Source: NCSU COLLEGE OF AG & LIFE SCIENCE, 10/20/21



For Ron Heiniger, a love of farming may be in his blood.

“My great grandfather was a farmer. My grandfather was a farmer. My father was a farmer,” Heiniger said, “So in a way, I’m a farmer. I’m just doing it from a different standpoint.”

This “different standpoint” is Heiniger’s focus on the science underlying agriculture, specifically corn. While his relatives devoted their careers to farming, Heiniger is unique in adopting a formal, scientific approach to improving this work. Now a professor in corn production and management within the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Heiniger has devoted his career to conducting scientific research on corn production and management – and sharing these findings with growers to help their efforts. 

”My program works closely with growers to understand what their needs are, what their concerns are; and then we try to address those with information that we think will help make them better farmers and more successful,” Heiniger said.

Heiniger’s robust career at NC State began with a childhood fascination for chemistry in grade school. He said he enjoyed learning about how molecules formed and thought that, one day, he may become a chemist. But equal to his love of chemistry was his love for farming. 

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