Oct 12, 2016

Hayden joins MSU vegetable team

Zachary (Zack) Hayden wanted to pursue studies involving the environment. He found there was no better way to get in touch with that discipline than working in agriculture.

Hayden, who joined Michigan State University (MSU) in September as a new assistant professor in the Department of Horticulture and an Extension vegetable educator, will focus on soil fertility issues as well as soil health.

“I’m going to be doing research and Extension to support the vegetable industry in Michigan,” Hayden said following the Oceana Research Tour in mid-September. One of Hayden’s previous research work experiences was at the Michigan Asparagus Industry Research Farm in Hart. It was a highlighted stop on the Oceana tour.

“I didn’t grow up with a background in agriculture,” Hayden said. “My dad was a Marine, so we traveled and lived in a lot of different places. When I got to college there were a lot of paths for studying ecology and the environment. I started working on farms in my undergrad years. That’s when it really clicked for me. If I’m going to do science related to the environment, I wanted to do it in agriculture because it is one of the most direct ways to have an impact on people. I just loved working on the farms that I did.”

Hayden’s research and outreach program focuses on improving the productivity and environmental sustainability of vegetable cropping systems. His areas of expertise include soil fertility management, tillage and cover crop management, soil health and organic matter dynamics, residue mineralization, organic agriculture and plasticulture.

“I’m really excited to have the support and opportunity to work here with such an incredibly diverse industry in the state of Michigan, as well as a great team of vegetable researchers and Extension experts at MSU,” he said.

“My research is going to try and cover some of the challenges that we have with respect to fertility, as well as improving the health of our soils over the long term,” Hayden said. “There are a lot of challenges that growers face, and there’s a lot of unique differences across all of the very diverse crops that are grown in Michigan.”

Hayden said “one of the objectives I want to bring into my program is to really tailor strategies and to help growers understand what is leading to some of the challenges they’re facing and how we can address them in a crop-specific manner in a way that both improves profitability as well as improving the quality of our land and the environment, which is something that we’re all after.”

After studying at the College of William & Mary in Virginia, Hayden received his Ph.D. at MSU. His Extension coverage will be statewide, focusing on all vegetable crops.

 – Gary Pullano, associate editor