Dr. Emma Matcham

My earliest memories of forages are from my uncle's dairy farm in Lorain Co, but I didn't have much professional interest in forage until grad school when I learned about how nutrient management impacts protein development in crops. As I learned more about nutrient management in the context of row crop nutrient demand and manure management for animal production, plus the economics and labor concerns facing 21st century agriculture, I realized that forage systems combine so many of my interests.

This year we’re focused on establishing trials for some winter and warm season annuals, including a student-led trial on how nitrogen management and harvest timing impacts rye forage production and nutritive value. We’ll also be starting studies on establishment timing of warm season annual grasses.

I came to OSU as an undergrad, and my BS was in Forest Ecosystem Management with a minor in Mathematics. I interned with OSU Extension as a student, and quickly realized that I love the science communication and community engagement components of being an extension agronomist. I stayed at OSU for my MS in Crop Science, and then moved to UW-Madison to complete my PhD in Agronomy. Prior to joining the faculty of HCS, I was an assistant professor at the University of Florida for a few years. My programs there focused on nutrient management for agronomic crops, including grass hay production systems, silage corn – peanut rotation systems, and others.

So far my only international involvement is through the Fertilize4Life project, which unites 4 teams of researchers across 4 institutions (USDA, University of Florida, Embrapa, and the International Fertilizer Development Center) to study nutrient use efficiency in the US and Brazil. Our team is building a database of soil test results and yield information to advance modeling and nutrient management research in both countries, and the data harmonization methods will be useful for expanding international collaboration in other regions, too.

I don’t know if I have a favorite conference, but I am very involved in the Tri-Societies and typically attend their annual meeting each fall. My current activities include being a Certified Crop Adviser (the CCA program is part the American Society of Agronomy) and chairing the LGBTQ+ Scientists and Allies community.

I'm most excited about the Ohio Forage and Grassland Council meeting in February and Hamilton Co Grazing School in March.

I enjoy riding my bike, knitting, and reading (especially sci-fi).