A chemistry teacher, a lifelong farmer, and an eighth grader who wanted to blow things up — each has a connection to the people working behind the scenes at Verdesian Life Sciences, where scientific careers are shaped by experiences that often begin far beyond the laboratory.
For the scientists developing, analyzing, and testing Verdesian’s agricultural technologies, a typical workday might involve studying beneficial microorganisms, reviewing nutrient analyses, or making small adjustments to a fertilizer formulation. Each task requires a different kind of expertise, with implications for the products agricultural retailers recommend and growers use in their fields.
This World Science Day, we’re meeting three scientists working across Verdesian’s facilities in North Carolina, Utah, Missouri, and Ohio to learn more about the people and processes behind that work.
Dinesh Adhikari: From Farm to Formulation
Meet Dinesh Adhikari, Senior Formulations Scientist at Verdesian Life Sciences’ Research Triangle Park facility in North Carolina. Growing up in a farming family, Dinesh saw firsthand how fertilizer costs and soil health concerns could affect a farm’s livelihood. Today, those experiences shape his interest in developing agricultural technologies that allow crops to make better use of available nutrients.
Dinesh works with seed treatments, inoculants, and biostimulants, developing formulations and evaluating their performance on seeds, plants, and soil. Much of his research involves exploring how beneficial microorganisms and biostimulants can support plant growth and nutrient use efficiency (NUE).
His work also brings him into contact with people outside the laboratory. Manufacturing teams seek his expertise on formulations, while growers and field scientists turn to him with questions about product performance and applications. Hearing that his input has helped a grower or colleague is among the aspects of his job he finds most rewarding.
Looking ahead, Dinesh is particularly interested in how microbial and biostimulant technologies could help growers address rising fertilizer and energy costs while supporting crop productivity and soil health.
Jared Walter: The Chemistry of It All
For Jared Walter, science and agriculture were familiar subjects long before he joined Verdesian. His mother taught high school chemistry, and his grandfather was a lifelong farmer, giving him an early appreciation for both fields.
“Being able to combine those two influences in my career is one of the things I find most rewarding about my work,” Jared said.
As an Analytical Lab Manager at Verdesian’s South Salt Lake City, Utah, facility, Jared helps examine the composition of agricultural products through laboratory testing. His team’s work supports research and development, production, and regulatory compliance, including verifying formulation targets, label claims, and international import requirements.
While laboratory testing might bring to mind scientists working at benches surrounded by equipment, Jared says much of his day is spent reviewing data. Mornings typically involve preparing samples and conducting analyses, while afternoons are devoted to interpreting results. His team also organizes testing by analysis type, examining minerals across samples before moving on to other analyses, such as nitrogen.
Beyond his day-to-day responsibilities, Jared is particularly interested in research exploring how existing mineral nutrients can become more available to plants without increasing fertilizer application rates. The potential to help growers make better use of their fertilizer inputs brings together the scientific and agricultural interests that first drew him to this field.
Megan Farris: A Recipe for Success
Megan Farris’s interest in chemistry began in eighth grade, although her original ambitions were somewhat explosive.
“Initially, I wanted to blow things up!” she recalled. “I never got around to doing that (thankfully), but I did stick with chemistry.”
Her interest eventually led her to pursue a bachelor’s degree with coursework in both chemistry and biology. Today, Megan serves as Quality Assurance Manager for Verdesian’s Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and North Lima, Ohio, facilities, overseeing quality across granular fertilizers, animal feed ingredients, seed treatments, and inoculants.
Part of her work involves developing what she calls “recipes” for granular micronutrient products. When a customer requests a particular nutrient composition, Megan determines how to combine available raw materials, tests the formulation in an in-house pilot laboratory, and makes adjustments before it moves into full-scale production.
That attention to detail continues on the production floor, where laboratory results are regularly reviewed and finished products are tested every few hours to monitor nutrient concentrations. If a fertilizer guaranteed to contain 5% iron is testing at 6%, for example, Megan can work with production teams to adjust the amount of iron-containing raw material being added. Sometimes, the difference comes down to just 5, 10, or 20 pounds.
After more than 12 years working with granular micronutrients, Megan continues to find new challenges in her work. Whether developing formulations or making adjustments during production, she draws on her experience to help ensure products meet the specifications customers expect.
For Megan, one of the most meaningful aspects of her work is knowing where those products ultimately end up. As Verdesian’s granular micronutrients reach growers in markets such as Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Panama, the importance of getting every formulation right extends well beyond the production floor.
“I want these growers to feel confident that the fertilizer they are spending their well-earned money on is going to have the micronutrients they need to help their crops,” she said.
Beyond the Beakers
Whether developing new formulations, analyzing nutrient data, or ensuring products meet quality standards, the work happening across Verdesian’s facilities has a common purpose: helping agricultural retailers and growers make the most of their crop nutrition investments. For Dinesh, Jared, and Megan, that work also reflects the personal experiences and interests that led them into science.
Together, their stories offer a glimpse into the curiosity, expertise, and attention to detail behind Verdesian’s technologies, highlighting the people who bring that science to life every day.
