Research Soil Scientist
AFFILIATIONS
Research Soil Scientist, USDA-ARS, Mandan, ND
Adjunct Faculty, Department of Soil Science, North Dakota State University
BIOSKETCH
Dr. Liebig works with a multidisciplinary team of scientists to develop soil, crop, and animal management practices for the Great Plains to overcome limitations to productivity while maintaining or enhancing environmental quality. As a team member, he leads basic and applied research to quantify management effects on ecosystem services. In addition to core research responsibilities, Dr. Liebig develops decision aides and evaluation tools for producers, conservationists, and scientists, and regularly contributes to research networks within and outside USDA-ARS.
CURRENT RESEARCH
- Cropland Production Systems: Quantification of conservation management effects on soil properties and processes in rainfed cropping systems.
- Grazing Land Production Systems: Quantification of soil property dynamics in response to grazing and fire management.
- In-Field Soil Assessments: Application of Visual Soil Assessment methods to semiarid agroecosystems.
- Long-Term Agroecosystem Research Network: Facilitate collaborative adaptive management framework for ‘Business as Usual’ and ‘Aspirational’ treatments as part of the Northern Plains LTAR Croplands Common Experiment.
All research seeks to provide information and guidance to create a more sustainable agriculture.
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
1999 - present: Research Soil Scientist, USDA-ARS Mandan, ND.
1998 - 1999: Postdoctoral Research Associate, USDA-ARS, Lincoln, NE.
1992 - 1994: Research Technologist, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE.
EDUCATION
1998: Ph.D. University of Nebraska; Agronomy
1992: M.S. University of Nebraska; Agronomy
1990: B.A. University of Colorado; MCD Biology
SYNERGISTIC ACTIVITIES
- Co-Chair of Long-Term Agroecosystem Research Network Croplands Common Experiment (2015 – present).
- Co-Chair of Croplands Research Group of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (2018 – 2022).
- Leader of MAGGnet (Managing Agricultural Greenhouse Gases Network), a consortium of >350 experimental sites across 23 countries as part of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases (2012 – present).
- Editorial board member: Technical Editor, Forage and Grazinglands (2006-2008); Associate Editor, Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems (2003-2011); Soil Science Society of America Journal (2010-2015).
- Service to professional societies: Soil and Water Conservation Society Council Representative (2001-2003); Soil Science Society of America Soil & Water Management & Conservation Division Chair (2011).
- Co-advisor for environmental studies students at United Tribes Technical College (Bismarck, ND) and Sitting Bull College (Fort Yates, ND) (2009 – present).
- Initiated and served as presenter for Environmental Wellness Festival in cooperation with Gateway to Science Center and Bismarck State College, reaching >1000 5th graders annually (2000-2019).
JOURNAL ARTICLES
BOOKS
Managing agricultural greenhouse gases: Coordinated agricultural research through GRACEnet to address our changing climate. Liebig, M.A., A.J. Franzluebbers, and R.F. Follett (Eds.). Academic Press, San Diego, CA. 2012.
Recent trends in soil science and agronomy research in the northern Great Plains of North America. Malhi, S.S., Y.T. Gan, J.J. Schoenau, R.L. Lemke, and M.A. Liebig (Eds.). Research Signpost, Trivandrum, Kerala, India. 2010.
DECISION AIDS
AgroEcosystem Performance Assessment Tool
DATABASES
Managing Agricultural Greenhouse Gases Network (MAGGnet)
Documenting soil archive use in peer-reviewed publications: 1915– 2021 (2022)
POSTERS
Cropping System Effects on Net Global Warming Potential in a Semiarid Region (2019)
MAGGnet: A Meta-Database to Support Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Research (2018)
Long-term pH Change in Rainfed Cropping Systems: Is Acidification Systemic? (2018)
Near-Surface Soil Property Responses to Perennial Forages in a Semiarid Region (2015)
Soil Quality Responses to Contrasting Management Observations from Long-term Trials in Central North Dakota (2014)
VIDEOS
Climate Mitigation Services from Northern Plains Grasslands (2021)
Carbon Farming with No-till and Straw Incorporation – A Reality Check (2021)
Regeneration through Diversity (2018)
The Science of Soil Health: Dynamic Cropping Systems (2015)
The Soil Habitat (2009)
Soil Carbon Sequestration and Switchgrass (2008)
PODCASTS
Soil Health Dynamic Duo, Part 1: Cover crops
Soil Health Dynamic Duo, Part 2: Measuring soil quality
WEBSITE UPDATE (2/4/23)
