Brian Olson

Dr. Olson's research interests center on developing practical, science-based agronomic solutions for crop production systems of the Great Plains, with a strong emphasis on weed management, herbicide resistance such as glyphosate-resistant kochia, and strategies to improve water use efficiency. His work integrates cropping systems research with extension-driven objectives, addressing residue management, soil moisture capture and retention, and no-till production practices to enhance crop productivity and sustainability. Dr. Olson is particularly interested in optimizing both dryland and irrigated systems for wheat, corn, grain sorghum, and soybean, while focusing on translating research findings into management practices that producers can readily adopt to improve system resilience and long-term profitability.

Grants, sponsored projects, and partnerships

·    Led and/or contributed to the development of multidisciplinary proposals addressing water scarcity, resilient agriculture, crop-livestock integration, graduate education, agrivoltaics, and producer decision support.

·    Cultivated partnerships with USDA agencies, land-grant universities, commodity organizations, agricultural businesses, engineering collaborators, producers, utilities, insurers, and rural stakeholders.

·    Coordinated Bayer Crop Science funding and activities associated with the American Society of Agronomy annual meeting from 2018 through 2022.

·    Supported development of letters of support, concept papers, research frameworks, and external funding strategies that align partnership opportunities with the WKREC and K-State missions.

·    Participated as a principal investigator, co-investigator, or key contributor on 23 funded grants and awards with a combined documented project value exceeding $18.0 million and generated $200,796 in industry support.

·    Contributed to sponsored initiatives addressing wildfire recovery and cover crops in semi-arid systems, volatile nitrogen losses in water limited Great Plains production, water smart sorghum, and drought resilient pearl millet.