Roch E. Gaussoin’s unique name and dynamic personality are well known to many Nebraskans and turfgrass scientists around the nation. As a University of Nebraska–Lincoln professor in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, he made a name for himself on and off campus as a distinguished Nebraska Extension turfgrass specialist who appeared regularly as a featured panelist on “Backyard Farmer,” the longest-running non-syndicated TV show in history.
Gaussoin retired Oct. 1, 2024, after a 33-year career at Nebraska and is now a professor emeritus of agronomy and horticulture. He began at the university in 1991 out of a desire to do practical research and outreach extension.
Born in New Mexico, Gaussoin moved to Southern California, then back to New Mexico in high school and wasn’t sure if he wanted to attend college after graduation. He eventually chose New Mexico State University with encouragement from his dad, who wanted him to attend an in-state school. On a whim, he decided on fisheries and wildlife as his major because a friend did the same. After discovering most students wanted to become game wardens and employment opportunities were limited, he decided to switch to agronomy.
“I thought I wanted to feed the world, so I chose agronomy,” Gaussoin said.
Gaussoin received a bachelor’s degree in agronomy, specializing in soils, from New Mexico State in 1980. After graduation, he took a technician job in plant breeding to get free tuition for his wife, Priscilla, who was pursuing an undergraduate degree.
While working on a turfgrass research project, he was encouraged to pursue an advanced degree. His plant breeding classes were significant, setting the groundwork for his interest in science. He eventually chose to specialize in turf because he had an epiphany of sorts with his legally blind brother, who enjoyed the game of golf.
A great golfer in high school with a 4 handicap, his brother was losing his eyesight. He wanted to play a round of golf one last time, so Gaussoin agreed to help guide him on the course. It was a little frustrating for them and others on the course. When they reached the No. 6 hole, a long par 4, Gaussoin instructed him on where the hole was and pointed him in the right direction. Much to Gaussoin’s surprise, his brother pulled out his persimmon wood driver and struck the ball. The ball, eliciting that perfect sound, cleared the dog leg and landed 70 yards from the pin — a perfect shot. His brother turned and said, “That was a good one, wasn’t it? Let’s let these people behind us play through and go home.”
“That was all he needed,” Gaussoin said. “He talked about that moment till the day he died about three years later. I thought, if there’s a game that makes people feel this way, then there’s a reason to do science in that regard. I chose turf, and I didn’t look back.”
Research
Gaussoin’s adviser at New Mexico State, the late Arden Baltensperger, was on a mission at that time to get an improved bermudagrass and he had funding from the United States Golf Association.
“He [Baltensperger] was a Nebraska grad and intense,” Gaussoin said.
“I was really intrigued with the idea of plant breeding and manipulating plants,” he said. “Back then, it was not gene jockeying. There was no biotech. It was like, let’s cross this with that and see what it looks like.”
He did four years of turf research under Baltensperger, and from that work came a new variety called NewMex Sahara. It became the No. 1-selling seeded turf-type bermudagrass for about 10 years. In the process, he received a master’s degree in crop science, specializing in plant breeding.
Gaussoin decided to pursue a Ph.D. in Turfgrass Science at Michigan State University, concentrating on weed science, under the direction of Bruce Branham.
After completion of his doctorate, Gaussoin was offered a position at MSU as a non-tenure-track academic specialist. The two-year, funded program was to teach students to be entrepreneurs in the lawn care business. He took the position and developed the curriculum for the program, which is still in use today.
Following graduation, Gaussoin considered taking an industry job, but he decided to stick with the “purist pursuit of science” in academia and took a position with Kansas State University for three years, where he worked in turfgrass weed management.
Upon his arrival at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1991, the USGA — which sets the standards for golf green construction — was looking to modify its recommendations for golf green construction which hadn’t been substantially altered since 1963. Gaussoin received a USGA grant related to this topic, sending him down a path that would dominate his research and outreach efforts until his retirement.
