Shaun Casteel, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Agronomy and Soybean & Small Grains Extension Specialist for Purdue University. Dr. Casteel was born and raised on the family farm in east-central Illinois. He earned his B.S. in Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois, his M.S. in Crop Science and his Ph.D. in Soil Science at North Carolina State University. Since his arrival at Purdue in 2009, he has given over 700 invited presentations to 50,000 people across 15 states & 8 countries. His Extension avenues include newsletter articles, YouTube videos, and now, the Purdue Crop Chat podcast.

Dr. Casteel addresses the challenges of soybean and small grains production by educating, training, and providing the most relevant information to farmers to enable timely and sound management decisions in these production systems.

Key areas of interest include: sulfur synergies, precision management of resources and practices; integration of soil characteristics, nutrient inputs, and crop physiology; and the influence of agronomic practices on yield physiology of first crop and double crop soybean systems. His practical research also extends to field-scale trials with seeding rates, sulfur, and intensive management of soybean.