For Meaghan Anderson, Iowa State University is a family school. Her father and four siblings attended Iowa State, and Anderson followed in their footsteps. After completing both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Iowa State, Anderson returned to the school in 2015 as a field agronomist for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
“While I was in graduate school I found that I enjoyed extension because it was an opportunity to work in my area of expertise and provide education on topics of importance without a company or product bias,” Anderson said.
What do you do for ISU Extension and Outreach?
As a field agronomist, I work with our crops team, other ANR teams and county offices to provide programming and education regarding all things field crop related. My background is in weed science, so I particularly enjoy programming related to herbicide resistance, weed biology and management and weed identification.
What is the best part of working for ISU Extension and Outreach?
I enjoy the people I get to work with and interacting with farmers and other clientele every day. I constantly get an opportunity to learn about new things in order to help others.
Do you have any big upcoming projects or events?
I am working with colleagues at several other universities to develop materials on equipment sanitation and cleaning that will be available this spring. We’re in the early stages of planning a prairie management field day at the Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm this spring, and Bob Hartzler (professor in agronomy and extension weed specialist) and I are planning a display for the Farm Progress Show in late August.
What is one thing you would like to accomplish in this position?
I have too many things I’d like to accomplish. If I could make a positive impact on farmers’ bottom lines, improve management of waterhemp, our most problematic weed issue in Iowa, and continue to increase awareness and slow the spread of Palmer amaranth, that would be fantastic.
Name one fun thing about yourself that not many people know.
I’m a national park and Disney theme park fanatic. Interesting combination, I know.
What do you do in your free time?
I like to spend as much time as possible outdoors, so my husband and I are making a concerted effort this year to visit state parks in our area of the state. I have no hand-eye coordination and am notoriously bad at sports, so I enjoy jogging and hiking to stay active when the weather is nice.
How do you create a #StrongIowa?
By working with a fantastic team of colleagues providing the best research-based information available to help farmers and their advisors choose management practices to improve farm economics and resiliency.