The Fertilizer Institute on Aug. 6 announced the selection of John D. Jones as the Director of the Foundation for Agronomic Research. Jones will provide oversight of the 4R Research Fund, coordinate a 4R Researcher network, and support other strategies to advance 4R nutrient stewardship.
Jones is a winner of the 2019 American Society of Agronomy Future Leaders in Science Award from the Tri-societies and a recipient of the 2018 Robert A. Sloan Award in Sustainable Agriculture from Iowa State University (ISU). TFI said he has extensive agricultural retail experience organizing and leading on-farm research grower networks and implementing progressive agronomic practices that highlight profitability and input efficiency. Jones holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agronomy and Environmental Science from Kansas State University and a Masters’ Degree in Soil Science-Soil Fertility from ISU. He is currently finishing his PhD in Soil Fertility and Sustainable Agriculture at ISU.
“John Jones brings a unique breadth of experience to the Foundation for Agronomic Research,” said TFI Vice President of Stewardship and Sustainability Lara Moody. “Having served as the primary agronomic advisor for a yield contest winning soybean farmer in Kansas to conducting instrumental research for understanding soil and phosphorus loss in Iowa and advocating for science policy that supports agricultural research on the local, state, and national level, John is uniquely-qualified to lead FAR.”
The 4R Research Fund, which is supported by the fertilizer industry and other stakeholders, recently awarded nearly $2.7 million to five research efforts in California, Arizona, Utah, Arkansas, and the South (Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas) to projects focused on almonds, vegetables, tart cherries, potatoes, wheat, corn and corn silage, alfalfa, cotton, rice, and soybeans. Those funds were leveraged with $3.2 million from multiple stakeholders to total $5.9 million in research.