Megan Taylor joined Nebraska Extension earlier this crop season as the new innovative cropping and water systems educator serving Platte, Boone, and Nance counties. She can be reached at 402-563-4901, mtaylor42@unl.edu, or on Twitter @CropTalkMegan.

Originally from Jay County, Indiana, where her family raises Dorset, crossbred, and Hampshire sheep, Taylor grew up with 4-H and was heavily involved in the sheep project. She was also active in FFA and was awarded an American Degree, an honor given to less than 1% of its members. Today she enjoys sharing her experiences by volunteering with youth organizations.

Taylor attended Manchester University in Indiana, where she was an NCAA cross country and track and field athlete. She received her undergraduate degree in biology, with a focus on plant system interactions and food security. During her undergraduate summers she worked as a field scout in east central Indiana and western Ohio, experience that, she said, “cemented her career path.”

She went on to Purdue University to get her Ph.D. in agronomy. Her research primarily focused on the development of switchgrass as a biofuel and grazing crop. She studied flowering time and quality genes associated with different ecotypes of switchgrass.

Taylor is specializing in crop physiology, forages, and conventional crops and said she is proud to serve and learn from farmers in Nebraska.

She is a lifetime Boilermaker, avid New Orleans Saints fan, and long distance runner.