Team leader

Valentin D. Picasso, Associate Professor
Valentín is originally from Montevideo, Uruguay. He earned his undergraduate degree in Agronomy from the Facultad de Agronomia at University of Uruguay (UDELAR) and his PhD in Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University (USA). He has researched forages, livestock grazing systems, agroecology, and adaptation to climate change at the University of Uruguay, before joining the Agronomy Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is working to develop sustainable forage and perennial grain systems that will build resilience to climate change. He is developing dual-purpose perennial cropping systems, such as intermediate wheatgrass (Kernza) intercropped with legumes, that can be grazed for forage and produce grain for food. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in International Agriculture, Agroecology, and Forages. He enjoys training young padawans in the ways of sustainability science, as well as biking, ice skating, skiing, sailing, and traveling with his family around the world.

See Curriculum Vitae (extended version) here. Last updated January 2021.

CV (short version) here. Last updated April 2024.

Scientist

Priscila Pinto

Priscila was born in Zárate, Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is an agricultural engineer and earned her doctorate degree at University of Buenos Aires, sponsored by a CONICET scholarship. Since she started her research career, she has been particularly interested in agroecosystem sustainability. She has worked in the Pampas region of Argentina and Uruguay, where the “service crops” (not just cover crops) could recover several ecosystem services frequently lost under continuous agriculture. Since service crops adoption is incipient in this region, she gave several conferences and actively participated in roundtable discussions with farmers. Currently, she is researching the perennial dual-purpose crop Kernza in the Picasso lab and hopes to contribute to sustainable agriculture with this project. She enjoys doing field research, team-working, and going to music concerts.

Current Graduate Students

Soledad Orcasberro
Soledad is an Agricultural Engineer from Uruguay, and earned her MSc on Agricultural Science fromUniversity of Uruguay (UDELAR). She researched methane emissions from cow-calf beef systems on native grasslands in Cerro Largo, Uruguay. She is studying a PhD in Agronomy researching forages (alfalfa) and soil health in livestock systems in Wisconsin.

Erica Shoenberger
Erica grew up in Strasburg, Pennsylvania. She earned her B.S. in Biology from Eastern University near Philadelphia, PA, and her M.S. in Agroecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Currently, she is working on her Ph.D., conducting on-farm research in Wisconsin with Kernza, a perennial grain and forage crop. Her research explores how adapting perennial grain cropping systems can enhance ecosystem services and soil health. Erica collaborates closely with farmers and local conservation organizations, combining her love for community, sustainable agriculture, and farm work. She is passionate about working with farmers and getting her hands dirty in the soil!

Dante Pizarro
Dante was born in Lima, Peru. He obtained his DVM degree at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia and his MSc degree in Animal Science at Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina (UNALM) in Lima, Peru. He is an associate researcher at the Livestock and Climate Change Center—UNALM. He is also a PhD candidate in Dairy Science, co-advised by Dr. Michel Wattiaux. His research interests include silvopastoral systems as a mitigation and adaptation strategy to climate change in the Tropics and cattle performance-fed Kernza straw in Wisconsin.

Oluwakorede Olugbenle
Korede is from Lagos, Nigeria. He received his B.S. in Agronomy from Iowa State University and his M.S. in Agroecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is currently working on his Ph.D., conducting research with Kernza, a perennial grain and forage crop in Wisconsin. His research focuses on the agronomic management of the crop from establishment to termination!

Angad Dhariwal
Angad graduated with a B. S. in Biology in 2020 before returning to southern India to volunteer with the Isha Foundation for three years. Here, he was given theopportunity to work with the center’s agroforestry department and the Save Soil initiative – a global movement to raise awareness about soil degradation. Now, as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Picasso Lab, Angad is studying above and belowground traits in Kernza intermediate wheatgrass, alfalfa and silflower (Silphium integrifolium) – a promising perennial dual-purpose oilseed crop similar to sunflower.

Visiting Scholars

Muhammet Sakiroglu
Muhammet is from Turkey. He earned his MSc in Plant Breeding at Iowa state University and his PhD at University of Georgia, studying heterosis and breeding of alfalfa. He worked on resilience to alfalfa to climate change and kernza dual use systems. He is a professor in Bioengineering at Adana Alparslan Turkes Science and Technology University, in Turkey.

Juan Errandonea

Juan is an Agricultural Engineer (Ingeniero agronomo) from Universidad de la Republica (UDELAR) in Uruguay. He is studying an MSc in Agricultural Science in Uruguay, researching resilience of alfalfa to climate variability in South America.

