Natasha Rayne, assistant professor and extension specialist in the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, has been selected to receive the inaugural Keith and Andrea Kelling Faculty Fellow Award. The appointment runs for five years and has a retroactive start date of July 1, 2025.

The new award was established by emeritus professor Keith Kelling and his late wife Andrea Kelling. Andrea received her B.A., and Keith received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In 1977, Keith became a Professor and Extension Soil Scientist at his beloved alma mater where he was a leading researcher in the development of nutrient management systems for potatoes. Keith was inducted into the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association Hall of Fame in 2019.

This new fellowship was created to recognize a faculty member working in the areas of nutrient management and/or soil and water management and provide funding to support the recipient’s research program.

“We are humbled by and grateful for the generosity of the Kellings. This award will advance research in agricultural nutrient management and help to improve the economic livelihood of farmers while protecting water quality, which is what Keith spent his career working on,” says Doug Soldat, professor and chair of the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences.

Rayne, who joined UW in January 2024, focuses on manure and nutrient availability in cropping systems, crop canopy sensors and variable rate technology, and nitrogen management in small grains and forages.