THE CROPS LAB | MANHATTAN, KANSAS
Cultivating Resilience in Our Production Systems
Meet our Team!
Dr. Rachel L. Veenstra Cott
Asst. Professor, Principal Investigator
B.S. Environmental Plant Science-Crop Science (Missouri State University)
Ph.D. Crop Production and Cropping Systems (Kansas State University)
Rachel is originally from Hartville, Missouri, where she grew up on her family's cow-calf operation and fell in love with in production agriculture at a young age. When she learned you could major in "plants" in college, she dove right in (and never left).
Rachel joined the Kansas State University Agronomy department as a faculty member in 2022. Her appointment is teaching and research, and she loves both sides of her job. Known formerly as the "Tiller Queen" for her graduate work in low-density corn tillering physiology, she is continuing her research efforts in crop ecology with a particular interest in novel cropping system options for Kansas farmers.
email: rveenstra@ksu.edu
Yuri A. Bezerra Gross
M.S. Student
B.S. Agronomy (Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil)
Yuri is originally from Mato Grosso, a state in Brazil. He grew up on a farm family where agriculture was always present. At 17, he moved to southern Brazil to pursue a bachelor's degree in Agronomy. After graduating, he worked as a Research and Development Assistant for a seed company in Brazil. Looking for an opportunity abroad, Yuri moved to the United States to work at Kansas State University as a research intern. During this time, he worked on projects involving various crops, including soybean, corn, canola, and sorghum. In 2025, Yuri began his master's degree at K-State, focusing on crop systems, particularly studying relay intercropped wheat and soybean.
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email: yuribgross@ksu.edu
Quinten J. Bina
Undergraduate Student
B.S. Agronomy, in-progress (Kansas State University)
Quinten is originally from Pilsen, Kansas, where he grew up on a family farm raising livestock and crops, including soybeans, wheat, corn, and forage. This early exposure to agronomy and animal science sparked a strong interest in crop production and sustainability. While earning a bachelor's degree in Agronomy at Kansas State University, Quinten gained hands-on experience through research, teaching, and collegiate competition teams. In 2026, Quinten will begin a master’s degree at K-State, focusing on cropping systems with interests in plant physiology, ecology, and production, with the goal of becoming a professor in agronomy.
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email: qjbina@ksu.edu
Dennis Boller
Research Technician
Professional Problem Solver
Pedro Dan Edamatu de Carvalho
Visiting Scholar
Miguel Devetter
Visiting Scholar
Interested in joining our team?
Graduate Student, Intern, and Visiting Scholar Application
Starting Date: dependent on funding availability
+ info about K-State Graduate School here.
+ info about Agronomy graduate programs here.
+ info about K-State Visiting Scholar programs here.
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For additional information and consideration, please submit your CV/resume and complete the form below: