Beth spent a beautiful fall morning this week collecting deep soil cores from some of our research plots at Kellogg Biological Station with the help of KBS research staff. Our lab group is tracking the movement of nitrogen from fertilizers, including urine-derived fertilizer (UDF), as a part of a project focused on circular nutrient economies.

A new article and visual story in the August 2025 edition of Michigan Research features Will’s dissertation research on cover crop grazing. Read the full story (and see a ton of fantastic photos) here:

It’s Not the Cow, It’s the How: Rethinking Soil, Cattle, and Sustainability

Congratulations to Etienne, whose paper on functional trait variation in cover crops was recently published in Plant and Soil! This research related soil health indicators to variation in shoot and root traits for cover crops planted on 8 farms in Michigan, with the broader goal of optimizing cover crop performance through better site-specific management. 

Results from Kent’s isotopic tracer study, which examined how cover crops impact particulate and mineral-associated soil organic matter pools, were recently published in Soil Biology and Biogeochemistry. This project was funded by UM’s Graham Sustainability Institute, and work was performed in collaboration with Timothy James (UM). We also partnered with Dr. Julie Doll (MiAA) to share research findings with the agricultural community in Michigan. Congratulations, Kent!

Find the full paper here:

A legume-grass cover crop builds mineral-associated organic matter across variable agricultural soils

Read more about Will’s research on the Matthaei Botanical Gardens blog!

Michigan News published a story yesterday on our Healthy Soils, Healthy Waters project. Read all about it here:

Fighting Lake Erie’s algal blooms with healthier soils

Jennifer was recently interviewed about her research, interests and inspirations, and more. Find the link to the full article here:

SEAS Professor Jennifer Blesh: Transformative food systems expert

Blesh, J. and M. Schipanski. 2024. Blending knowledge systems for agroecological nutrient management and climate resilience. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2024.133.004

The full issue of 12 commentaries can be found here.

Last Friday Etienne successfully defended her doctoral dissertation, entitled “Ecological approaches to managing crop diversity for sustainability and resilience in the Great Lakes Region.” Huge congrats, Etienne! Your future is bright.