January 2021 - 21

PLANT & SOIL HEALTH
Kelly named to US National Committee for Soil Science
By Linc Thomas
Colorado State University
Gene Kelly, a professor of pedology at
Colorado State University's (CSU) College
of Agricultural Sciences and the deputy
director/associate dean of Extension for the
Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station,
has been appointed
to the U.S. National
Committee for
Soil Science by
the National
Academies
of Sciences,
Engineering and
Medicine.
Kelly's research
GENE KELLY
is centered on
the origin and
evolution of soils. From his birds-eye
view of the living earth, Kelly unravels
the intricacies of how soils form and how
agriculture, urbanization and climate
change impact our global soil resources.
" The net result of human activities on
soil resources this century will be global
in scale and will have direct impacts on
human security for centuries to come, "
said Kelly. " Soil science has become all
encompassing. There isn't one sector of
agricultural or environmental sciences that
doesn't touch soils in one way or another.
I am honored to serve on this committee,
and see it as an opportunity to advance soil
science in the U.S. and around the world. "
Promoting soil science,
education
This committee, operating within the
National Academy, will promote the
importance of soil science research and
education in addressing a multitude of
global change issues.
" It's probably far more important
for researchers to understand
people, rather than soil, in
communicating environmental
benefits and risks. "
− Gene Kelly,
Colorado State University
" This committee really provides me with
an opportunity to not only contribute to the
discipline, but to promote the importance
of soil science research, education and
extension being conducted at land grant
universities like CSU, " said Kelly. " I am
fortunate to be at CSU where our soil
science community spans multiple colleges
and is deeply committed to interdisciplinary
agricultural, ecological and environmental
research and education. "
As the deputy director/associate dean
of Extension for the Colorado Agricultural
Experiment Station, Kelly also emphasizes
the importance of integrating research with
Extension and the increasing importance of
the Extension service and the critical link it
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plays in CSU's land-grant mission.
According to Kelly, one of the current
issues in soil science centers on the
impact of soil health and the importance
that farmers adopt practices that are
recommended by scientists.
" With the complex land-use and
landownership tapestry of Colorado
agriculture, it is not surprising that adoption
of U.S. government programs related
to soil health are extremely low, " said
Kelly. " It's probably far more important
for researchers to understand people,
rather than soil, in communicating
environmental benefits and risks. "
Although new to the committee, Kelly
delivered the keynote speech titled " A
Diverse Soil Science Future " on World Soils
Day in December. He believes that the
scientific community is driven to have a
broader impact and relevance across a range
of communities, but also must be willing
to expand not only the science, but its
professional demographic composition.
" In terms of my own research program,
it's easy to get caught up in immediate
issues of the day, " said Kelly. " Society is
now asking us for information that is both
specific to particular problems, places, and
times, and also predictive, prescriptive, and
scalable. I believe pedology and soil science
really need to remain focused on the long
view, developing and testing new theories,
putting focus on the large scale and long
term soil dynamics - that is where my heart
remains. " VGN
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ABILITY IN
SUSTAINABILITY
VGN | JANUARY 2021 | 21

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January 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2021