Welcome to the Natural State Nutrient Blog!

The Natural State Nutrient Blog is your source for timely, research-based information on soil fertility and nutrient management from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Our goal is simple: to connect Arkansas producers, consultants, county Extension agents, agricultural professionals, and others with practical information they can use to make informed soil fertility and fertilizer management decisions.

From row crops to pastures, hayfields to horticulture, soil fertility plays a critical role in crop productivity, input costs, and the long-term sustainability of Arkansas agriculture. Through this blog, our soil fertility team will share information on topics such as fertilizer and lime recommendations, nutrient management strategies, soil testing, crop and forage management, fertilizer economics, nutrient use efficiency, emerging fertility issues, and results from ongoing research and Extension demonstrations across the state.

Content published through the Natural State Nutrient Blog will be developed and reviewed by our team of four soil fertility specialists who work across a wide range of Arkansas production systems. This allows us to bring together diverse expertise across row crops, forage and pasture systems, soil testing, and nutrient management.

You can expect posts that translate current research into practical recommendations, highlight results from Arkansas field trials, address seasonal soil fertility questions, and provide resources to help producers get the most value from their fertilizer investments.

To kick things off, take a few minutes to meet the specialists behind the Natural State Nutrient Blog and learn more about the areas we serve.

And be sure to check back regularly, there is plenty more to come from the Natural State Nutrient team!

Meet the Team

Trenton Roberts, Professor of Soil Fertility and Soil Testing

Dr. Roberts is an Endowed Professor and Extension Soil Fertility Specialist in the CSES department with a primary focus on the development of soil-based nitrogen tests to improve nitrogen use-efficiency of agricultural crops. Trenton received degrees from Oklahoma State University, University of Arizona and University of Arkansas all related to soil science and agricultural production. Dr. Roberts has been the leader in the development of N-STaR the nitrogen soil test for rice, which is the first site-specific soil test method for rice. Future research will focus on the development of soil test methods for corn, wheat and cotton as well as the implementation of N-STaR for rice throughout the Mid-south. Trenton has worked diligently on the nitrogen use efficiency in the Mid-south and has several (>15) refereed journal articles on this topic. Over the past 8 years Dr. Roberts has worked to revise and update nutrient management recommendations, adding new soil and tissue tests to improve the accuracy and efficiency of crop production. In addition to his soil fertility work, Dr. Roberts has taken the lead of cover crop research within the state of Arkansas and has developed guidelines and recommendations for their effective implementation into crop rotations across the Mid-south.

Gerson Laerson Drescher, Assistant Professor of Soil Fertility

Dr. Drescher is an Assistant Professor of Soil Fertility at the Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, University of Arkansas (UofA). Dr. Drescher earned a B.S. in Agronomy, an M.S. in Soil Science, and a Ph.D. in Soil Science from the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), Brazil. He worked as a post-doc researcher at UFSM and UofA leading research projects focused on soil and plant analysis, fertilizer rate correlation and calibration, nutrient cycling, and plant nutrition. In his current position, Dr. Drescher’s research program is focused on developing up-to-date fertilizer recommendations and plant nutrient management strategies for major agronomic crops (corn, cotton, soybean, rice, and forage) grown in Arkansas, to ensure farm profitability and environmental sustainability. He has experience with soil and plant analysis, plant nutrition, nutrient cycling, stable isotopes (15N), organic waste management, water quality, and soil health.

Bronc Finch, Assistant Professor and Extension Soil Fertility Specialist

Dr. Finch is an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist of Soil Fertility with the Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture (UADA). Dr. Finch earned his B.S. in Agriculture Education, and M.S. in Plant, Soil, and Environmental Sciences from West Texas A&M University in Canyon, TX, and his Ph.D. in Soil Science from Oklahoma State University (OSU) in Stillwater, OK. Dr. Finch’s extension program focuses on developing and disseminating up-to-date fertilizer and nutrient management guidance for forage production in Arkansas. Dr. Finch also oversees the Arkansas Hay Verification program with the aim of monitoring and maintaining the utility of hay production recommendations.  

 

 

Ana Morales-Ona Smith, Assistant Professor and Extension Soil Fertility Specialist

Dr. Ana Morales-Ona Smith is an Assistant Professor and Extension Soil Fertility Specialist for row crops with the Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture (UADA). Dr. Smith earned her B.S. in Environment and Development Engineering from Zamorano University, and her M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Agronomy from Purdue University, where she conducted applied, on-farm nutrient management research. She also holds a graduate certificate in Geospatial Data Science from Purdue, strengthening her expertise in spatial data analysis and precision agriculture. Her program aims to strengthen soil fertility recommendations through site-specific nutrient management and improved fertilizer use efficiency. A central component of her work is translating research findings into practical Extension programming, educational materials, and decision-support resources that serve producers and stakeholders across Arkansas.

Learn more about our soil fertility team and the work they do here.