Full Name
Michel Wattiaux
Position
Professor - Dairy Systems Management Teaching & Research
Institution
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Bio
From a Family Dairy Farm in Belgium to a Ph.D. in Dairy Science … Michel was very involved in the daily work of the family dairy farm where he grew up in Belgium in the sixties and seventies. The thirst for knowledge to better manage the farm was a powerful motivator as he became a first-generation College student. In 1985 Michel came to UW-Madison and earned a Ph.D. in Dairy Science.
Ten years of International Dairy Extension… Michel began to work with the “Babcock Institute for International Research and Development” of the University of Wisconsin, Madison shortly after its inception in 1992. While at the Institute, he authored four dairy management-related books in a series of “Technical Dairy Guides” and 35 “Dairy Essentials”, which have been translated in six languages (Spanish, French, Russian, Chinese, Portuguese and Turkish) and have been distributed in more than 80 countries.
Assistant Professor in Dairy Science: Dairy Nutrition… In 2000, Michel joined the faculty of the Department of Dairy Science as an assistant professor with responsibilities in instruction (70%) and Dairy Systems Management research (30%). He revamped a senior level ruminant nutrition course and created five other undergraduate courses. His research focused on Nitrogen utilization of dairy cattle, which led to a Patent on the use of milk urea nitrogen (MUN) as a nutritional and environmental management tool for dairy producers. Michel was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure on the basis of excellence in teaching in the spring of 2006.
Associate Professor: Research and Teaching at a more “Global Scale” … Michel’s research program has focused on cow-level and farm-level nutritional strategies that reduce the undesirable impact of dairy production on air and water quality. His research seeks to enhance animal productivity and efficiency of production while reducing the emission of compounds known to have negative impacts on human health, the balance of natural ecosystems, and climate change (including for example ammonia, nitrate, nitrous oxide and methane). This research seeks to create “win-win” situations, making farms more economically profitable (reducing feed costs) and more friendly to the environmental and human health. To address these issues at a more “global scale,” Michel has forged networks of collaborations with scientists from Canada, France, Mexico, Costa-Rica, Peru, and Colombia. Michel’s meritorious activities during this period of his career have been recognized by a series of honors and awards (see below). Michel was promoted to Full Professor in the spring of 2011.
Full Professor: Sustainability of Agriculture and Food Systems… As a full Professor, Michel continued to expand the boundaries of his scholarship. His research focused increasingly on holistic assessments of farm sustainability that are in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) set forth by the United Nations. His teaching included new courses on the roles of livestock in sustainable development, on the environmental and social dimensions of agriculture and food systems and on effective teaching in internationally diverse college classroom (for PhD candidates only). From 2019 to 2021, Michel served as interim Director of the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS). In 2023 Michel received a Fulbright Award to work with colleagues in Québec on a project titled: “toward more equitable, resilient, and sustainable dairy systems.”
Ten years of International Dairy Extension… Michel began to work with the “Babcock Institute for International Research and Development” of the University of Wisconsin, Madison shortly after its inception in 1992. While at the Institute, he authored four dairy management-related books in a series of “Technical Dairy Guides” and 35 “Dairy Essentials”, which have been translated in six languages (Spanish, French, Russian, Chinese, Portuguese and Turkish) and have been distributed in more than 80 countries.
Assistant Professor in Dairy Science: Dairy Nutrition… In 2000, Michel joined the faculty of the Department of Dairy Science as an assistant professor with responsibilities in instruction (70%) and Dairy Systems Management research (30%). He revamped a senior level ruminant nutrition course and created five other undergraduate courses. His research focused on Nitrogen utilization of dairy cattle, which led to a Patent on the use of milk urea nitrogen (MUN) as a nutritional and environmental management tool for dairy producers. Michel was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure on the basis of excellence in teaching in the spring of 2006.
Associate Professor: Research and Teaching at a more “Global Scale” … Michel’s research program has focused on cow-level and farm-level nutritional strategies that reduce the undesirable impact of dairy production on air and water quality. His research seeks to enhance animal productivity and efficiency of production while reducing the emission of compounds known to have negative impacts on human health, the balance of natural ecosystems, and climate change (including for example ammonia, nitrate, nitrous oxide and methane). This research seeks to create “win-win” situations, making farms more economically profitable (reducing feed costs) and more friendly to the environmental and human health. To address these issues at a more “global scale,” Michel has forged networks of collaborations with scientists from Canada, France, Mexico, Costa-Rica, Peru, and Colombia. Michel’s meritorious activities during this period of his career have been recognized by a series of honors and awards (see below). Michel was promoted to Full Professor in the spring of 2011.
Full Professor: Sustainability of Agriculture and Food Systems… As a full Professor, Michel continued to expand the boundaries of his scholarship. His research focused increasingly on holistic assessments of farm sustainability that are in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) set forth by the United Nations. His teaching included new courses on the roles of livestock in sustainable development, on the environmental and social dimensions of agriculture and food systems and on effective teaching in internationally diverse college classroom (for PhD candidates only). From 2019 to 2021, Michel served as interim Director of the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS). In 2023 Michel received a Fulbright Award to work with colleagues in Québec on a project titled: “toward more equitable, resilient, and sustainable dairy systems.”
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