Dr. Don Wyse: a dynamic force
By Connie Fernholz Carlson • Crow River Chapter member; former SFA Board member and President
It is with deep sadness that I share with all of you the sudden passing of University of Minnesota professor, Dr. Don Wyse, on July 2, 2024.
Dr. Wyse was a dynamic force for clean water, healthy soil, sustainable agriculture and a fierce champion for rural communities. Wyse was pivotal in the formation of a family of sustainability-focused organizations that SFA interacts with regularly, including Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA), Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP), Green Lands Blue Waters, Center for Integrated Natural Resource Management (CINRAM) and the Forever Green Initiative. You can watch and listen to Wyse explain the vision for these organizations in this video that was created when he was recognized with the highest distinction the University awards faculty members, the Outstanding Community Service Award.
Dr. Wyse was known for his keen intellect, ever-present sense of humor, his use of the occasional “damn” or “hell” in a meeting and his passion for people, the land and justice. He was shaped by his farm upbringing in Ohio; his research on weeds, water and the environment; his fifty years of teaching at the University of Minnesota and, most importantly, his family. It was rare that he didn’t mention at least one of these topics (or use one of those curse words) in a conversation.
During my tenure as chair of the State SFA board, I was also working shoulder-to-shoulder with Don, leading efforts to commercialize the new crops and cropping systems in development through the Forever Green Initiative. I had the honor of witnessing (and learning from) his unremitting drive to do everything in his power to foster healthy lives, soil and communities. This 2019 Forever Green presentation is one he gave hundreds of times and is the vision he was working on to the very day he passed.
Although his loss is tremendous, Don was also adamant that the work required “all hands on deck.” I believe his most important skill was his ability to connect with people from all walks of life, tell them the story of his work and make them champions for sustainability in their corners of the world. I am one of them.
Additional reading
Don Wyse’s Obituary
University of Minnesota ag visionary, Forever Green Initiative founder Don Wyse dies, Star Tribune, July 2024
Growing a New Future for Farming, New York Times, May 2022
Don Wyse remembered as early champion of sustainable agriculture research in Minnesota, MPR, July 2024