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Dr. Katherine Dentzman is an Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology and Rural Public Policy in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice and Iowa State University. She is also affiliate faculty in the Graduate Program in Sustainable Agriculture.

You can find more about her work at ISU here and here.

Broadly, her interests revolve around human dimensions of environmental and agricultural sustainability. Her research program investigates how farmers’ demographic characteristics and sociocultural contexts influence their perspectives and sustainability and management practices. She has extensive experience in quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research, including accessing and analyzing USDA Census of Agriculture data . Ongoing areas of interest include developing community-based management initiatives for pesticide resistance management, investigating the roles of gender and sexuality on farm vitality and sustainability, and improving survey research methods for collecting data on the U.S. farming population.

Previously, Dr. Dentzman worked as a Program Specialist for the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, assisting with USDA AFRI Programs A1641 and A1642 as well as USDA SARE. She also held postdoctoral research positions with 1) Jessica Goldberger and Ian Burke in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at Washington State University and 2) Paul Lewin and Ryanne Pilgeram in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology at University of Idaho . She earned her B.A. in Sociology and Environmental Science from Central Michigan University and her Ph.D. in Sociology from Michigan State University.

Her current research spans multiple inter- and trans-disciplinary projects including:

  • Women Farmers on the Rise in the US and Idaho: Understanding and Supporting Women Farm Operators
    • Role: Co-PI
    • Funding: USDA AFRI Small and Mid-Sized Farms Program
    • Primary Institution: University of Idaho
    • Co-PI’s: Paul Lewin and Ryanne Pilgeram
  • Assessment of the Socio-Economic Factors Impacting Adoption of Voluntary Pest Resistance Management by Rural Communities
    • Role: PI
    • Funding: USDA-AFRI CARES Program
    • Primary Institution: Iowa State University
    • Co-PI’s: Steven Bradbury, Alejandro Plastina, and Alicia Rosburg
  • Crop Advisor Perspectives on Pest Resistance Management
    • Role: PI
    • Funding: North Central Integrated Pest Management Center
    • Primary Institution: Iowa State University
  • Contractor and Producer Attitudes and Barriers Towards Conservation Drainage
    • Role: Co-PI