Dr. Dan Jaynes of passed away on February 19, 2026. Dr. Jaynes made many contributions to the conservation drainage world through his research and development of practical practices like the saturated buffer throughout his career as a Research Soil Scientist at the National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment in Ames, IA.
Dr. Jaynes was inducted to the International Drainage Hall of Fame, which is hosted in the Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering at The Ohio State University, in 2022. Below are the accomplishments listed on his hall of fame poster.
- Over 35 years of research and outreach contributions to understanding of drainage water quality and nutrient loss mitigation
- Fellow, Agronomy Society of America
- Fellow, Soil Science Society of America
- Author of more than 125 peer-reviewed journal articles, 9 textbook chapters, and 85 conference proceedings
- Aided in development of NRCS Conservation Practice Standards for Drainage Water Management, Denitrifying Bioreactors, and Saturated Buffers
- Member of numerous technical and advisory committees addressing local water quality and Gulf of Mexico hypoxia
His research into saturated buffers is a crucial element to why the practice is being implemented on a wide scale and why we are realizing we can get much more from our buffer systems. Let’s take some time to reflect on Dr. Jaynes’ accomplishments.