He dedicated nearly three decades to researching critical aspects of putting green construction and management. Gaussoin’s collaborative approach has also contributed to the improvement of buffalograss, a native low-maintenance grass that requires little irrigation, has few serious pests and could advance the sustainability of golf in some regions.
“That’s the ride I’ve taken the last 25 years,” Gaussoin said. “For the first five to 10 years, I worked on weed control, weed management research and integrated weed management and non-pesticide control — all the things the funding would drive and like most academics, you have to have money to do your job.”
When discussing what has changed in the last 35 years, he mentions how genetics and plant breeding have produced turf species more tolerant of disease. A significant change has been transitioning from heavy inputs to being conscious of using less fertilizer. One of the projects Gaussoin is most proud of is the opportunity to work with the USGA on golf green construction, which segued into soil organic matter. He focused on this for over two decades.
“You have this unique system that is unlike any ag system,” he said, referring to turfgrass science. “On a golf green, organic matter compromises play — it makes for a soft surface, it doesn’t dry out — all the reasons you don’t want too much organic matter.”
“Master’s students started looking at the research data on the practices traditionally implemented on golf greens, and they found some interesting contradictions,” he said.
Traditionally, golf greens are cultivated at least once a year, and frequently more, with a device that extracts small diameter cores, which are removed and replaced with sand (AKA coring and topdressing). This method improves playing surface quality and dilutes the organic layer created at the soil/grass interface. It is a messy, time-consuming and labor-intensive operation. Gaussoin’s students identified a far more efficient approach with the same or better outcome using a solid tine instead of a coring tine.
Within 10 years of releasing this research information, 70% of golf course superintendents used this new method. Now, it’s a common practice.
Teaching
“I’ve been blessed with great graduate students and advised some students with really interesting research projects,” he said.
Among those projects was a nutraceutical. One of Gaussoin’s students identified a chemical compound from a less used turfgrass species that inhibits Candida albicans and could have the ability to be used as a dental rinse.
At Kansas State, he completed one master’s student. At Nebraska, he mentored and advised or coadvised 12 master’s and five doctoral students.
“A number of Roch’s graduate students are now major contributors to the current generation of professionals working in turf as researchers, educators and industry professionals,” Anne Streich, professor of practice and student adviser in agronomy and horticulture, said. “This is a great legacy that emphasizes the quality of the advising, education and professional experiences obtained during their graduate programs.”
Early in his career, without a formal teaching appointment, Gaussoin taught Agronomy 480/880 Modified Rootzones, Agronomy 413/813 Turfgrass and Landscape Weed Management and Plant and Landscape Systems 327 Turfgrass Science and Management. After his time as department head, he taught Plant and Landscape Systems 427 Turfgrass Systems Management and Agronomy/Natural Resources 107 Invasive Plants.
Gaussoin considers his involvement with the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Undergraduate Scholarship Program, targeting students from Rwanda, his most rewarding enterprise as an undergraduate teacher. In addition to coleading the orientations class for the Rwandan CUSP students, he traveled to Rwanda multiple times to recruit all but one of the five cohorts and meet with parents and potential hiring partners.
“The chance to immerse myself into the Rwandan culture, break bread with families and interact with agricultural stakeholders was very rewarding and was an opportunity of a lifetime,” he remarked.
Extension
Gaussoin believes the outreach and extension component is as important as teaching and research. He feels it is important to have a program with a curriculum and a targeted approach to every problem from an end-user or stakeholder.
“Part of your curriculum is how you deliver the info,” he said. “Bottom line, from a land-grant mission standpoint, it is science-driven answers — here’s how you solve this problem. So, the research I did was very applied.”
Gaussoin’s advice demonstrates his genuine concern and care for sports turf managers, golf course superintendents, lawn care operators and homeowners.
“Clients and stakeholders became great friends,” he said.
“That outreach is really important,” he said. “They need those resources, and sometimes you save jobs. That does not happen without talking to the stakeholders. It’s been a two-way communication street.”
