Dr. Alois (Al) F. Kertz
Al Kertz received a B.S. in dairy husbandry (1967) and an M.S. in dairy cattle nutrition (1968), both from the University of Missouri in Columbia. He earned a Ph.D. in animal nutrition, studying the growth and development of cattle at Cornell University in 1973. Prior to earning his Ph.D. at Cornell, Kertz served in the United States Army as a nutrition research officer at the U. S. Army Natick Laboratories in Natick, Maine, and then as a platoon leader and food supply manager in Sattahip, Thailand.
After his military service, Dr. Kertz was employed as a dairy nutritionist at Ralston Purina Co., St. Louis, from 1973 to 1975. He then went to work for Purina Mills from 1975 to 1991 as the manager of dairy and ruminant research. In 1991 he became the director of dairy applied research, nutritional consulting program, and technical services at Purina Mills.
Kertz founded his consulting firm, ANDHIL LLC, in 2001, but continued to work for other industry giants such as Agribrands International (formerly Ralston Purina International) where he was the international director of ruminant nutrition. Dr. Kertz also worked in dairy field technical service at Milk Specialties Global Animal Nutrition.
His career has encompassed nutrition, feeding, and management of dairy cattle from calf, heifer, non-lactating through lactating stages. Dr. Kertz has extensive experience in research and development of feed products and programs for all stages of a dairy cow’s life. He has done on-farm consulting and training of other consultants throughout the country for ten years, and has over 15 years of similar experience in countries outside the United States.
At ANDHIL LLC, St. Louis, Dr. Kertz advises clientele from various private companies, agencies, research institutions, dairy organizations and publications. He served as reviewer for the 2001 National Research Council publication on Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle, and is a columnist for both Feedstuffs and Hoards’ Dairyman. All of his columns (90 for Feedstuffs and 46 for Hoards’ Dairyman) are accessible online, as well as 72 invitational presentations he has made at both national and international venues.
Al Kertz has impacted the dairy industry through his activities in the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists and his leadership in the American Dairy Science Association, serving as president in 2014-2015. He currently serves as the 2016-2017 president of FASS, formerly known as the Federation of Animal Science Societies.
A recent project of interest carried Kertz to the Masaka Diocese in Uganda to examine and offer assistance to a dairy cow program designed to help families get out of poverty. The project sought out Kertz for help in minimizing the births of bull calves. Dr. Kertz answered questions about feeding whole cottonseed and met with local semen distributors to arrange access to sexed semen for the project.
He wrote an article titled, “One cow at a time” for Hoard’s Dairyman, April 25, 2015, explaining the project’s five component commissions: 1) livestock, 2) sustainable agriculture, 3) environmental protection, 4) human health, and 5) human welfare. It is a worthy endeavor that encompasses the spirit of giving, a built-in assurance network through education and training, and a method of spreading wealth among the Ugandan farmer participants.
Kertz wrote, “Since the project’s inception, over 1,487 cows have been given out to the farmers…however, there are still 2,000 families trained, and waiting for a cow to begin their journey out of poverty.” To learn more about the Uganda Cow Project, please visit http://microfinancingafrica.org/story/uganda-cow-project/.
In his nomination letter, Dr. John Underwood, well known dairy scientist and chronicler, wrote, “Dr. Kertz greatly advanced water nutrition for dairy calves, mainly in promoting the need for calves to have water available at all times. Too many producers thought milk or milk replacer supplied enough liquid, but Dr. Kertz’s research showed much greater growth possibilities when water is fed free-choice.” In addition, wrote Underwood, “This kind of research was ground-breaking, yet fit in well with the reality of calf management.”
Dr. Rick Grant, president of William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute in Chazy, NY, considers Dr. Kertz one of the most respected and well-regarded dairy scientists in the United States. “In addition to his groundbreaking research,” said Grant, “Dr. Kertz has published what has come to be regarded as the definitive experimental guidelines when conducting calf research: Guidelines for measuring and reporting calf and heifer experimental data.”
Steven A. Larson, editorial consultant for Hoard’s Dairyman magazine, has known Kertz for nearly 50 years. They were both undergraduates at Kansas State and MU, respectively. “In addition to being both humble and personable, Al is known far and wide as a true scientist who values sound research and the importance of communicating the resulting information to the industry,” said Larson. “People like Al, have enabled various segments of the commercial feed industry to stay focused on industry service based on scientific inquiry, and tested and proven products and programs.”
Michael F. Hutjens, professor emeritus of animal sciences at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, wrote, “Dr. Kertz’s roles at Ralston Purina were impressive, successful and numerous…Under his leadership, the field impact of Purina Mills grew and prospered with the talented individuals he selected. Al Kertz is a caring and wonderful individual to know and be with,” Hutjens said. “He always has time for everyone and is willing to share his talents.”
Dr. Kertz is admired by other dairy science professors, such as Jud Heinrichs of Pennsylvania State University, who wrote, “Al has a reputation as being an honest, strong-willed person who is not afraid to state his opinion—which in relation to dairy nutrition, is always well grounded in research.”