Kristine Lang, at-large board member of Practical Farmers of Iowa, lives in Brookings, South Dakota, with her husband, Brent, and daughter, Wren. Kristine manages a local-food and cut-flower research program through South Dakota State University, where she is an assistant professor and extension consumer horticulture specialist.
In this Q&A, we learn about Kristine’s upbringing in Minnesota, her graduate studies in Iowa and work in South Dakota, and more. This background endows Kristine with a broad and rich knowledge, which she brings to her work with Practical Farmers. (This interview has been lightly edited for length, style and clarity.)
When did you know you wanted to study agronomy and horticulture?
I grew up on a turkey farm in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota. My dad and I grew vegetables, roses and flowers. So the love of all things green came naturally to me. In high school, I got involved in the National FFA Organization and found my passion was the nursery and landscape competition. I enjoyed studying for the exams and learning how to identify trees and shrubs.
Originally, I only wanted to study plants, but added a communications major [in school] because I also enjoyed talking about them. I worked for three years in garden centers and a research greenhouse before deciding to pursue a graduate degree. Once I started, I honed my focus on food crops and food systems and didn’t look back.
When did you hear about Practical Farmers of Iowa?
The strong ties between PFI and the sustainable agriculture graduate program at Iowa State University meant PFI was on my radar within my first two weeks of moving to Iowa. I remember touring the office [on 5th Street in Ames], and sitting in a small breakroom listening to Sarah Carlson, Liz Kolbe, Nick Ohde, Stefan Gailans and Steve Carlson.
I attended the PFI conference as a graduate student thanks to a generous donation from Helen Gunderson, covering my registration fee. My first field day was hosted by Billy Sammons and George Naylor, so Billy’s passing felt especially sad to me this past year.
What differences exist in the agricultural landscape between South Dakota and Iowa?
I am no stranger to shorter growing seasons but needed reminding when I moved here from Iowa. I’ve had to retrain my brain to later planting schedules. And while high tunnels are a useful tool, they still have their limitations.
We’ve had some gnarly wind storms the past several years, including multiple derechos. I spend a lot of time reminding farmers who build high tunnels to install bows every 4 feet and use double poly [a greenhouse-grade plastic film] with an inflation fan to withstand wind speeds of 60 miles per hour or more.
The western side of South Dakota is much more arid than Iowa, and growing in the Black Hills of South Dakota brings many challenges with fluctuating temperatures, heavy clay soils and high wildfire risk. I have a lot of respect for vegetable and cut-flower farmers who make a go of it out there!
You’re an “at-large non-farmer” director on our board. What does this role mean to you?
I feel especially honored to be one of two board members in this role. I try to think through the ways that non-farming members and organizational members interact with farmers and PFI when I engage in board meetings. One thing that’s really hitting home is that this will be my last term and I’m one of the seasoned board members. That feels like a big responsibility.
How has PFI influenced your work?
I have really tried to bring the PFI ethos into how I run field days and work with farmer collaborators. I now have people bringing research and outreach ideas to me, which is awesome!
Is there a project you’re looking forward to?
I’m excited about a new project focused on heat-tolerant lettuce and tomatoes for high tunnel production. I was able to look at some past PFI on-farm research reports and include some of the farmers’ suggested varieties in my trial. I love it when things come full-circle like that!
