Rate My Professor Mark Reiter

Mark S. Reiter is a Professor in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), where he has served as Director of the Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center since 2020. In this role within Agriculture, he specializes in soils and nutrient management as an Extension Specialist. Reiter's academic journey began with a B.S. in Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences from Virginia Tech in 2001, followed by an M.S. in Agronomy and Soils from Auburn University in 2003, soil fertility training at Ghent University in Belgium in 2007 as part of his doctoral program, and a Ph.D. in Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences from the University of Arkansas in 2008. His career progression at Virginia Tech includes positions as Senior Graduate Assistant at the University of Arkansas (2004–2009), Graduate Teaching and Research Assistant at Auburn University (2001–2003), Assistant Professor in Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences (2008–2014), Associate Professor (2014–2021), and Professor since 2021.

Reiter's research program investigates economical and sustainable soil quality and fertility practices for Virginia's vegetable, grain, and oilseed crops, including barley, cotton, field corn, soybeans, wheat, potatoes, sweet corn, snap beans, and tomatoes. Key areas encompass conservation tillage systems, cover crop integration and nutrient cycling, innovative fertilizer sources and application methods such as poultry litter and ash, groundwater nutrient monitoring, nutrient use efficiency for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur, and best management practices to reduce nutrient and sediment losses, with a focus on Chesapeake Bay watershed issues. He leads efforts in manure-to-energy conversion and trials of innovative crops like edamame, dry beans, field peas, and new potato varieties. Reiter has produced 65 refereed publications and two book chapters, including 'A meta-analysis of global cropland soil carbon changes due to cover cropping' (Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2020), 'An evaluation of carbon indicators of soil health in long-term agricultural experiments' (Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 2022), 'Chapter 7: Cash crop selection and rotation' in Conservation Tillage Systems in the Southeast (2020), and 'Zero-tillage cultivation of maize' in Achieving Sustainable Cultivation of Maize (2017). In 2023, he received the Andy Swiger Land-Grant Award from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. His extension activities support farmers, government agencies, industry partners, and Master Gardeners through publications, workshops, and programs on soil health and nutrient management.