My guest this week is Dr. Heather Grab. Dr. Grab is a Senior Lecturer at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in the School of Integrated Plant Science. In this role she teaches multiple courses focusing on Cannabis cultivation and processing and mentors students in Cornell’s Hemp Master of Professional Studies program. In collaboration with Cornell experts and industry partners, she delivers best practices for the cultivation and processing of Cannabis and Industrial Hemp to professionals in the Northeast and beyond. Prior to this position Heather was a USDA NIFA post-doctoral researcher in the Entomology Department at Cornell and continues to explore interactions between hemp and insects with her students and collaborators. Now on to the show! https://www.kisorganics.com/blogs/podcast/episode-91-cornell-universitys-hemp-science-program-and-new-research-with-dr-heather-grab

My guest this week is Rufus Akinrinlola. He is a Ph.D. Candidate and Graduate Research Assistant in the Entomology and Plant Pathology Department at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. He works in the research programs of UT Specialty Crops and Field Crop Pathology, focusing on Sustainable Disease and Integrated Pest Management Systems, where he’s co-mentored by Drs. Heather Kelly and Zachariah Hansen. Rufus has an MS degree in Agronomy (Plant Pathology) from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a BS degree in Microbiology from Adekunle Ajasin University, Nigeria. His areas of interest include management of field and specialty crops with emphasis on the improved adoption of integrated pest management and natural products in crop protection. Rufus was recently (2021) awarded a Developing Emerging Agricultural Leader and Talent grant (DELTA Award) by Corteva Agriscience in recognizing his potentials as an emerging crop protection future leader. Now on to the show! https://www.kisorganics.com/blogs/podcast/episode-90  

My guest this week is Dr. Anna Paltseva. As an international urban soil scientist and assistant professor, Dr. Anna Paltseva's mission is to educate communities about the critical importance of soil health in growing nutritious food, supporting healthy ecosystems, and helping to reduce harmful greenhouse gases. Her expertise is in helping people identify and remedy soil contamination in urban gardens. She has a passion to help others to understand the impact of heavy metals on the health of soils and the best ways to improve soil quality. https://www.kisorganics.com/blogs/podcast/episode-89-understanding-heavy-metals-in-soils-with-dr-anna-paltseva

My guest this week is Dr. Jordan Zager. Jordan is an expert in natural product biosynthesis and chemical analysis of cannabis resin compounds. Dr. Zager earned his PhD from Washington State University, where his research set the stage for studying the regulatory events governing gene expression in cannabis and their effect on the biosynthesis of trichome-bound cannabinoids and terpenoids. Early in his career, Jordan set his sights on aggressively applying modern scientific methods to the medicinal and recreational cannabis industry and to bring cultivators the tools to become exceptional. Dr. Zager is now the CEO and co-founder of Dewey Scientific in Pullman, Washington. Now on to the show!

My guest this week is Lee Briese with Centrol Consulting. Lee is an independent crop consultant from central North Dakota. He provides agronomic advice that helps farmers build customized systems to grow and manage crops profitably. He specializes in helping farmers adopt practices to protect and improve their soil and local environment including reduced till, notill, cover crops, crop rotation and increased plant and economic diversity. You can find them online at CentrolTV.com.  https://www.kisorganics.com/blogs/podcast/episode-87-details-matter-an-ag-consultants-perspective-with-lee-briese

For This week’s podcast I had the honor of interviewing Dr. Nadia Sabeh also known as Dr. Greenhouse. She is the President and Founder of Dr. Greenhouse, Inc., an agricultural and mechanical engineering firm that specializes in the design of HVAC systems for indoor plant environments. Dr. Sabeh has her PhD in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Arizona’s Controlled Environment Agriculture Center (CEAC) and is a licensed Mechanical Engineer in the State of California. For over 20 years, she has dedicated her education and career to helping farmers control their environments, allowing them to grow crops indoors, in greenhouses and in facilities that would otherwise be impossible or impractical to do so. In this week’s episode we talk about a variety of topics ranging from VPD to plant transpiration to optimizing your drying and curing environment. Now on to the show! https://www.kisorganics.com/blogs/podcast/episode-86-controlling-environmental-conditions-to-maximize-plant-health-with-dr-greenhouse

My guest this week is Dr. Jack Munz. Jack obtained a Bachelor of Science in Botany from Colorado State University while working as a lab assistant facilitating the development of genetic  markers for invasive species. Jack then earned a Master of Science from Illinois State University where  he worked towards increasing vegetable oils in temperate grasses like corn for biodiesel production using targeted gene expression. He also has a Ph.D. in Botany from the University of British  Columbia during which he worked to unravel the genetic regulation of nitrogen starvation responses in  plants with next-gen sequencing technologies. Jack is now applying his experience in plant molecular  genetics to diagnose viruses in cannabis with 3 Rivers Biotech based out of Vancouver, Canada. 3 Rivers  Biotech also has a lab in Ferndale, Washington, and a future lab in California later this year.  https://www.kisorganics.com/blogs/news/episode-85-viruses-in-cannabis-and-hemp-with-dr-jack-munz

Our guest this week is my good friend, Suzanne Wainwright-Evans also known by many as The Bug Lady. She is an Ornamental Entomologist specializing in integrated pest management.  Suzanne has been involved in the Green Industry for more than 25 years with a primary focus on biological control and using pesticides properly.  She is a graduate of the University of Florida with degrees in both Entomology and Environmental Horticulture.  She has worked throughout the United States and internationally consulting to greenhouses, nurseries, landscapers and interiorscape companies.  She is the owner of Buglady Consulting, now in business for over 21 years.

My guest this week is Dr. Abbey Wick. Abbey is a North Dakota State University Extension Soil Health Specialist and Associate Professor, and has experience working with farmers on soil health building practices like incorporating cover crops into rotation and transitioning to no-till systems.    Since 2012, she has had her hands in over 50,000 acres of soil and influenced management on over 200,000 acres of farmland in the northern plains just with the personal relationships she’s developed with farmers.  There are many other farmers she influences through her bi-weekly magazine articles and television segment along with discussion-based Extension programming.  She focuses on goal-oriented approaches so that farmers can maximize the benefits while reducing the risk associated with incorporating new practices.  She has been featured in Successful Farming Magazine Q & A and Bonus Sections for her work with cover crops and ability to connect with farmers.  She was also Senator Hoeven’s selection to represent North Dakota for the Senate Ag Republicans “Women in Agriculture” campaign in 2018.

My guest this week is Dr. Kevin Mehr. Dr. Mehr has spent the last five years driving the development of large-scale micropropagation programs for cannabis in North America. Kevin received his Ph.D. in Genome Science and Technology from the University of British Columbia and translates this experience with genetics and plant science to every facet of operations and product innovation.