to a landfill. When an oil spill in 2013 contaminated Steve and Patty Jensen's land with ~860,000 gallons of Bakken crude oil, Dr. Tom DeSutter and then student Sam Croat tested soil mixing and thermal desorption methods, working with the oil companies, landowners, and remediation companies to try to see which methods could best return the Jensen's land to its original, pre-spill state.
Listen in to learn:
What are different techniques to cleanup an oil spill
How thermal desorption works
Who to contact in case of an oil spill
How mixing soils can give subsoils the jumpstart they need
It will be freely available from 17 April to 1 May, 2020.
If you would like to find transcripts for this episode or sign up for our newsletter, please visit our website: http://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/
Contact us at podcast@sciencesocieties.org or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don't forget to subscribe.
If you would like to reach out to Tom, you can find him here: thomas.desutter@ndsu.edu
If you would like to reach out to Sam, you can find her here: scroat@stealthnd.com Twitter: @SamCroatSoils
The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill with Drs. John White and John Pardue
Episode 34
Friday, April 3, 2020 • Duration 33:51
"Crude Oil Effects on Redox Status of Salt Marsh Soil in Louisiana" with Dr. John White. Also featuring Dr. John Pardue.
Ten years ago, on April 20th, the Deepwater Horizon oil platform exploded, killing eleven crewmen and releasing about five million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico and surrounding environment over the next 87 days. Drs. John White and John Pardue have spent much of their careers focusing on the effects of oil on the environment and ways to speed recovery efforts after spills. Join us as we discuss their papers on the relationships between oil, plant health, and microbes, as well as where we are on the road to recovery today.
Listen in to learn:
The difference between fresh and weathered oil
How buried and surface level oil can affect the health of plants
The importance of oxygen for microbial breakdown of crude oil
Where we are today in the recovery process after Deepwater Horizon
It will be freely available from 3 April to 17 April, 2020.
If you would like to find transcripts for this episode or sign up for our newsletter, please visit our website: http://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/
Contact us at podcast@sciencesocieties.org or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don't forget to subscribe.
If you would like to reach out to John White, you can find him here: jrwhite@lsu.edu
If you would like to reach out to John Pardue, you can find him here: jpardue@lsu.edu
Top Ten Plants with Dr. Mary Meyer and Dr. Natalie Bumgarner
Episode 33
Friday, March 20, 2020 • Duration 43:21
"Top 10 Plants: Increasing Awareness of Plants" with Dr. Mary Hockenberry Meyer and Dr. Natalie Bumgarner.
Plant blindness is the inability to "see" the plants around us, that is, to recognize them as separate and important pieces of our surroundings beyond their roles as general background or landscape. But for those who do "see" plants and their varied species, how can they communicate that information and passion to those around them? One potential answer? Lists. Drs. Mary Meyer and Natalie Bumgarner are pioneers in this technique, both coordinating with local partners, experts, media, and the public to spearhead Top Ten Plant programs in their states.
Listen in to learn:
How extension initiatives can bridge gaps between experts and the general public
Top tips for spearheading programs in your state or region
What kinds of partnerships and resources can develop from these initiatives
What plants made the list both in Minnesota and Tennessee
If you would like to find transcripts for this episode or sign up for our newsletter, please visit our website: http://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/
Contact us at podcast@sciencesocieties.org or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don't forget to subscribe.
If you would like to reach out to Mary, you can find her here: meyer023@umn.edu Twitter: @marygrasses
If you would like to reach out to Natalie, you can find her here:
Plant Blindness in Children's Art with Drs. Christina Hargiss and Paula Comeau, pt. 2
Episode 32
Wednesday, March 4, 2020 • Duration 40:44
"Analysis of Children's Drawings to Gain Insight into Plant Blindness" with Dr. Christina Hargiss and Dr. Paula Comeau
Plant blindness is a phenomenon that, despite its name, has nothing to do with whether or not plants can see. It is actually defined as our inability to see or value the plants around us. Interdisciplinary researchers Drs. Christina Hargiss and Paula Comeau have spent a lot of time digging down to the "roots" of this problem, with research touching anything from psychology to history, cryptography, literature, art and more. This episode, we discuss their work studying plant blindness and mental models in children's art.
Listen to this two part episode to learn more about:
What plant blindness is
How child psychology and plant blindness research overlap
What hurdles researchers face when working with younger study groups
How you can fight plant blindness using your grocery store
What witch trials, Harry Potter, confederate armies, and cryptography have to do with plant blindness
What the next steps are in plant blindness research
It will be freely available from 4 March to 18 March, 2020.
If you would like to find transcripts for this episode or sign up for our newsletter, please visit our website: http://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/
Contact us at podcast@sciencesocieties.org or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don't forget to subscribe.
If you would like to reach out to Christina, you can find her here:
Plant Blindness in Children's Art with Drs. Christina Hargiss and Paula Comeau, pt. 1
Episode 31
Wednesday, March 4, 2020 • Duration 29:12
"Analysis of Children's Drawings to Gain Insight into Plant Blindness" with Dr. Christina Hargiss and Dr. Paula Comeau
Plant blindness is a phenomenon that, despite its name, has nothing to do with whether or not plants can see. It is actually defined as our inability to see or value the plants around us. Interdisciplinary researchers Drs. Christina Hargiss and Paula Comeau have spent a lot of time digging down to the "roots" of this problem, with research touching anything from psychology to history, cryptography, literature, art and more. This episode, we discuss their work studying plant blindness and mental models in children's art.
