The hallmark of Lyle Schertz's career is his skill and diligence in developing institutions that link agricultural economists to public policy choices.

After receiving a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1962, Schertz was drawn to the U.S. Department of Agriculture by his interest in trade negotiations. USDA officials quickly recognized his response to policy information needs and he was promoted frequently. In 1965, he became the founding chief of the International Monetary and Trade Research Branch of USDA's Economic Research Service; in 1967, deputy administrator of USDA's International Agricultural Development Service; and in 1972, deputy administrator of ERS.

Several examples illustrate Schertz's continued and varied work to build institutions that link the profession to public policy decisions. He was among the first few to recognize the close relationships between domestic and international trade policies, and he initiated the accumulation of the data necessary for analyses and policy decisions. He was closely involved in the development of the first USDA international agricultural trade model. As deputy administrator of the International Agricultural Development Service he emphasized placing agricultural economists with ministries of agriculture of other countries.

In the 1970s, Schertz was the key player in bringing seven USDA agencies together to mold an approach for evaluating the production and economic effects of pesticides as a basis for their registration. In 1974 he wrote the Foreign Affairs article, World Food: Prices and the Poor. In the late 1970s, as lead author of Another Revolution in US Farming, he pointed to a prospective dramatic transformation in the management of farm resources and gave particular attention to the effects of policy on the distribution of wealth and income.

As chair of the association's international committee in the early 1970s, Schertz proposed to the AAEA Executive Board that an international banquet be initiated at the association's annual meeting. In addition to the usual committee activities he was instrumental in obtaining a grant to the association to support a series of regional workshops and the preparation of a book on graduate training in agricultural development for American and foreign students.

Schertz's most widely recognized contribution to the profession is his creation and development of AAEA's Choices, The Magazine of Food, Farm, and Resource Issues. As founding editor, Schertz developed a magazine embraced by agricultural economists and policy makers alike. The format of Choices attracted a wide range of writers and readers, and fostered enlightened dialog including a vigorous letters to the editor section. Schertz made Choices the most visible written forum for debate on food, farm, and resource issues of our times. He canvassed agricultural economists, policy makers, and noneconomists for copy and worked constantly to create a magazine that had style and content.

Schertz worked with the American Agricultural Editors' Association to obtain a foundation grant to the two associations. The grant supported outreach work focused on Choices articles. And, he originated the idea for a special issue of Choices focused on the twenty-first century and did much of the work to market and produce it. The issue alone generated some $50,000 for the AAEA Foundation.

The 1995 farm bill debate is the focus of Schertz's current work with ERS and Purdue University. In this activity he continues to devote his energy to linking economics to public policy choices.