Background
His father was a farmer, his mother a school teacher.
His father was a farmer, his mother a school teacher.
Buttel earned his Bachelor of Surgery (1970) and Master of Surgery in Sociology (1972) degrees at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, his master"s degree in forestry and environmental studies at Yale University and his Doctor of Philosophy in sociology at the former institution.
A prominent scholar of the sociology of agriculture, Buttel also was well known for his contributions to environmental sociology. Buttel was "born on a dairy farm to Heye R. and Marian (Highbarger) Buttel". Prior to returning to Wisconsin, he served as a faculty member at Michigan State University and Cornell University, where he directed the Biology and Society Program.
Buttel was editor of the journal, Research in Rural Sociology and Development, and co-editor of Society & Natural Resources.
Buttel was a scholar in rural sociology whose research focused on four major areas of study: the sociology of agriculture, environmental sociology, technological change in agriculture, and national and global activism relating to environmental and agricultural policies. After his death, the Research Committee on Environment and Society (RC24) of the International Sociological Association established in his honor the Frederick H. Buttel International Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Environmental Sociology.
Recognizing his contributions to the field, the Section on Environment and Technology of the American Sociological Association also renamed its Distinguished Contributions Award for him. The endowed chair he held at the University of Wisconsin was renamed the Buttel-Sewell Professorship.
Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1987 President, Rural Sociological Society, 1990-1991 Excellence in Research Award, Rural Sociology Society, 1993 Distinguished Contribution to Environmental Sociology Award, Section on Environment and Technology, American Sociological Association, 1994 Chair, Department of Rural Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1998-2002 President, Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society, 1998-1999 President, Research Committee on Environment and Society (RC24), International Sociological Association, 1998-2002 Merit Award, Natural Resources Research Group, Rural Sociology Society, 1999 Spitz Land-Grant Faculty Award, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2004 Distinguished Rural Sociologist Award, Rural Sociology Society, 2004 Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation Professor, University of Wisconsin, 2004.
