Feature: MSU Leadership in Agriculture
MSU’s impact on global agriculture has been, and continues to be, very significant.
The first institution of higher learning in the nation to teach scientific agriculture, MSU has since pioneered advancements in agricultural research, scholarship and extension—ranging from Malcolm Trout’s process for homogenizing milk (see “Michigan State Moments,” Circle Drive) to the hybridization of corn by William Beal to the pioneering horticultural work of Liberty Hyde Bailey. MSU remains committed to its land-grant mission, working hand in hand with constituents to solve the problems of modern agriculture.
“We’ve worked with MSU Extension from the very beginning and still do,” says Ken Bull, ‘33, owner and operator of Moon Lake Orchards in Muskegon, Kent and Newaygo counties. “Over the years, we’ve worked with the MSU Horticulture Dept. to develop different types of dwarf and semidwarf trees. The result has been better rootstock for commercial production and semidwarf cherry trees that are now the standard in the industry.”
Don Nugent, ‘65, also owns cherry and apple orchards and is president of Graceland Foods, Inc., a $25 million company that pioneered the process for sugar-infused dried cherries and other fruits. Nugent, a member of the MSU Board of Trustees, notes that he has benefited tremendously from involvement with the university over the years.
Tom Reed, (‘68, B.S., animal husbandry), retired CEO of Southern States/Michigan Livestock Exchange, also credits the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) at MSU with much of his success. “The university has been our consultant and partner every step of the way,” Reed notes. “Whenever we came up with a good idea, they promoted it; whenever they came up with a good idea, we tested it.”
This partnership has benefited not only the farmers of Michigan, but MSU as well. Two tangible results have been the Revitalization of Animal Agriculture in Michigan Initiative and Project GREEN (Generating Research and Extension to meet Economic and Environmental Needs). The industry-led animal initiative resulted in more than $70 million spent by the Michigan Legislature to enhance animal agriculture programs at MSU. Project GREEEN was developed by a broad-based consortium of plant commodity groups, food processors, regulators, researchers and others, with financial support from the Michigan Legislature. “In Michigan agriculture, we recognize that the best way to succeed is to work together,” says John (Jack) G. Laurie (‘62, B.S., agricultural economics), president of the Michigan Farm Bureau.
Laurie, together with industry leaders Reed, Elwood Kirkpatrick and Frank Merriman, formed the executive committee that spearheaded the Animal Initiative. “It’s a partnership that is envied by states across the country.” Reed notes the tremendous opportunities this partnership is generating. “When the revitalization of animal agriculture was completed, it wasn’t just brick and mortar,” he notes. “I think MSU took in better than 60 of the best minds in the country. In the next five to 10 years, the output and the opportunity for them to contribute to this region is going to be phenomenal. The real resource of MSU is its people.”
Nugent agrees, and he extends that praise to the quality of graduates that MSU turns out. “We have quite a few MSU graduates working for us,” he says, citing as an example his research chief, Dr. Nirmal Sinha.
The agriculture industry’s response to challenges has historically been to turn to MSU. “The fact that the university provides the research and information dissemination process for agriculture—the technology for new ideas—is recognized by all farmers across the state as being essential to their very success in moving forward,” Laurie explains.
Larry Crandall (‘66, B.S., dairy science), who, together with his sons, owns Crandall Dairy Farm, L.L.C., recalls the vital role MSU has played in the development of the dairy industry. “In the early 1950s, artificial breeding was one of the major steps forward for the dairy industry,” he says. “MSU was primarily responsible for the very beginning of the rapid genetic improvement in the livestock industry. Today, our dairy animals are incredibly efficient creatures.”
Over the years, Laurie says, there has been a shift in the priorities of agriculture and the university. “When I was studying at MSU, the entire focus was one of production,” he says. “We equated making more units with making more money. Since then, the focus has shifted to what you might call ‘outside influences’ on the industry. Things like environmental concerns, food safety, preserving farmland from urban development, trying to position ourselves better in the world market, development of genetically modified seeds that allow us to produce more efficiently and to produce products that are more desirable to the consumer. Today, we recognize that we’re producing for a customer and need to build a relationship with that customer and be flexible enough to adapt to consumer demands.”
Cherry grower Ken Bull also notes the importance of building relationships with consumers. “The biggest challenge facing us today is to market crops in ways that will bring more money back to the growers,” he says.
Bull has established an endowment fund for cherry marketing within the CANR. Nugent sees a bright future ahead. “There’s a lot of crossover [between colleges] that has resulted in tremendous research in the whole area of nutriceuticals,” he enthuses. “We’ve only scratched the surface on maximizing the value of the fruits and vegetables we produce in this state.”
Nugent believes the industry and MSU need to attract young people into the field – not just in production agriculture but the whole college, be it packaging or forestry or whatever. “As we become more and more urban,” he reasons, “we need to do a better job working with high school counselors and at career days with students, pointing out the tremendous opportunities there are in the whole food system industry.”
Despite economic challenges, Reed remains optimistic. “MSU has the best programs and the best people,” he says. “That has to do with the leadership of the institution and of the state of Michigan working together. On top of that, we’ve had the Extension Service working with the Michigan Dept. of Agriculture as well as with the farmer. We have a unique model, and that’s why MSU is the only university that was able to put $70 million together in one package.”