NACTA 2026 Conference Blue Ribbon and Keynote Speakers Confirmed!

NACTA is excited to announce that the Blue Ribbon and Keynote Speakers for the NACTA 2026 Annual Conference, to be held June 22-26, 2026, at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi, USA are confirmed! The 72nd Annual NACTA Conference will serve as a venue for faculty and graduate students in agricultural, environmental, natural, and life sciences to share their scholarship of teaching, innovative teaching and advising ideas, and other relevant teaching and learning information.

Blue Ribbon Speaker

Michel Wattiaux,
Professor - Dairy Systems Management Teaching & Research,
University of Wisconsin - Madison

From a Family Dairy Farm in Belgium to a PhD in Dairy Science
Michel was very involved in the daily work of the family dairy farm where he grew up in Belgium in the sixties and seventies. The thirst for knowledge to better manage the farm was a powerful motivator as he became a first-generation college student. In 1985, Michel came to UW-Madison and earned a PhD in Dairy Science. 

Ten years of International Dairy Extension
Michel began to work with the "Babcock Institute for International Research and Development" of the University of Wisconsin, Madison shortly after its inception in 1992. While at the Institute, he authored four dairy management-related books in a series of "Technical Dairy Guides" and 35 "Dairy Essentials," which have been translated in six languages (Spanish, French, Russian, Chinese, Portuguese and Turkish) and have been distributed in more than 80 countries.

Assistant Professor in Dairy Science
In 2000, Michel joined the faculty of the Department of Dairy Science as an assistant professor with responsibilities in instruction (70%) and Dairy Management research (30%). He revamped a senior level ruminant nutrition course and created five other undergraduate courses. His research focused on the use of milk urea nitrogen (MUN) as a nutritional and environmental management tool for dairy producers. Michel was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure on the basis of excellence in teaching in the spring of 2006. 

Associate Professor: Research and Teaching at a more "Global Scale"
Michel's research program has focused on cow-level and farm-level nutritional strategies that reduce the undesirable impact of dairy production on air and water quality. His research seeks to enhance animal productivity and efficiency of production while reducing the emission of compounds known to have negative impacts on human health, the balance of natural ecosystems, and climate change (including for example, ammonia, nitrate, nitrous oxide and methane). This research seeks to create "win-win" situations, making farms more economically profitable (reducing feed costs) and more friendly to the environmental and human health. To address these issues at a more "global scale," Michel has forged networks of collaborations with scientists from Canada, France, Mexico, Costa-Rica, Peru, and Columbia. Michel's meritorious activities during this period of his career have been recognized by a series of honors and awards. Michel was promoted to Full Professor in the spring of 2011. 

Full Professor: Sustainability of Agriculture and Food Systems
As a full professor, Michel continued to expand the boundaries of his scholarship. His research focused increasingly on holistic assessments of farm sustainability that are in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) set forth by the United Nations. His teaching included new courses on the roles of livestock in sustainable development, on the environmental and social dimensions of agriculture and food systems and on effective teaching in internationally diverse college classroom (for PhD candidates only). From 2019 to 2021, Michel served as interim Director of the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS). In 2021, Michel received a Fulbright Award to work with colleagues in Québec on a project titled: “toward more equitable, resilient, and sustainable dairy systems.”

Wattiaux's Blue Ribbon Presentation will be Monday, June 22, 2026, from 5:15 PM - 6:15 PM CDT during the NACTA 2026 Conference!

Keynote Speaker

Mark Keenum,
President,
Mississippi State University

Dr. Mark E. Keenum became Mississippi State University's (MSU) 19th President on January 5, 2009, and he has guided his alma mater to unprecedented heights with an unwavering focus on students — preparing them for success in a rapidly changing world and instilling in them the timeless values of integrity, hard work, and respect for others. The university has experienced record growth in enrollment, fundraising and research during his tenure.

In 2018, he was named chairman of the College Football Playoff’s (CFP) Board of Managers. The CFP determines the national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and is chairman of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR).

Keenum began his professional life at MSU as a faculty member with the Extension Service and the Department of Agricultural Economics, and he continues to teach a leadership class to students in MSU’s Shackouls Honors College every fall. He went on to serve as chief of staff to Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) in Washington, D.C. and was Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture prior to returning home to Mississippi State.

Dr. Keenum's Keynote Presentation will be Tuesday, June 23, 2026 from8:15AM - 9:15 AM CDT during the NACTA 2026 Conference!

NACTA is excited to feature Michel Wattiaux and Mark Keenum as the Blue Ribbon and Keynote Speakers for the NACTA 2026 Annual Conference!

Registration for #NACTA26 will be opening soon, as well as features on sessions, presenters, and more! Keep an eye on your inbox!