Iowa State University Department of Agronomy

Austin Knight ('20 Agronomy) is the CALS young alum of the month. Read more about his time at Iowa State University and how he is using his Agronomy major. Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Young Alum of the Month: Austin Knight June 10, 2026 Austin Knight Name: Austin KnightMajor: AgronomyGraduation year: 2020Current job title and company/organization: Director of technical assistance, AgSpireWhat moment or experience at Iowa State most shaped your career path?Participating in the Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative (...

Agronomy students recently participated in the NACTA 2026 Judging Conference hosted by Illinois State University in Normal, IL.

At the crops contest, the Iowa State team placed 1st as a team overall, Zach Utley earned 1st individual overall (which is his third win as an individual this semester), and Abe Dieleman placed 2nd as an individual overall. The students participating in the crops contest were Abe Dieleman (team), December McGrew (team), Keira Simmons (team), Zach Utley (team), Lauren Struthers (individual) and William Licht (individual). Assistant Coaches are Emma Davidson and Ephraim Van Zante who had used their eligibility in previous seasons, so they helped prepare the team and teach Agron 3310.

In the precision ag contest, Abe Dieleman placed 1st as an individual and the team placed 2nd overall. The team consisted of Emma Davidson, Abe Dieleman, December McGrew and Keira Simmons.

In the knowledge bowl, Iowa State won the 4-yr division with team members Abe Dieleman, Wyatt Eaton, Lauren Struthers, Zach Utley, and Ephraim Van Zante.

Congratulations to these teams for representing Iowa State University so well!

Last month the Department of Agronomy welcomed 37 FFA chapters including 128 individuals to the department for the 2026 Iowa FFA Agronomy CDE (Career Development Event). Activities included demonstration of skills and problem solving in Agronomy, including crop, w**d, insect and seed identification; crop and seed judging and evaluation; and grain grading. A written exam was included along with a team problem solving competition. The Little Switzerland FFA Chapter located in Waukon took 1st place as a team and Alyssa Machin of the Newton FFA Chapter was the top individual. Congratulations!

Agron 1820 students took part in field trips to get hands-on practice with soil feature and property identification. Some of the activities they participated in: identifying color from a soil sample, identifying horizon boundaries in a soil pit (soils can get a little wet in Iowa in the spring), and texturing a sample to determine sand, silt, and clay content by hand.

Michael Geissinger ('19 Agronomy) is the CALS young alum of the month. Read more about his time at Iowa State University and how he is using his Agronomy major. Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Young Alum of the Month: Michael Geissinger May 14, 2026 Michael Geissinger Name: Michael GeissingerMajor: Agronomy, minor: animal scienceGraduation year: 2019Current job title and company/organization: Grazing and nutrient management outreach specialist for University of Wisconsin-Madison ExtensionWhat moment or experience at Iowa State most...

Congratulations to all Spring 2026 Agronomy Seniors that are celebrating graduation this weekend! We recently celebrated all 2026 Seniors at our Agronomy Awards Ceremony.

Agronomy & Seed Science graduating Senior Zach Utley is the Spring 2026 CALS Academic Achievement awardee. During his time at Iowa State, Zach has been involved in the Crops Team, Iowa Corn Growers Collegiate Club, Kairos Student Ministry and also served as a teaching assistant for six semesters. Read more about Zach here: https://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/2026/honoring-spring-2026-cals-council-awardees .
Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

In moments of panic, Emma Davidson learned that asking for help isn’t a weakness but a key to success.

Davidson, a senior in agronomy and seed science, exemplified resilience and courage when unexpectedly stepping into a leadership role at the Iowa State University Seed Science Center. Her critical action of noticing her supervisor’s absence led to a lifesaving wellness check at his home. Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Skills gained from navigating the unknown In moments of panic, Emma Davidson learned that asking for help isn’t a weakness but a key to success. Davidson, a senior in agronomy and seed science, exemplified resilience and courage when unexpectedly stepping into a leadership role at the Iowa State University Seed Science Center. Her critica...

During Spring Break Dr. Amber Anderson traveled with a group of students to Costa Rica. While in country, the students toured a pineapple farm, a rice farm, an organic vegetable farm, learned about sugarcane farming and processing, coffee production, bamboo production, and toured a volcano and waterfalls. The group consisted of several Agronomy students. Abby Fleming, Sophomore in Agronomy said a highlight for her was, " eating fresh pineapple from the pineapple farm we toured".

Recently two Agronomy students that are members of the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program presented their research at a poster session on campus. Malinali Sanchez Carmona and Ninette Gonzolez are part of the McNair program. The McNair program is named for one of the Space Shuttle Challenger's astronauts, Dr. Ronald E. McNair. It encourages undergraduate students to pursue graduate studies.