Dr. David Carter: Private Consultant, Soil Scientist (Retired), USDA Agricultural Research Service

Dr. David Carter attended Utah State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Science. He married his late wife Virginia Beutler when he was 19 years old, had his first child a year later, and began working at a soil testing lab so he could provide for his family and pay for school.

He worked with the Agricultural Research Service division of the United States Department of Agriculture for the entirety of his career. Dr. Carter held research and leadership roles and earned a Doctor of Philosophy from Oregon State University in 1961. He retired in 1996, though he serves as a consultant in the farming community, refusing to charge people for seeking his knowledge.

Dr. Carter mentored other scientists and improved farming practices that seek to reduce water pollution, conserve soil, increase crop production, and bolster farmer profits. He was named a fellow of the Soil Society of America and the American Society of Agronomy, and has been associated with the International Society of Soil Sciences, the Western Society of Soil Sciences, the International Society of Soil Sciences, and the Organization of Professional Employees of the United States Department of Agriculture.

Dr. Carter has contributed articles to professional journals as well as co-authored “Soil Salinity and Alkalinity, Saline and Soldic Soils: Principles, Dynamics, Modeling” with D.L. Carter, E. Bressler, and B.L. McNeil. Dr. Carter received the Emmett J. Culligan Award from the World Water Society, and the Soil Conservation Award from the Soil Science Society of America.