PLATTEVILLE PORTRAIT
AN IMPACT MADE ON GENERATIONS OF ALUMNI
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rowing up on a small Wisconsin dairy farm, DOUG BUHLER ’79 had career plans when he left for college that included anything but agriculture. “I spent my life getting up, milking cows, going to school, coming home, and milking cows,” said Buhler. “I wanted to get as far away from agriculture as possible.”
However, a chance meeting with Dr. Roger Higgs, during his second year at UW-Platteville, grew into a mentorship and ultimately a friendship that changed the trajectory of Buhler’s career. Buhler began college as an engineering major, but after a year in the program, he decided it wasn’t for him. He spent some time exploring different classes before eventually wandering into the School of Agriculture where he met Higgs, who he credits with giving him a true understanding of the field of agriculture. “Like so many farm kids, especially in past generations, I had no idea what agriculture really encompassed, and that’s where Roger really deserves credit,” said Buhler. “It isn’t just cows, sows, and plows. It’s an international business and encompasses everything from IT to business to policy to politics to cutting-edge science. That’s where it all started to click for me.” Buhler then joined the Soil and Crop Science Program, where Higgs became both his professor
THE 1979 CHAMPIONSHIP crops team: (front) Dr. Roger Higgs, Linda Rather, Tom Van Tassel, (back) Matt Sturmer and Doug Buhler.
and coach. Buhler was a member of the 1979 UW-Platteville Crops Team, which won its first national championship. “At the time, I had no idea what graduate school was, and Roger was the first to suggest that I had the potential to go to graduate school,” said Buhler. After earning his bachelor’s degree in soil and crop science with a chemistry minor, he went on to the University of Nebraska to earn his master’s and Ph.D. in
agronomy and weed science. He began his career at UW-Madison and later worked at the United States Department of Agriculture-Agriculture Research Service before joining Michigan State University as professor and chair of the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences in 2000. He twice served as interim dean of MSU’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and is currently the Associate Vice President for Research
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