During his career, Gaussoin delivered over 350 presentations and 100 publications to the turfgrass and golf course industry and was a key contributor on “Backyard Farmer.”
A show with more than 20,000 viewers, “Backyard Farmer” continues to serve as a trusted, reliable source for expert advice in horticulture, plant pathology, entomology, wildlife and turf management for homeowners, gardeners and plant enthusiasts.
“The show has been ridiculously successful and has adapted over time, which has had an amazing impact on citizens across the state and region,” Gaussoin said.
“Roch’s commitment to the science and its application was not limited to turfgrass,” said “Backyard Farmer” host and extension horticulture specialist Kim Todd. “As a panelist on BYF and during many trips across the state to talk about turf and trees, he promoted the value of the whole landscape. He spiced up the science in the conversations with attention-getting weird references and jokes. He made the miles and time fly, and if the car talk and off-camera words could have been captured, the stories would be never-ending.”
Awards
Gaussoin has received many recognitions and awards for his contribution to the turf industry.
“He is an amazing collaborator and a great person to work with, but many of those recognitions reflect him as an individual scientist,” Keenan Amundsen, a turfgrass genetics professor of agronomy and horticulture, said.
Appointed a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society, meant much to Gaussoin. Fellows are selected by their peers for scientifically or socially distinguished achievements that advance science or its application.
“I didn’t do this myself; it’s a collective effort. I think awards are important for the institution and the discipline,” Gaussoin said.
He admits that the Green Section Award from the USGA was a big one. He was honored for introducing new technologies and processes that advanced putting green construction and management. He’s only the second Nebraska professor to receive the prestigious award. Robert “Bob” Shearman, who started the turfgrass program at Nebraska in 1975, was the first.
“The people on that list are the pioneers of turfgrass science,” he said. “This was huge to me. It was an amazing recognition of myself and our group at Nebraska.”
He was also recognized with the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Distinguished Service Award for providing practical and applicable research to the golf industry.
He received a Telly Award for a video he made on “Backyard Farmer,” produced by Brad Mills, in which he dressed up as a mad scientist named Professor Cantelope.
“That particular segment has gotten a lot of mileage,” Gaussoin mused.
Leadership
Gaussoin was elected president of the Crop Science Society of America in 2015 and appointed to the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture in 2016 and served for six years.
He held many leadership roles, including head of the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, the university’s largest department, from 2011 to 2017.
Under his leadership, the department grew in number of faculty, staff and students. Over five years, he hired 21 faculty members, launching the unit to a top-three ranking for departmental funding and expenditures at the university between 2014 and 2016, including a first-place rank in 2015.
Gaussoin is especially proud of his hand in creating new staff positions, including a communications specialist (Lana Johnson), laboratory coordinator (Mike Livingston) and herbarium curator (Cheryl Dunn, now a faculty member).
Remodeling the Goodding Learning Center, which continues to be a vibrant and active part of the department used by students, faculty, staff, classes and social functions, was a large project he undertook during his term. The department also benefited from the ConAgra Popcorn breeding program project with donations and increased funding for a new barn, equipment, truck and popcorn maker with ConAgra popcorn.
“I tapped into resources I didn’t know I had as a department head,” he said. “You see things and how the system runs. If you’re asked to serve, you should — I really liked it.”
Gaussoin’s advice is to surround yourself with people who are better than you.
“I had amazing students and colleagues and not just at UNL. Life’s too short, so at the end of the day, you have to enjoy everything you’re doing. I made sure I did.”
Retirement
In retirement, Gaussoin continues to work with the USGA and GCSSA but does not let that interfere with spending quality time with his family, especially his grandchildren, in North Carolina.
“You sometimes don’t know where you are going until you get there,” is a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip quote that Gaussoin likes to repeat when he talks about retirement.
“As much as I thought I was going to struggle without the structure of being a faculty member, I’ve been amazed at how easy the transition has been,” he said. “The nearly 40 years in academia was merely a segue in my journey to get me to where I wanted and needed to be.”
