John Jacob Mortvedt (January 25, 1932 – March 13, 2012) was an American soil scientist who worked with

micronutrient Micronutrients are essential dietary elements required by organisms in varying quantities throughout life to orchestrate a range of physiological functions to maintain health. Micronutrient requirements differ between organisms; for example, huma ...

fertilizer.

Early life and education

Born and raised on a

Dell Rapids, South Dakota Dell Rapids is a city in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 3,996 at the 2020 census. It is known as "The Little City with the Big Attractions." The city took its name from the Dells of the Wisconsin River, which ...

, farm to Ernest and Clara Mortvedt, John Mortvedt earned a bachelor's degree in

agronomy Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants by agriculture for food, fuel, fiber, chemicals, recreation, or land conservation. Agronomy has come to include research of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and ...

from

South Dakota State University South Dakota State University is a public land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest and most comprehensive university and the oldest continually-operating university in South Dakota. The ...

in 1953. After a brief return to the farm, Mortvedt was a pilot for a US Army aviation unit stationed in Colorado, between World War II and the Korean War. He married Marlene Fodness in

Rapid City, South Dakota Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western S ...

, on January 23, 1955. Mortvedt studied for a master's degree in

soil science Soil science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the Earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils; and these properties in relation to ...

from SDSU and graduated in 1959, continuing for his Ph.D. in

soil chemistry Soil chemistry is the study of the chemical characteristics of soil. Soil chemistry is affected by mineral composition, organic matter and environmental factors. In the early 1850s a consulting chemist to the Royal Agricultural Society in England ...

from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

in 1962. Mortvedt wrote his thesis on “the effect of manganese and copper on the growth of ''Streptomyces scabies'' and the incidence of potato scab.”

Career

John Mortvedt joined the

Tennessee Valley Authority The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolin ...

(TVA) and worked in

Muscle Shoals, Alabama Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located along the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 census, the population of Muscle Shoals was 13,146. The estimated popu ...

, for thirty years. While at TVA he also collaborated with the Department of Agriculture's

Agricultural Research Service The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the principal in-house research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). ARS is one of four agencies in USDA's Research, Education and Economics mission area. ARS is charged with ext ...

. Mortvedt earned the TVA Bronze Award as a soil chemist in the Agricultural Research Department. A senior scientist in Alabama until 1992, John transferred to the TVA Field Programs Department in Colorado to be a regional manager for the Rocky Mountain region. Mortvedt retired from TVA on July 9, 1993, and joined

Colorado State University Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado S ...

as an Extension Specialist and Professor Emeritus. At Colorado State University, Mortvedt supervised fertilizer suggestion revisions for the state's major crops. Mortvedt was elected president of the

Soil Science Society of America The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), is the largest soil-specific society in the United States. It was formed in 1936 from the merger of the Soils Section of the American Society of Agronomy and the American Soil Survey Association. The So ...

and served on its board of directors, executive committee, and as its editor-in-chief. He was awarded fellowships in the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

(1989),

American Society of Agronomy The American Society of Agronomy (ASA) is a scientific and professional society of agronomists and scientists of related disciplines, principally in the United States but with many non-U.S. members as well. About It was founded December 13, 190 ...

, and Soil Science Society of America.

Legacy

After his death in 2012, the Micronutrient Manufacturers Association named its ''Mortvedt Award'' in honor of John, calling him the "leading researcher and educator on micronutrients in crop production".

Bibliography

In addition to two patents, John Mortvedt published more than 100 papers and book chapters. Among them are: * * * * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mortvedt, John Aviators from South Dakota American soil scientists People from Dell Rapids, South Dakota People from Fort Collins, Colorado People from Florence, Alabama 1932 births 2012 deaths South Dakota State University alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Military personnel from South Dakota