UNH Today

Long-time New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station researcher Charles Schwab, professor emeritus of animal and nutritional sciences and a former member of UNH’s dairy program, has received the American Dairy Science Association Fellow Award. The award recognizes dairy scientists who are association members and who have a record of distinguished service to the dairy industry for 20 or more years.

He was nominated by Paul Kononoff, professor of dairy nutrition at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “To those in the field of animal nutrition, Dr. Schwab needs no introduction, as he is widely considered to be one of the world’s leading experts in amino acid nutrition of dairy cattle,” Kononoff said.

“Chuck has trained generations of young scientists who work in the dairy industry to meet current and future needs required by the consumers and dairy producers we all serve,” he said.

Schwab’s 34-year career at UNH began in 1975, when he joined the faculty as an assistant professor. Among his many professional achievements, he established amino acid feeding recommendations for lactating dairy cows. His recommendations have led the dairy industry to develop software and feed databases that not only improve efficacy of milk production, but also reduce the amount of nitrogen fed and ultimately excreted into the environment by the cow.

While a professor, Schwab provided leadership for numerous initiatives, including a revision of the undergraduate curriculum in animal sciences and the development of a nutritional sciences major and dairy management major. He worked with university administration to establish the experiment station’s Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center, the Dairy Nutrition Research Center, and the experiment station’s Organic Dairy Research Farm.

“UNH will always have a special place in my heart,” Schwab said. “I never imagined, as a new faculty member in 1975, that I would ever have so much freedom to create so many new opportunities and build new facilities and programs for students while also teaching and pursing my own research interests and dreams. I will remain forever grateful to my department chairs and fellow faculty and staff, college deans, higher administration, the Office of Sustainability, and the Northeast dairy industry for continued encouragement and help. It was an amazing 34 years.” 

To date, Schwab’s research has resulted in 160 published papers, and he has made over 300 presentations in 26 countries. In 2006, Dr. Schwab was recognized by UNH with an Excellence in Public Service Award.

Schwab’s remarkable commitment to his field also extended to the students he advised.

“Chuck was and has been a positive influence on my career as well as on my personal life,” said Ryan Ordway ‘05G, who earned his earned his PhD from UNH under Schwab’s guidance.  “As an advisor, he provided me with a level of guidance and support that few of my colleagues in the animal science industries received from their advisors…Chuck has trained generations of young scientists who work in the dairy industry to meet current and future needs required by the consumers and dairy producers we all serve.”

But despite all his accomplishments, Schwab said he was at a loss for words when he learned he had received the American Dairy Science Association award and describes the experience as very humbling.

After retiring from UNH in 2009, Schwab’s enthusiasm for dairy nutrition did not wane. He now works full-time as a dairy nutrition consultant, educating dairy extension specialists, nutritionists and producers worldwide on advances in protein and amino acid nutrition and its implications on milk production, cow health and nitrogen utilization.

Founded in 1887, the NH Agricultural Experiment Station at the UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture is UNH’s original research center and an elemental component of New Hampshire's land-grant university heritage and mission. We steward federal and state funding, including support from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, to provide unbiased and objective research concerning diverse aspects of sustainable agriculture and foods, aquaculture, forest management, and related wildlife, natural resources and rural community topics. We maintain the Woodman and Kingman agronomy and horticultural research farms, the Macfarlane Research Greenhouses, the Fairchild Dairy Teaching and Research Center, and the Organic Dairy Research Farm. Additional properties also provide forage, forests and woodlands in direct support to research, teaching, and outreach.

The University of New Hampshire is a flagship research university that inspires innovation and transforms lives in our state, nation and world. More than 16,000 students from all 50 states and 71 countries engage with an award-winning faculty in top ranked programs in business, engineering, law, liberal arts and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study. UNH’s research portfolio includes partnerships with NASA, NOAA, NSF and NIH, receiving more than $100 million in competitive external funding every year to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea and space.