Listen to this two part episode to learn more about:
What plant blindness is
How child psychology and plant blindness research overlap
What hurdles researchers face when working with younger study groups
How you can fight plant blindness using your grocery store
What witch trials, Harry Potter, confederate armies, and cryptography have to do with plant blindness
What the next steps are in plant blindness research
It will be freely available from 4 March to 18 March, 2020.
If you would like to find transcripts for this episode or sign up for our newsletter, please visit our website: http://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/
Contact us at podcast@sciencesocieties.org or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don't forget to subscribe.
If you would like to reach out to Christina, you can find her here:
Organic Certifications with Harriet Behar
Episode 27
Friday, February 21, 2020 • Duration 34:26
Episode Title: Organic Certifications with Harriet Behar
Show notes:
Getting organically certified is one of the first and most important steps to transitioning to organic farming, but how does one actually go about it? Harriet Behar has worked in organic systems for over thirty years and is an expert on the regulations, processes, and requirements for getting organically certified. Join us and host Dr. Erin Silva as we discuss this crucial process in part one of our four part series on transitioning to organic farming.
Tune in to learn more about:
What goes into creating an Organic System Plan
How knowing the requirements ahead of time can save time when transitioning to organic farming
How to avoid comingling of organic and non-organic crops and seeds in parallel organic and conventional operations
What happens during an organic inspection
How crop rotations differ in conventional and organic systems
If you would like to find transcripts for this episode or sign up for our newsletter, please visit our website: http://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/
Contact us at podcast@sciencesocieties.org or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don't forget to subscribe.
Thank you to our volunteer Om Prakash Ghimire for help with the shownotes and other assets. Thank you to Cole Shalk from 12twelve Media for the Audio Processing on today's episode.
Field, Lab, Earth is Copyrighted by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.
Powerpoint slides from ASMR 2019 annual meeting: Soil Reclamation after a Bakken Crude Pipeline Release: A Summary of Research Results at https://www.asmr.us/Meetings/Past-Meetings?y=2019#Content
Related papers
Croat, S.J., T.M. DeSutter*, F.X.M. Casey, and P.L. O'Brien. 2020. Phosphorus sorption and desorption in soils treated by thermal desorption. Water Air Soil Pollut.
O'Brien, P.L., T.M. DeSutter, and F.X.M. Casey. 2019. Natural degradation of low-level petroleum hydrocarbon contamination under crop management. J. Soils Sed. 19:1367-1373
O'Brien, P.L., T.M. DeSutter, F.X.M. Casey, A.L.M. Daigh, J.L. Heitman, N.E. Derby, and E. Khan. 2018. Daytime surface energy fluxes over soil material remediated using thermal desorption. Agrosyst. Geosci. Environ. 1:180027.
O'Brien, P.L., T.M. DeSutter, F.X.M. Casey, E. Khan, and A.F. Wick. 2018. Thermal remediation alters soil properties: A review. J. Environ. Mngt. 206: 826-835.
O'Brien, P.L., T.M. DeSutter, F.X.M. Casey, A.F. Wick, and E. Khan. 2017. Wheat growth in soils treated by ex situ thermal desorption. J. Environ. Qual. doi:10.2134/jeq2017.03.0115
O'Brien, P.L., T.M. DeSutter, F.X.M. Casey, A.F. Wick, and E. Khan. 2017. Evaluation of soil function following remediation of petroleum hydrocarbons: A review of current remediation strategies. Current Poll. Reports doi:10.1007/s40726-017-0063-7
O'Brien, P.L., T.M. DeSutter, S.S. Ritter, F.X.M. Casey, E. Khan, A.F. Wick, and Heather L. Matthees. 2017. A large-scale soil-mixing process for reclamation of heavily disturbed soils. Ecol. Eng. 109: 84-91.
Ritter, S., T. DeSutter, P. O'Brien, F. Casey, A. Wick, E. Khan, and K. Horsager. 2017. Binary exchanges of calcium, magnesium, and potassium on thermally desorbed soil. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 10.2136/sssaj2017.01.0028
O'Brien, P.L., T.M. DeSutter, F.X.M. Casey, N.E. Derby, and A.F. Wick. 2016. Implications of using thermal desorption to remediate contaminated agricultural soil: Physical characteristics and hydraulic processes. J. Environ. Qual. 45: 1430-1436.
John P.'s article "Biogeochemical controls on biodegradation of buried oil along a coastal headland beach" (free to download until May 9, 2020): https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1alkk,ashxlM1
LSU College of the Coast & Environment Twitter: @LSU_CCE
LSU College of Engineering Twitter: @LSUEngineering
This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 2018-38640-28416 through the North Central Region SARE program under project number ENC18-166. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Field, Lab, Earth is copyrighted to the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.
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