The NutrientStar Review Panel is an independent group of scientists responsible for reviewing and approving NutrientStar field trial results and NutrientStar assessments of models, products and tools based on those results. The Panel also reviews assessments based on company-submitted data and literature reviews. Once the review panel is satisfied that an assessment is complete, the data are posted on the NutrientStar website. The Review Panel operates on a consensus process, and signs confidentiality agreements in order to serve on the panel.
Director/Professor
Appalachian Laboratory of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Eric Davidson researches biogeochemical processes including the exchange of plant nutrients from the land to streams and groundwater and the exchange of greenhouse gases between the soil and the atmosphere. He works in a variety of ecosystems including forest and agriculture lands in North and South America. He has served as Senior Scientist and as President and Executive Director at the Woods Hole Research Center. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and President-Elect of the 60,000-member scientific society, the American Geophysical Union. He served as the Coordinator of the North American Center for the International Nitrogen Initiative and is the leader of a Research Coordination Network on Reactive Nitrogen in the Environment. Davidson has written a popular book, You Can’t Eat GNP, which explores the links between economics and ecology for students and laypersons.
Education
Ph.D., Forestry, North Carolina State University
Post-doctoral positions, soil microbiology and biogeochemistry, UC-Berkeley & NASA Ames Research Center
Certified Crop Adviser/Agronomist
Cedar Basin Crop Consulting
Shannon Gomes has more than three decades of consulting experience and a deep knowledge of soil and nutrient management. As an agronomist and crop adviser, he provides services like soil testing, remote sensing, and precision farming application. He has long tested nutrient management tools through rigorous field trials, searching for the best ways to monitor nitrogen availability and provide nutrient recommendations to his clients. He is a Certified Crop Adviser and an ARCPAC Certified Soil Scientist.
Education
B.S., Soil Science, Cal Poly State University
M.S., Soil Fertility, Iowa State University
Researcher/Lab Director
USDA Agricultural Research Service
Jerry Hatfield joined the Agricultural Research Service in 1983. Since then, he has served as USDA-ARS representative on a number of initiatives and task forces related to the interactions between soil, plants and atmosphere, and to the quality of soil, water and air. His research evaluates nutrient and water management systems, as well as the use of remote sensing methods to help farmers determine which systems to use and how to manage risk.
Education
B.S., Agronomy, Kansas State University
M.S., Agronomy, University of Kentucky
Ph.D., Agricultural Climatology and Statistics, Iowa State University
Researcher/Data Manager
Iowa Soybean Association
Peter Kyveryga helps farmers improve their economic and environmental performance through the use of data and advanced technologies. At the Iowa Soybean Association, he provides leadership for developing and executing best practices for data collection and analyses from different on-farm agronomic and environmental studies, as well as for communicating study results to farmers, industry professionals and the scientific community. He serves as technical editor for the Agronomy Journal of the American Society of Agronomy.
Education
B.S., Agrochemistry and Soil Science, National Agricultural University of Ukraine – Kyiv
Ph.D., Soil Science and Soil Fertility, Iowa State University
Continuing Education: Graduate Courses in Statistics, Iowa State University
Researcher/Professor
University of Connecticut
Tom Morris, a soil scientist and professor specializing in nitrogen studies, has worked with the Iowa On-Farm Network and similar efforts in other states to find, through the use of precision agriculture tools, best practices for nutrient use to improve profitability and environmental health. He has also conducted research projects in Connecticut, the Chesapeake Bay region, and the Mississippi River Basin related to the loss of nutrients from cornfields to bodies of water.
Education
B.S., Agronomy, Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture
M.S., Soil Science, University of Connecticut
Ph.D., Soil Science, Iowa State University
Researcher/Professor
Kansas State University
A university distinguished professor, Charles Rice specializes in soil microbiology, carbon and nitrogen cycles and the intersection of agricultural and grassland systems with climate change. He served as president in 2011 of the Soil Science Society of America; he is a fellow in that and other professional societies. He was also a member of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.
Education
B.S., Geography – Natural Environmental Systems, Northern Illinois University
M.S., Soil Science, University of Kentucky
Ph.D., Soil Microbiology, University of Kentucky
Former USDA Agricultural Research Service Supervisory Soil Scientist
Professor Emeritus, University of Nebraska
James Schepers, long-time soil scientist for the Agricultural Research Service, directed a team of researchers to develop agricultural practices that would allow farmers to be profitable while conserving natural resources, particularly groundwater. As early as the 1990s, he led studies related to nitrogen management via tools that would detect the onset of nitrogen deficiencies so that farmers could adjust nitrogen levels more precisely. He later coordinated a multi-state effort to assess the potential of remote sensing for crop monitoring.
Education
B.S., Agronomy, University of Nebraska – Lincoln
M.S., Soil Chemistry, University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Ph.D., Soil Physical Chemistry, University of Illinois – Urbana
Researcher/Professor
Virginia Tech
Wade Thomason has focused his career on extension, outreach and research programs. For the past decade, he’s worked closely with Virginia grower associations and extension agencies to develop innovative, highly visible programs to promote profitable production and management of corn and other grains. He previously served as a soil fertility and crops specialist in Oklahoma, where he worked with a team of agricultural specialists to provide technical assistance and consultation to farmers and ranchers.
Education
B.S., Animal Science, Oklahoma State University
M.S., Plant and Soil Sciences, Oklahoma State University
Ph.D., Soil Science, Oklahoma State University
Researcher/Professor
University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Kenneth Cassman researches methods to increase crop yields without compromising the quality of soil, water and other natural resources. He has contributed to the development of the Global Yield Gap Atlas, a state-of-the-art resource for estimating the gap between current average farm yields and potential yield ceilings for major food crops. A supervisor for graduate students and postdocs, he also takes part in extension education programs related to the use of crop models as decision-support tools.
Education
B.S., Biology, University of California – San Diego
M.S., Agronomy and Soil Science, University of Hawaii
Ph.D., Agronomy and Soil Science, University of Hawaii