Matt Ruark, a professor and extension specialist in the UW–Madison Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, has been named faculty director of the Dairy Innovation Hub. In this role, Ruark will work closely with deans, faculty and researchers at UW–Madison, UW–Platteville and UW–River Falls, as well as industry partners, to coordinate research, teaching and outreach efforts on behalf of the Hub. 

The three deans agree that Ruark’s extensive research and extension experience will help translate the Hub’s important work to move the Wisconsin dairy community forward.

Since it was established in 2019, the Hub has funded and coordinated 21 faculty hires and more than 230 research projects across the three campuses. The Hub is supported by a $7.8M annual state investment to drive research and development to ensure Wisconsin’s $45.6 billion dairy community remains a global pacesetter in producing nutritious dairy products, with a focus on implementing innovations in economic, environmental and social sustainability. 

Ruark, who joined the soil and environmental sciences department in 2008, leads a research and extension program on soil fertility and nutrient management in dairy, grain, vegetable and biofuel production systems. This includes evaluating the impact of fertilizer, manure and cover crop management on crop production, water quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and soil quality and health. His field-based research leverages private farms and UW–Madison’s Agricultural Research Station network.  

Ruark is a nationally recognized leader in soil science research, and in 2013 he led a $10 million USDA grant addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation in the Great Lakes region. That project identified key areas within dairy production systems where reductions in greenhouse gas emissions could occur without affecting milk production. Some of his more recent studies on cover crops and manure use in Wisconsin have been shared via the Professional Dairy Producers (PDP) webinar series, The Dairy Signal and at the 2024 PDP Business Conference. 

Through various service and leadership roles, Ruark has built deep connections to Wisconsin dairy and agriculture. He has served as faculty advisor for UW–Madison Extension’s Discovery Farms program, advisor for the Wisconsin Agri-Business Association, and co-director of the Wisconsin Agribusiness Classic. He has been an active member of the UW–Madison’s Dairy Innovation Hub steering committee since its beginning in 2019. 

“I’ve seen first-hand the power and value of the Hub to farmers, the industry, the state, and the University,” says Ruark. “And I’m excited to guide the Hub during its next period of excellence.”

In 2023, Ruark was named the inaugural recipient of the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Grower BCS Chair at the UW–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS). This chair is designed to bolster the research program of a CALS faculty member working on potatoes and/or vegetables, and the environmental and economic impacts of these crops.  

“It is always a significant milestone when a program or organization undergoes a leadership transition,” says Dave Daniels, chair of the Hub’s advisory council and owner of Mighty Grand Dairy in Union Grove, Wis. “We are lucky to have an Extension specialist with a proven track-record in dairy like Matt assuming the important role of faculty director. Together with the council, I look forward to working with him on this important segment of the dairy community.”

Before joining UW–Madison, Ruark was a postdoc in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis. He received a doctoral degree from the Department of Agronomy at Purdue University and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities. 

Ruark will assume the role on October 7 succeeding the inaugural faculty director Heather White, who served since 2019 and was recently named associate dean for faculty affairs at UW–Madison CALS.