Rate My Professor Melissa Wilson

Associate Professor Melissa Wilson serves in the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities as an Extension Specialist in manure nutrient management and water quality. She earned a BS degree from Juniata College in 2006, an MS from the University of Minnesota in 2008, and a PhD from the University of Minnesota in 2012. Wilson's research evaluates manure handling techniques that reduce impacts on water quality and fills knowledge gaps regarding manure nutrient cycling as farming practices and technologies evolve. She leads the Wilson Lab, a manure management research group that investigates topics such as manure application timing for corn production, nutrient availability in manure, manure and cover crops for soil health, and sidedressing manure into corn. Her lab includes researchers managing small plot field research, on-farm studies, data analysis, and graduate and undergraduate students.

Wilson's extension program promotes awareness and adoption of manure handling best management practices in Minnesota, enhances stakeholder connections, supports farm economic sustainability, and advances water quality goals through science-based education tailored to stakeholder needs. She co-developed ManureDB with Erin Cortus, a dynamic database aggregating U.S. manure nutrient test results by year, animal type, storage type, state, and region to update outdated book values and improve nutrient management planning, storage design, land application, and modeling. In 2023, she received the CFANS Distinguished Extension/Outreach Award for her contributions bridging agronomic management and environmental regulation. Key publications include "Polymer-coated urea maintains potato yields and reduces nitrous oxide emissions in a Minnesota loamy sand" (2010), "Potato response to a polymer-coated urea on an irrigated, coarse-textured soil" (2009), "Effects of polymer-coated urea on nitrate leaching and nitrogen uptake by potato" (2010), "Animal Manure Production and Utilization: Impact of Modern Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations" (2020), and "MANUREDB: AGGREGATION OF U.S. MANURE NUTRIENT DATA" (2025). Her work influences sustainable livestock production and environmental protection in the Upper Midwest.