Ryan Buetow has joined the NDSU Extension Service as an area Extension cropping systems specialist at the Dickinson Research Extension Center.

He will provide agronomic support to agricultural producers in the region.

Buetow, who assumed his duties June 1, is a native of Cologne, Minnesota. He earned a bachelor’s degree in crop and weed science and a master's degree in plant sciences from NDSU.

"We are pleased to have Ryan here to fill this important Extension position for agronomic producers in the region," said Kris Ringwall, director of the Dickinson Research Extension Center. "Ryan brings a solid background in cropping systems study and will be available to help farmers solve planning, crop rotation and production issues as they arise."

Buetow says his experiences growing up on a dairy farm southwest of Minneapolis, Minnesota, are very different from the style of farming in southwestern North Dakota, and he is enthusiastic about the opportunity to meet and work with area producers.

One of the biggest differences Buetow noticed during his first weeks on the job was the difference in availability of moisture throughout the growing season in southwestern North Dakota, compared with Minnesota and the Red River Valley.

"And the crops are different," he says. "There is much more variety out here, compared with just corn, soybeans and alfalfa back home."

Buetow hopes to put his educational experience as an intern for Monsanto, WinField and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service to good use for producers.

"Anytime I can put my education to use while continuing learning and helping growers is great," he says.

One of Buetow's first tasks at the Dickinson Research Extension Center will be to coordinate the center's annual summer field day, which is scheduled for Wednesday, July 8.

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