PSU extension agronomist passionate about helping ag industry in Butler County area
With around 900 farms in Butler County, made up of over 130,000 acres, a newly hired agronomist is making efforts to aid the important local agriculture industry.
Stephen Campbell, who was hired by Penn State Extension’s Butler office in January, is a field and forage crops educator who is trying to integrate himself as Butler County’s lead agronomist.
By definition, an agronomist is a scientist who specializes in the study of crop and soil management. Part of their focus is on the optimization of crop management and sustainable agriculture practices.
While Campbell has a loose personal definition of what it means to be an agronomist, he’s been trying to take on a wide role in supporting farmers and the agriculture industry in Butler County.
“It’s not just specifically dealing with field crops, my background is in turf grass, but I can offer different advice, I’m trained in plant field. Being able to identify diseases, pests, insects, weeds, but also provide different ideas for if you're having problems with nutrient issues, crop recommendations,” Campbell said.
Other aspects of Campbell’s job include recommendations for which plants and crops to grow, what nutrients are needed and helping farmers that are concerned about making a profit.
Campbell’s office covers Butler, Beaver, Armstrong and Indiana counties. He said this position was created by local farmers, largely from Butler County. They had a round table several years ago. Justin Brackenrich, who was the first person to hold the position, traveled to Penn State along with county commissioners. The group wanted to create a position within the farmer community.
Campbell graduated from Penn State in 2022 with a degree in turf grass science and recently received a master’s in horticulture from Purdue University. He is now the third person to hold the position.
“The Butler area is the main concern with the county funding most of the position. I am very committed to the farms in Butler County because of how grateful they are and how the commissioners have been in understanding the role of funding this position,” Campbell said.
Another aspect of the job is planning for the future. He said that due to climate change and changes in farming technology things could look different around Western Pennsylvania in the not so distant future.
For one, focus could shift to include not only the cultivation of crops, but focus on animals and livestock as well.
“The agriculture industry, especially in the western part of the state, is generally based on topography, it’s hilly. With ever changing climate, I can see this now where, envisioning down the line, maybe we aren’t as crop focused, maybe more animal focused, with things out west drying up, and they don’t have necessary water sources,” Campbell said. “We deal with issues like slop and runoffs, but we do have water compared to places like California.”
Technology is another factor. How farming practices could change in the coming years, and how it would affect farmers in Butler County is something that Campbell has his eye on. This includes an increased use in autonomous machinery.
“I think what’s going to be very interesting to happen in the next 10 to 15 years is the transition to autonomous agricultural vehicles, whether its flying drones for pesticides or autonomous tractors that you aren’t sitting in it driving, driving itself,” Campbell said. “We’re starting to see that in other places where it’s already happening on a small scale basis, I could see it on a larger scale in the next 10 to 15 years. But bringing the cost down would be the biggest barrier to entry for a lot of farmers.”
Regardless of what the present and future holds for Butler’s farms and its agriculture industry, having educational roles bring expertise to communities is a way that Campbell thinks is vital to working together and lifting up local farms. This is particularly important for a place with about 900 farms.
“Looking at the agriculture industry in Butler County from afar, I recognized what was there. I now recognize how big the ag industry is here,” Campbell said. “You don’t realize that unless you're here and in this position. Down in the southern portion of the county closer to Pittsburgh, some may not realize that, but there is a lot of ag industry in Butler. It plays a huge role.”
