Brian Olson

Brian Olson serves as Professor and Head of the Western Kansas Research-Extension Centers (WKREC) at Kansas State University's College of Agriculture since September 2022, overseeing research-extension integration across four regional centers in Colby, Hays, Garden City, and Tribune. Previously, he held academic positions as K-State Associate Professor (2001-2011) and industry roles as Learning Center Manager at Bayer Crop Science (2018-2022) and Monsanto Company (2014-2018), focusing on water-efficient agricultural systems.

Dr. Olson holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Weed Science from Kansas State University.

His research centers on sustainable solutions for water-limited farming environments, with core expertise in Water Management for dryland/irrigated systems, Weed Science addressing herbicide resistance, and Sustainable Agriculture through crop genetics and data-driven approaches. This integrates life sciences and agronomy to optimize resource efficiency in semi-arid agricultural production, particularly for wheat and other regional crops.

WKREC under his leadership conducts critical field research across western Kansas on cropping systems (wheat, corn, sorghum), rangeland management, soil science, and water resources through facilities equipped with specialized weather monitoring and ET data systems, directly supporting regional producers through programs like Field Days and CropTalk Webinars.