Lauren Asprooth
Food Systems Scientist
Address: 1535 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI 53706
Projects:
- Diverse Corn Belt project
- Growing the use of small grains in the Upper Midwest
- Soil Health Alliance for Research and Engagement
Collaboration: I am interested in collaborating with community engaged organizations working in agriculture or food systems on surveys, focus groups, interviews and other participatory research with key stakeholders.
Dr. Asprooth is a broadly trained social scientist focusing on the most impactful ways to support a transition to regenerative, diversified agriculture and resilient, localized food systems in the Upper Midwestern U.S. She uses a range of quantitative (e.g., primary and secondary survey data) and qualitative (e.g., interviews, focus groups) methods and analyses to understand key levers of change. To this end, her research has focused on the roles of farmer networks and learning preferences and increasingly focuses on the role of broader, structural factors including markets, infrastructure, public investments, and local, state, and federal policy tools. Dr. Asprooth works in transdisciplinary teams of academics, non-governmental and farmer-focused organizations, and private sector professionals to ensure the research she leads is participatory, applied, and policy relevant. She holds a PhD in geography from the University of California, Davis and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance.
ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS
Asprooth, L.,* Stedden, C.,* Hammond, E., Okur, A., & Silva, E. Assessing knowledge levels and learning preferences among organic grain farmers and professionals; The experience of the University of Wisconsin OGRAIN program. Accepted, Journal of Extension. *Co-lead authors Asprooth, L., Krome, M., Hartman, A., McFarland, A., Galt, R., & Prokopy, L. (2025). Our daily bread in the Heartland: Understanding and leveraging diversification to small grains in corn and soybean systems. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 80(2), 116–143. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224561.2025.2451000 Asprooth, L., Arbuckle, J. G., Traldi, R., Church, S. P., Floress, K., Gramig, B. M., Margenot, A. J., Maynard, E. T., Thompson, A. W., Torres, A. P., Usher, E. M., Awashra, I., Pivaral, K., Woodings, F. S., & Prokopy, L. S. (2025). To diversify or not to diversify: A preliminary report on farmers’ perspectives on diversification in the U.S. Midwest. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, 40, e14. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170525000043 Traldi, R., Asprooth, L., M. Usher, E., Floress, K., Arbuckle, J. G., Baskerville, M., Church, S. P., Genskow, K., Harden, S., Maynard, E. T., Thompson, A. W., Torres, A. P., & Prokopy, L. S. (2024). “Safer to plant corn and beans”? Navigating the challenges and opportunities of agricultural diversification in the U.S. Corn Belt. Agriculture and Human Values, 41(4), 1687–1706. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-024-10570-7 Pesci, S., Durant, J., Manser, G., Galt, R., Asprooth, L., & Pinzón, N. (2024). Online tools helped direct market farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic, but resources are needed for equitable adoption. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 13(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2024.133.020 Asprooth, L., Norton, M., & Galt, R. (2023). The adoption of conservation practices in the Corn Belt: The role of one formal farmer network, Practical Farmers of Iowa. Agriculture and Human Values, 40(4), 1559–1580. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-023-10451-5 Asprooth, L., Norton, M., & Galt, R. (2023). Transforming the Corn Belt: A recipe for collaborative, farmer-driven research and diffusion of innovation. Journal of Rural Studies, 103, 103133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2023.103133 Durant, J. L., Asprooth, L., Galt, R. E., Schmulevich, S. P., Manser, G. M., & Pinzón, N. (2023). Farm resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of California direct market farmers. Agricultural Systems, 204, 103532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2022.103532 Pesci, S., Galt, R. E., Durant, J. L., Manser, G. M., Asprooth, L., & Pinzón, N. (2023). A digital divide in direct market farmers’ online sales and marketing: Early pandemic evidence from California. Journal of Rural Studies, 101, 103038. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2023.103038 Galt, R. E., & Asprooth, L. (2021). The effects of agrochemicals on humans. In Handbook on the Human Impact of Agriculture. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781839101748.00028 Ignaciuk, A., Ilicic, J., Asprooth, L., Sitko, N., Bernard, A., Tubiello, F., & Mueller, M. (2021). Progress towards sustainable agriculture: Drivers of change, FAO Agricultural Development Economics Technical Study No. 13. FAO, Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb7896en Tubiello, F., Wanner, N., Asprooth, L., Muller, M., Ignaciuk, A., Khan, A., Rosero-Moncayo, J., (2021). Measuring progress towards sustainable agriculture, FAO Statistics Working Paper 21-24. FAO, Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb4549en TECHNICAL REPORTS & OTHER PUBLICATIONS Asprooth, L., Willardson, K., Vaith, M., Hartman, A., McFarland, A. 2024. Crop insurance for specialty and organic grains. Fact Sheet Series 23-3, University of Wisconsin Organic Grain Resource and Information Network (OGRAIN). Asprooth, L., Krome, M., Hartman, A., McFarland, A., Galt, R., Prokopy, L. (2023). Drivers and deterrents of small grain adoption in the Upper Midwest. East Troy, WI: Michael Fields Agricultural Institute. Asprooth, L., Hartman, A., Padgham, J., Francis, H., Stedden, C., Krome, M., McFarland, A. Organic Small Grain Marketing. 2023. Fact Sheet Series 22-3, University of Wisconsin Organic Grain Resource and Information Network (OGRAIN). Andrade, R. and Asprooth, L. 50 years of CIAT Breeding; A comprehensive look at release and adoption of CIAT genetic material since 1967. 2020. International Center for Tropical Agriculture. Internal report.