Joao Paulo Flores has joined North Dakota State University’s Carrington Research Extension Center as a nutrient management specialist.

Flores will spend 60 percent of his time on research and the other 40 percent on Extension responsibilities.

Most recently, he served as project researcher at Virginia Tech University. His project addressed forage quality and soil fertility on pasture-based beef systems for Appalachia. Much of his research experience has been associated with assessing the influence of livestock production systems on soil physical and chemical attributes.

He earned his doctorate degree in soil science from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil in 2008.

“The CREC’s nutrient management program is focused on livestock manure management from its source on toward utilization as a fertilizer resource and soil amendment for crop production,” says Blaine Schatz, the Carrington Research Extension Center’s director. “We’re excited for Paulo to provide leadership to this program because his experiences and training are well-suited for the research and Extension goals of the program.”

Flores will assume leadership of NDSU’s Discovery Farm project, which gathers water quality information from operating farms to better understand how enterprise management influences water quality.

“I am very pleased with the opportunity to serve as the nutrient management specialist at the Carrington Research Extension Center,” Flores says. “I look forward to working with North Dakota’s farmers and Extension personnel to increase farmers’ profitability and sustainability through adequate management of livestock manure for both crops and the environment.”

NDSU Agriculture Communication - Jan. 17, 2014