Chris Morris

Contact Information

Education

Current Research

I am a rural sociologist whose applied research focuses on the social and systemic factors that influence adoption of conservation practices and how we can use programs, policies, and education to increase sustainability in the food and agriculture system. Focusing on water quality and quantity issues in rural Kansas, I use qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods to better understand these dynamics and engage with community stakeholders.

Selected Publications

Morris, C. and Arbuckle, J.G. (2026). Hard times on the land: Potentially traumatic conditions and farmer adoption of conservation practices. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 10, p.1844280. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2026.1844280
Morris, C., Stagner, F., Arbuckle, J., Montabon, F., Helbing, M., Hinrichs, C. and Fowler, L. (2025). Growing gas on the farm? Stakeholder perspectives on divergent models of biogas production in the United States. Energy Research & Social Science, 127, p.104255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2025.104255
Sun, H., Upadhaya, S., Morris, C., Arbuckle, J., Nowatzke, L., & Zhu, Z. (2025). The flux of agricultural conservation: Understanding changes in Iowa farmers’ adoption of cover crops and no-till over time. Society & Natural Resources, pp. 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2025.2538175
Morris, C. and Arbuckle, J. (2024). The effects of collective trauma on Iowa farmers, their communities, and sustainability outcomes. Agriculture and Human Values, pp. 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-024-10596-x
Morris, C. and Arbuckle, J. (2021). Do conservation plans make a difference?: Evidence from Iowa farmers. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. 76 (5), 457-471. https://doi.org/10.2489/jswc.2021.00166

Instruction

Service

Short Biographical Sketch

I worked for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service as a Rangeland Management Specialist in Texas for 15 years before attending graduate school at Iowa State University. I graduated with my Master's in 2020 and my Ph.D. in 2023, co-majoring in Rural Sociology and Sustainable Agriculture, and I worked at ISU as a Postdoctoral Research Associate through August 2026. I began my current position at K-State as an Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology in the Fall of 2026, and I teach in both the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work as well as the School of Earth and Environment (Geography Unit).

As an affiliated scholar with the Kansas Water Institute, my research examines the human dimensions of water issues in agriculture and rural communities in Kansas, the High Plains, and the Midwest. Common research methodologies I utilize include interviews, focus groups, surveys, and content analysis. Other research interest areas include farmer adoption of conservation practices, sustainable agricultural transitions, conservation practitioner perspectives, environmental stakeholder analysis and engagement, and experiences of trauma in the food and agriculture system.

In 2020, I was awarded an Iowa State University Research Excellence Award for my Master's research, and in 2024 I was presented with a Teaching Innovation Award from ISU's Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice.