Mike Schmitt has studied something most people would turn their nose at: manure.
Schmitt, a tenured faculty member, spread word for farmers to spread in their fields and, for more than a decade, tried to convince the agricultural community of the benefits from using animal waste as a fertilizer. He knew it was a commodity, that when used properly, could offer higher yields and protect the environment.
Schmitt's research battled the animal waste stereotype of just that, waste. Now, it's almost taken for granted that manure be used to help grow healthy crops.
"I like to tell people I was doing manure research before it was vogue," Schmitt says.
Growing up just outside of Chicago, Ill., Schmitt had seen little of farms and fields. But, a fascination with high school science classes confidently pointed him to agronomy and the University of Minnesota. Schmitt says he's always enjoyed the encompassing nature of agronomy, requiring knowledge and skills in disciplines like biology and chemistry.
He first had a chance to really apply his skills as an employee on a 500-cow dairy farm in western Wisconsin, where he says he learned as much from a tractor seat as he did from his classroom seat. As an undergraduate, Schmitt worked part-time each spring and full-time each summer at the farm, gaining valuable real-world experience.
"I was very involved in tillage, planting, pest management, irrigation and harvesting operations for about 500 acres of alfalfa and 1,300 acres of corn," he says.
Schmitt continued his education back in Illinois, earning his masters and Ph.D. in Agronomy from the University of Illinois, Urbana. Following graduation, he headed back to Minnesota and took a job as an agronomist and agronomic training coordinator at the Cenex/Land O'Lakes Cooperative in St. Paul. After three years, he was back at the University, first as an extension agronomist in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics and then as an assistant professor and extension soil scientist in the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate.
There, Schmitt's program focused on the application management of manures and the application management of nitrogen. With both sides of his program, he was able to create a reputable body of research along with colleagues Gyles Randall, Michael Russelle, John Lamb, George Rehm, Jeff Strock, and Neil Hanson. Much of that research helped agricultural producers throughout the state and beyond, emphasizing Schmitt's commitment to extension work. He says it's simply his responsibility.
"If we don't forge that relationship with the taxpayer, we're no longer a public institution," Schmitt says.
Through his work in Extension programming, Schmitt has educated agricultural professionals who have then educated farmers, a major shift from Extension work in the past.
As part of this mission, he led the effort to start the Agricultural Professional Field School in 1986, one the more successful on-going agricultural Extension programs. Schmitt says the idea of a joint University and industry education program - that even charged registration fees - was extremely radical back in the 1980s. But, over the years he helped open doors for partnerships with industry that led to major progress in soil science education.
Schmitt has taken that commitment to education to his new post as associate dean in the College of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences. Since his 2000 appointment, he has continued to promote the extension program by providing leadership to the development, facilitation, implementation, budget, evaluation, and reporting efforts for faculty within the College, as well as, the regional and county-based extension personnel throughout Minnesota. Schmitt has also brought the extension program abroad.
In 2000, he traveled to China with professor emeriti and then department head H.H. Cheng, China Center Director Hong Yang, and Eugene Allen, executive director of the Office of International Programs. Schmitt and his three University colleagues gave lectures on extension, environmental issues, and interdisciplinary programs at six universities and many other centers throughout the country.
"My trip to China was an excellent eye-opening experience," Schmitt says. "At U.S. universities, we simply take for granted the integration of research, teaching and Extension outreach. In China, these three functions were conducted by separate entities and the concept of having one's research program be the basis for one's Extension program was novel to them."
A year after his trip, he guided a large group of visiting Chinese agricultural officials and faculty through an Agricultural Professional Field School at the Rosemount Research and Outreach Center.
It's a duty Schmitt has served often, hosting and lecturing for many international delegations who want to model the successes of the University's Extension system.
Schmitt has also guided students at the University, even though he's never held a formal teaching position. He teaches a two-week section on fertilizer management for AGRO 4605 - Managing Technologies for Crop Production and has given guest lectures to numerous classes within the college. Schmitt's dedication as a researcher, and now administrator, has also gained the appreciation of the agricultural community.
He won the American Society of Agronomy's (ASA) Crops and Soils Journalism Award in 1987, the ASA's CIBA GEIGY Award in 1992, the prestigious ASA Fellow Award in 2001 and the Potash & Phosphate Industry's Robert Wagner Outstanding Young Scientist Award in 2002. The awards are a testament to Schmitt's hard work as a faculty member and dedication to thorough research.
"We never did fad research," he says. "Good science is always going to be applicable."
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