Dr. Ray Ward’s greatness is not only attributed to his titles, awards, or accomplishments, but because of his integrity, his knowledge, his commitment to agriculture, his commitment to excellence and his curiosity with dirt.
Dr. Ray Ward’s greatness is not only attributed to his titles, awards, or accomplishments, but because of his integrity, his knowledge, his commitment to agriculture, his commitment to excellence and his curiosity with dirt.
His wife of 63 years, Jolene, and their four children, Mark, Karolyn, Kristen and Tim, played an important role in this journey. Now his children, their spouses plus their children and their children continue to give him purpose, joy, memories, motivation and a captive audience to hear about dirt.
His knowledge is vast, his expertise comes from years of research, his advice is priceless, and his ears are always open to listen. He is a very common, approachable man with uncommon abilities, insights, and wisdom.
Ward Laboratories, which he started 40 years ago, tests soil, water and feed in all 50 states and several countries. They do hundreds of thousands of tests each year.
Ray’s highest degree is a Ph.D. in soil fertility from South Dakota State University in 1972, yet his greatest accomplishment is what he has done with that degree in teaching people and leading in “value-added” agriculture in the state of Nebraska and even the world. He is a lifelong learner who doesn’t learn just for his benefit but for the benefit of others.
His discipline and expertise have been used in the classroom as an associate professor at Oklahoma State University, assistant professor at South Dakota State University and graduate research assistant at the University of Nebraska.
His leadership as a board member for both the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Testing and Plant Analysis Council has been outstanding. He is also a board member and life member of the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology.
His honors are numerous and he has earned each one because of what he has given, not received. His servant leadership has proved that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. His knowledge has been vast, but his delivery of that knowledge has been spoken in common words that all can understand.
His life has been lived well because he understands the more you give, the more you live.
This man who has spent a lifetime of studying dirt has helped make the soil of our lives richer, healthier, cleaner and more productive and for that, we’ll be forever grateful.
