A retirement reception for Roger Elmore, professor of agronomy and horticulture, is from 1 to 2:30 p.m. June 28 at the Goodding Learning Center, 280 Plant Sciences Hall, East Campus. Cake will be served and a program will begin at 1:30 p.m.
Elmore will retire June 30 after 38 years of teaching, research and extension work — more than 29 years of which he served at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
The Nebraska Extension cropping systems specialist, Heuermann Chair and Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute Faculty Fellow, has spent his entire career addressing agronomic issues relevant to the immediate needs of crop producers.
“Roger has been a tremendous resource on crop management decisions for Nebraska producers and their advisors, and really for growers across the country,” said Richard Ferguson, professor of agronomy and horticulture and vice chancellor of RICA. “His expertise will be greatly missed!”
Elmore grew up on a large, integrated crop-livestock farm near Princeton, Illinois. He has a long history of applied crop production research and extension programs focused on maintaining or increasing crop production, profitability and water-use efficiency by seeking and demonstrating environmentally sound production practices. His focus has been on research and developing, teaching and extending timely and pertinent crop management information for farmers, agribusiness, extension personnel and students.
He was previously employed with the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for 24 years beginning in 1981 at the then South Central Station (renamed South Central Research and Extension Center and currently South Central Agricultural Laboratory) before he relocated to East Campus.
While at SCREC he and Fred Roeth, professor emeritus of agronomy and horticulture, worked together on several projects and mentored graduate students. “Roger was a great professional who could be counted on for his steadfastness, expertise, responsibility and good nature,” Roeth said. “I really appreciated his friendship and professional camaraderie to keep the ship steady when the waters got rough.”
Starting in 2005, he was a corn extension specialist at Iowa State University before returning to Nebraska in 2014 as a cropping systems agronomist. He later served as the co-associate head of the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture for two years with Martha Mamo, professor and current department head.
He served as a consultant for various organizations around the world. He worked on projects in Ghana, China, Pakistan and Puerto Rico. He was a Peace Corps volunteer in Malaysia and lived and worked in Argentina for nearly a year with his family in the early 1990s.
Elmore’s most significant research contributions have centered on evaluating corn growth and yield response to extreme weather events. He has been able to engage diverse groups based on this research with high-impact extension programming. He also co-led a cover crop research project for five years supported by the Nebraska Soybean Board and the Nebraska Corn Board.
When asked about his time at Nebraska, Elmore quickly refers to his time with colleagues in research and extension and how much he will miss it. “It’s a team atmosphere here and I’ve always been a team player,” Elmore said.
“I have loved doing research and serving the people of Nebraska,” Elmore said. “I always say I get paid to talk with people and be an extrovert.”
But Elmore admits his extension and outreach role has changed through the years. “My key clients are now the people supporting the farmers rather than directly with the farmers.”
Elmore is a Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy and of the Crop Science Society of America. He received the Agronomic Education and Extension Award from the American Society of Agronomy in 2017. He was also recognized in 2018 for his dedication and outstanding service to the South Central Agricultural Laboratory.
According to Daren Redfearn, associate professor of agronomy and horticulture, Elmore’s technical skills as an agronomist and extension specialist are superb. “Roger believes in the synergism of effective teams and has been able to develop and deliver effective state, regional, national and international programs,” Redfearn said.
He holds a doctorate in international agronomy and a master’s degree in agronomy from the University of Illinois.
Elmore will be retiring from a full-time, tenured position and transitioning to a special appointment. According to Elmore, he will be “redirecting” to a part-time role while finishing his research projects, publications and continuing to assist graduate students.
Following this, he and his wife Ann have tentative plans to move to northwest Arkansas to be closer to their three children and their spouses, and six grandchildren.
