I hails from a farming family in a tiny village Gudisagar in Navalagund taluk of Dharwad district, I took both my Bachelors and Masters degrees in Agriculture at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad in first class with distinction. My Masters with a specialization in Agronomy involved research into Integrated Nutrient Management in a rainfed Sunflower and Pigeonpea Inter-cropping System, which conclude that the 50 per cent of inorganic fertilizers can be saved with the incorporation of poultry manure or vermicompost.