Our Team
The Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP) 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. The NMSP and its applied research and extension mission in field crop nutrient management relocated to the Department of Animal Science in July of 2008.
- Kirsten Workman, Senior Extension Associate, joined the PRO-DAIRY team as the Nutrient Management and Environmental Sustainability Specialist in January of 2022.
- Karl Czymmek, Senior Extension Associate, returned to the PRO-DAIRY team as the Climate Leadership Specialist in January of 2024.
- Manuel Marcaida, data analyst, joined us to support our precision agriculture program and yield data specific projects. He leads the team of staff and students who work on yield monitor data processing.
- Juan Carlos Ramos Tanchez , on-farm research coordinator, joined us in June of 2022. Juan Carlos carries responsibilities for our field-based research program and on-farm research network.
- Sanjay Gami, research associate, joined our team in December of 2008 to support and lead laboratory-based projects. He is in charge of laboratory analyses and management and worked on our project on implication of land application of acid whey.
- Olivia Godber, reseach associate, is originally from the UK where she graduated with a PhD from the University of Bristol. Her research interests within NMSP are the identification of dairy sustainability indicators to improve dairy farm efficiency, profitability, and environmental sustainability.
- Abraham Hauser, assistant data analyst, joined us to support our precision agriculture program and yield data specific projects in June 2021 after he graduated with a degree in math from SUNY Geneseo.
- Erick Ariel Amaya Aguilar, Laboratory & Research Technician, joined us in August of 2023 for a 3-month internship and then returned in January 2024 as laboratory and field technician, working on the Dairy Soil and Water Regeneration Project.
- Carlos Irias, Laboratory & Research Technician, joined us in August of 2023 for a 3-month internship and then returned in January 2024 as laboratory and field technician, working on the multistate rainfall simulation project and the value of manure project.
- Julianna Lee, dairy sustainability research assistant, joined us in July of 2024 to support our Dairy Sustainability Key Performance Indicators project. She graduated from the Ag Sciences major at Cornell University and is a former intern with our team.
- Sadiel Negron joined us in August of 2024 as field and laboratory technician for our Dairy Soil and Water Regeneration Project. He graduated from the University of Puerto Rico and was a former intern with our team (summer of 2023).
- Maddy Hanscom joined us in June of 2023 as science communication writer for the NMSP. Maddy graduated from Cornell University with a BS degree in Human Development with minors in Plant Science and Community Food Systems.
We have had several postdoctoral researchers in our team over the years. Our current team includes two postdoctral researchers:
- Subhashree Navaneetha Srinivasagan received her PhD from North Dakota State University and joined us in April of 2022 to work on an Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability proposal that puts farmers in the driver seat for on-farm research, with the use of technology (remote sensing). Subha is originally from India.
- Jasdeep Singh, postdoctoral researcher, received her PhD from South Dakota State University in 2020. He joined our team in May of 2023 to lead the New York component of the Dairy Soil and Water Regeneration Project, in collaboration with Dairy Management Inc, the Soil Health Institute and other collaborating universities and research stations.
We currently have four graduate students in our program:
- Gurpreet Kaur joined us in August of 2022 as a PhD student. Gurpreet is originally from India. She works on evaluation of the role of microbial functions in improving soil health, nutrient cycling and production resilience in forage crops.
- Issa Diaz joined us in June of 2024 as a PhD student. Issa is originally from Honduras. Her project use technology to advance precision agriculture for sustained profitability and protection of the environment. Her projects are part of the Farm of the Future project.
- Helen Solecki, MS student, joined us as a staff member in May of 2023 and transitioned to being a MS student in August of 2024. Her work focuses on evaluation of the impact of a new manure management custom operator system in the New York City Watershed. Helen is orginally from New Jersey and worked as a zoo keeper at the Bronx Zoo for five years prior to joining us at Cornell University
- Joel Tinoco, MS student, came to Cornell in the summer of 2024 to pursue a MS degree program working closely with Dr. Jason Oliver of PRODAIRY on manure treatment systems. He is originally from Equador.
We greatly enjoy working with undergraduates, through independent research projects, work-study programs, and internships. Currently we have five undergraduates in our program: Skylar Cooper, Karolyn Auer, and Camron Ray (all CALS Animal Science majors), Sarah Flanagan, Isabella Agurto, and Jean D'Amour Maniragaba (all CALS Agricultural Sciences major), Cosmo Wessel (Sustainability and Environment), Dekyel Samdron, Brian Liu (Information Science & Data Science). We also work with a high school student, Kasim Khapra on his senior project.
A major role in the program is played by Cornell Cooperative Extension Field Crops Educators.