Contact: Jim Laird


STARKVILLE, Miss.—After a national search, a statewide water resources institute led by Mississippi State University has a new director. L. Jason Krutz will lead the Mississippi Water Resources Research Institute (MWRRI).

“Effective management of our state’s water resources is essential not only to agriculture and economic development, but quality of life – and life itself,” Krutz said.

“I appreciate the opportunity to lead the MWRRI team as we work with our stakeholders to develop effective strategies and solutions that will help ensure future generations have the water they need,” he said.

Most recently, Krutz served as irrigation specialist at the Delta Research and Extension Center at Stoneville and as executive director of the H2O Initiative.

Krutz conceived and directed the Row-crop Irrigation Science Extension and Research (RISER) Program. This innovation has increased adoption of profitable irrigation best management practices for cotton, corn, soybeans, rice and peanuts across the state. He also has formulated strategies to facilitate the adoption of RISER techniques throughout Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Tennessee for public and private stakeholders involved with the H2O Initiative.

A native of Arkansas, he received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agronomy from the University of Arkansas. He holds a Ph.D. in agronomy from Texas A&M University.

Based on the campus of the 139-year-old land-grant institution, MWRRI provides a coordinated research and development program to find solutions to water and water-related land use problems in the state and region.

The institute’s projects address a wide range of concerns, including economic development, drinking water quality, groundwater sources, the effects of invasive species on waterways, and aquifer and watershed management.

The MWRRI director reports jointly to the university’s vice president for agriculture, forestry and veterinary medicine and vice president for research and economic development.

For additional information about the Mississippi Water Resources Research Institute, visit www.wrri.msstate.edu.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.