Abdul Mannan

Abdul Mannan is a PhD student from the University of the Punjab in Lahore, Pakistan. His work is focusing primarily on heat stress in alternative crops (i.e. Morniga, Quinoa, Chea, Amaranth). He is currently finishing his PhD thesis evaluating the thermo–tolerance potential in Mung beans. He is the advisor of the “Sino-US Food & Agriculture Innovation Center” in Pakistan. Abdul spent six months in the lab, working on Kernza and alfalfa projects, and as a teaching assistant in the Cropping System of the Tropics course. His philosophy is to build a bridge between US and Pakistan’s agricultural researchers.

Jaris Veneros
Jaris Emmanuel Veneros Guevara is from Peru. He is an Agronomist with a Master’s Degree in Environmental Sciences. He has worked at the International Potato Center (CIP), National Agrarian University La Molina and in other universities. He worked as a lecturer at the National University Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza, Chachapoyas, Amazonas, Peru at the School of Agronomy and Environmental Engineering (https://www.untrm.edu.pe/es/). At UW he analyzed the potential global distribution of Thinopyrum intermedium under current climate conditions and in a climate change scenario using GIS. Now, he is studying a PhD in Ecology at Montana State University.

Andres Locatelli
Andres is from Uruguay, and obtained his Bachelors and MSc from University of Uruguay (UDELAR). He is a PhD student researching the adaptation of Kernza (Tinopiro) to temperate regions in South America (such as Uruguay). He conducted greenhouse and field experiments in Madison during 2018.

Eduardo Llanos
Eduardo is from Venezuela, and obtained his MSc degree from University of Uruguay. He earned a PhD in Agricultural Science studying ecological intensification of dairy systems in Uruguay, comparing energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, nutrient balances and other impacts. He enjoys brewing craft Kernza beer too.

Nicolas Costa
Nicolas Costa is from Uruguay and is an Agronomist MSc candidate at University of Uruguay (UDELAR). He is interested in addressing sustainability issues of production systems as a driver to achieve a more resilient agriculture adapted to climate change. He has worked on estimating national Greenhouse Gas Inventory in AFOLU sector for Uruguay and collaborating with the construction of domestic Measurement, Report and Verification system to monitoring the implementation of the National Determined Contribution (national commitments at UNFCCC to mitigate GHG emissions).

Valentina Infante
Valentina studied agriculture in the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and received a master’s degree in Agroecology from the École supérieure d’agriculture d’Angers, France.  She worked as a lab assistant in the Picasso lab. Outside intermediate wheatgrass research, Valentina enjoys cooking, gardening and making her kids happy.

Xu Zhang
XU ZHANG is originally from China, Shan Xi Province, Jin Zhong City, located in the middle of China.  She earned her undergraduate degree in Animal Science at University of SHANXI Agriculture. She visited as a Masters student at China Agriculture University. Her research focused on use and processing of forages, forage quality and quantity. She also evaluated the effects of the nitrogen rates, nitrogen application stages and clipping time on the dynamics of the starch and the NSC in rhizome of Kernza.  She enjoys going skating, running, as well as some extreme sports, and learning about culture and people’s life.

Chenfei Dong
Chenfei is from Nanjing, China. She obtained her Bachelor, Masters, and Ph.D. in Grassland Science from Nanjing Agricultural University. She has worked at Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Livestock Science. Her research focused on the effects of harvest regimes and fertilization treatments on the nonstructural carbohydrates content in rhizome of intermediate wheatgrass and the regrowth of the grass. Her career goals are to be a translator of the nature. She enjoys writing and thinking.

Undergraduate Students

Connie Zhao, RoseMary Rachel Greany, Vivian Wanjing, Shayla Gilbertson, Emma Dee Johnson, Elizabeth Cumblidge, Amy Beczkiewicz, Emma Carol Dahl, Kongmeng Xiong, Selma Fairach, Vishnu Yarlagadda, Emily Rau, Michael O’donnel, Kyle Rentmeester, Dominique Barthel, Michaela Taddeini, Isabella Huizar, Zainah Masri, Carly Smetana, Kim Asseily

We are currently hiring undergraduate students to help us with research in the field for forages (alfalfa, grasses) and perennial grain crops (Kernza, Silphium). We will be researching environmental indicators (soil health, soil fertility, nutrient leaching) and production indicators (grain and forage yield and quality) for Kernza (the first perennial grain crop in the world, see www.kernza.org) and alfalfa (the most widely grown legume forage crop). We are looking to hire students for 10 to 30 hs per week (depending on your availability) and we are paying $20 per hour. Activities will mainly include traveling to our research stations at Arlington, West Madison, Lancaster, or farmers’ fields, collecting samples of soils and plants, and lab work.

