Teaching, Travel and Teamwork: Elizabeth’s Agronomy Journey
If you told Elizabeth Lemings that she was destined to become an agronomist, she probably wouldn’t disagree.
“Ever since I grew up in rural Nebraska, I’ve always been involved in agriculture, and I knew I wanted to be in the agriculture industry,” said Elizabeth, Midwest Agronomist for Crop Vitality, Tessenderlo Kerley.
Beginning with involvement in 4-H Clubs and FFA, Elizabeth’s passion for agronomy led to graduate-degree research. She received her Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Soil Science from Oklahoma State University. At Tessenderlo Kerley, she passes on her agricultural knowledge to growers by explaining the benefits of Crop Vitality’s sustainable crop nutrition products.
“I get to travel with my sales team, learn different regions and ultimately provide research that’s going to be valuable for our customers, and make sure when they are applying our products, they are using them in the best fashion,” she said. “In our industry, we’re always looking for ways to become more sustainable and good stewards of the land, and knowing that our products come from that base is really exciting to work with.”
Traveling throughout her territory and conducting research trials in new environments are among Elizabeth’s favorite parts of the job.
“You could be in Texas looking at cotton, in the Dakotas looking at wheat, or corn in Nebraska, so there’s a lot of variety,” she said. “You get to see a lot of new faces and you get to interact with growers. That part is really exciting to me. You get to explain our products to a new set of clientele.”
One of Elizabeth’s top priorities is helping growers understand the negative effects of nitrogen loss from their soil, and how Thio-Sul® from Crop Vitality can help prevent that loss and maximize their crop yields.
“Nitrification inhibition is the process of slowing down the natural conversion of ammonium in the soil to nitrate. When we slow that process down, we keep more nitrogen available in the soil for crops,” she said. “Being involved in that forward-thinking project and process has been really rewarding.”
Despite working remotely, Elizabeth’s team understands the importance of connecting with each other, and makes it a priority.
“You really feel like you’re part of the team, even though we’re spread throughout the country,” she said. “We’re a tight-knit group and we do get together quite often in our different travels and meetings. It’s a really good collaboration.”
At Tessenderlo Kerley, Elizabeth enjoys utilizing her passion for agriculture, sustainability and helping farmers feed America – and she encourages those who share her passion to consider the same career path.
“If you want to expand your horizons, I would definitely consider Tessenderlo Kerley. It’s just a great opportunity to learn and grow, and your job is just a new adventure every day,” she said. “You get to travel, grow and learn, and for researchers like me, that’s really exciting.”