Merrill received his Ph.D. in Animal Science from the University of Minnesota in 1994 and over the course of the next 12 years he provided technical support and training for parts of Europe, Asia, and the Central and Eastern United States.  In 2006 he relocated to the Texas Panhandle to work with dairies in the Southwest.

He joined the Nutrition Professionals in 2010 and provides nutrition and management advice to dairies and calf ranches in the Southwestern United States and has also worked with dairy clients in the Middle East.