If you are interested please email Priscila Pinto at ppinto@wisc.edu. Join us in making the world a more sustainable place!

Alumni and Past Lab Members

Edward Bures, Research technician
Ed was raised as one of 11 children on a small dairy farm in Northern Wisconsin. He attended the University of Wisconsin- Madison receiving a BS in Dairy Science and MS in Agronomy. Upon graduation, Ed was employed at the UW-Madison, Department of Agronomy as a Forage Research Specialist. He has continued in this role for the past 26 years under the direction of Dr. Kenneth Albrecht working on forage quality. Currently Ed operated the Agronomy Department forage quality lab and provides a source of information for those interested in forage handling and analyses, and collaborates with many research groups in Agronomy. Ed is now Emeritus and farms full time at Bures Berry Patch family farm in Barneveld, WI.

Stefania Cartoni – MSc Agroecology
Stefania received her degree in Agronomy from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso in Chile, her home country, and her Master’s degree in Agroecology at UW-Madison. Her research focused on Kernza perennial grain and legume dual-purpose polycultures in Wisconsin. Currently, she is a PhD student in Dr. Mark Renz’s lab, working on invasive plant management and silvopasture establishment.

Krishna Bhandari, Postdoc

Krishna is from Nepal, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from Tribhuvan University at Chitwan. He has an MSc in Plant Protection and Pest Management from the University of Georgia, Athens, GA, and a PhD in Plant and Soil Science from Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, where he studied Arthropod and Soil Microbial Communities in Forage-Livestock Systems, advised by Dr. Chuck West. He worked on the resilience of forage systems to climate change, funded by a USDA-NIFA Alfalfa grant. He enjoys conducting agroecological research in field and forage crops as well as traveling to new places. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor and State Extension Specialist in Forage at Tennessee State University.

Kate Ivancic  – PhD Agronomy

Kate is from Cleveland, Ohio. Her research focused on two perennial grain crops: “Kernza” Intermediate wheatgrass, a cereal, and Silphium (Silphium integrifolium), an oilseed. Kate studied nutrient and eco-physiological questions necessary for expansion of these crops to sub-tropic regions of the world. She measured nutrient cycling in intercropping systems as well as temperature and light requirements for flowering. Kate has an M.S. in Soil Science and Agroecology from UW-Madison and prior to graduate school she served as a Fulbright research grantee in Uruguay researching food system adaptation to land use change. Her free time is usually spent outdoors, experimenting in the kitchen or submitting herself to the rolling tides of Cleveland sports.

Joseph Zimbric – MSc Agronomy
Originally from southeastern Minnesota, Joe graduated with a MSc in Agronomy under Dr. David E. Stoltenberg and Dr. Valentin Picasso, where he studied the role of weeds in intermediate wheatgrass cropping systems. After receiving his BS in Agronomy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2014, Joe spent time working with western Montana wheat farmers and cattle ranchers on climate adaptation and water management strategies. When Joe isn’t working, he enjoys spending time recreating in Wisconsin’s rustic landscapes, and making good food with his friends. After graduation he is now working at University of Wisconsin – Extension in Fond du Lac and Dodge Ct, Wisconsin.

Habteab M. Ghebrehiwot, PhD, Research technician

Habteab is from Eritrea, and he earned his PhD in Botany and MSc in Grassland Sciences from the University of Natal (South Africa) and graduated with a BSc in Animal Sciences from Alemaya University of Agriculture, Ethiopia. He has published more than 22 peer-reviewed scientific articles in highly rated scientific journals, including research on perennial teft. He also served as Division Head for the Animal and Forage Production for the Ministry of Agriculture and an extension agent in Ethiopia, working with many subsistence and commercial farmers (beef and dairy farms) by improving their understanding on animal nutrition, fodder budgeting, forage and pasture production and maximizing their productivity. He has done research on forages, grasses, cereals and weeds in a greenhouse, field and lab.

Sarah Bullock – MSc Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics 

Sarah got an MSc in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics co-advised by Lucia Gutierrez and Valentin Picasso on resilience of cereal crops to climate change. She came from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a BS in Crop Sciences with a concentration in Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Biology. She is currently working in the industry.