Women in Agriculture: Nancy Bohl Bormann Remains Focused on Ag Tech Research
February 5, 2025 
Nancy Bohl Bormann, University of Minnesota, was the recipient of the 2024 Educator/Researcher of the Year Award during the CropLife Ag Tech Awards of Excellence ceremony at Tech Hub LIVE.
Editor’s Note: The CropLife Ag Tech Awards of Excellence are presented each year during Tech Hub LIVE. Over the next four months, CropLife will profile each of the 2024 winners to share what they are working on currently and how being recognized as an Ag Tech Awards of Excellence winner has benefited them personally and professionally. Here we profile Nancy Bohl Bormann, University of Minnesota, winner of the 2024 Ag Tech Educator/Researcher category.
When CropLife met Nancy Bohl Bormann in Des Moines last July she had just completed her PhD at the University of Minnesota — Twin Cities, in the Soil, Water, and Climate Department.
Her research project centered on the development and implementation of a nationwide manure test database called ManureDB.
As an experienced agronomist with a background in the nutrient management space, the opportunity to work with Drs. Melissa Wilson and Erin Cortus at the University of Minnesota on this project was very attractive, she says.
In 2020, the researchers had received grant funding to create a manure nutrient database in collaboration with the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute.
Bohl Bormann’s role consisted of working with developers and a team, along with commercial manure laboratories, livestock commodity groups and others, to create the framework and the schema for the database and determine how to standardize a variety of data in different formats.
Nancy Bohl Bormann has focused much of her research on manure and its nutrient profile.
ManureDB gathers nutrient data from manure laboratory analyses and organizes data by year, manure source, state or region, and nutrient composition to help farmers make better decisions about nutrient management and to create a better resource for researchers.
Bohl Bormann explained that most of the book values for manure nutrients are outdated and don’t reflect today’s animal diets, manure storage and handling, and so on, all of which determine the nutrient profile in manure.
Bohl Bormann completed her dissertation defense in May and wrapped up graduate school the end of June 2024. At that point, she needed to “catch up on life” and get back to work on the family farm, while taking a much-deserved break before moving on to the next chapter of her career.
This past fall, Bohl Bormann was invited to speak at several events related to the ManureDB project.
In October, she presented at a Perennia conference in Nova Scotia, Canada. Perennia Food and Agriculture Corporation is a provincial development agency whose mission is to support growth, transformation, and economic development in Nova Scotia’s agriculture, seafood, and food and beverage sectors.
Bohl Bormann was one of three speakers leading a session on the economic and agronomic value potential of poultry manure.
The Perennia conference gave Bohl Bormann a closer look at both the similarities and differences in the agriculture sectors of the U.S. and Canada.
Closer to home, Bohl Bormann also spoke about ManureDB at the Iowa State University Northern Research Farm Field Day in September in Kanawha, IA, and at a meeting of the Boone River Watershed Management Authority in Clarion, IA.
Taking the Next Step
Nancy Bohl Bormann and her husband, Matthew, a fifth-generation farmer and President of Bormann Ag Ltd.
Bohl Bormann and her husband, Matthew, a fifth-generation farmer and President of Bormann Ag Ltd., along with their three children, farm corn and soybeans near Algona, IA.
The Bormanns are focused on conservation. They’re also able to make their own decisions about how they farm, which is described as “a full emphasis on soil conservation, soil health, good land stewardship, and making farming better.”
Bohl Bormann says that “having that freedom has been a huge deal” and has given them the autonomy to pursue more progressive farming methods.
For example, the Bormanns started experimenting with vertical tillage in 2011 as a way to transition to no-till and dry and smooth out the soil prior to planting soybeans. Since then, the Bormanns have converted their farm to strip-till for corn and vertical-till or no-till for soybeans.
The Bormanns have also participated in the Iowa Soybean Association Nitrogen and Phosphorus Water Monitoring Program in the past, which encourages implementation of the 4R nutrient stewardship principles to reduce nutrient runoff from farmland.
Nancy Bohl Bormann with her family.
In addition to helping manage and work on the family farm, Bohl Bormann has been busy preparing for her next step.
Bormann had several enticing job prospects to consider. However, she ultimately chose to return to the University of Minnesota as a researcher to continue work on the ManureDB project, effective January 2025. The project received additional grant funding to extend the database from the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, which also influenced her decision.
Reveling in the Recognition
Nancy Bohl Bormann helps manage the family farm.
When she learned that she had won the 2024 Awards of Excellence in the Ag Tech Educator/Researcher of the Year category, “I felt excited and honored,” said Bohl Bormann. “This is a prestigious award and knowing that other people thought I was worthy to be recognized was very meaningful.”
Attending the Tech Hub LIVE Conference and Expo in Des Moines last July to accept the award in person was the icing on the cake, she added.
According to Bohl Bormann, meeting new people and discovering new companies were very valuable, as were the follow up meetings and connections she made.
“I met a lot of people during Tech Hub LIVE, some of whom I even interviewed with. I learned so much. It really was a great experience for me.”
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