2008 Recipients of the Dairy Science Hall of Service Awards

Dr. Maurice L. Eastridge, Extension Dairy Specialist, Ohio State University Extension (top of page)

The annual Dairy Banquet for the Department of Animal Sciences and the Buckeye Dairy Club was held on Saturday, May 10 at the new Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center on the OSU campus in Columbus. One of the highlights of the banquet was the induction of Mr. Wayne Dalton (Wakeman, OH) and Dr. Kent Hoblet (Starkville, MS) into the Dairy Science Hall of Service. This award was initiatied in 1952 with the objectives to recognize worthy men and women who have made a substantial and noteworthy contribution toward the improvement of the dairy industry of Ohio, elevated the stature of dairy farmers, or inspired students enrolled at the Ohio State University. The citations for the 2008 award recipients are provided below.

MR. WAYNE DALTON

Pictured: Dr. Jim Kinder, Jane and Wayne Dalton, and Dr. Bobby Moser


Wayne Dalton was born in New London, Ohio on October 21, 1933. The Dalton family has been in farming and the registered Holstein business for 3 generations. The main farm at 3333 State Route 60, Wakeman was purchased by Wayne's parents in 1937. After graduating from Wakeman High School in 1951 and earning the FFA State Farmer Degree, Wayne attended OSU during 1952 to 1954 and was a charter member of the Buckeye Dairy Club. He served in the U.S. Army Artillery during 1956-1957 and then returned home to farm with his family. Wayne continues to express appreciation to his parents Byron and Edna Dalton for the many opportunities they provided him and the many enjoyable years working together, and to the originator of the farm, his grandfather Henry Dalton.

In 1962 Wayne married Jane Forney Temm, and through the 1960's, Wayne earned recognition and served his community. He was named Outstanding Young Farmer by the New London Junior Chamber of Commerce and also received the Huron County Efficient Dairyman Award. He was president of the Huron County Farm Bureau and secretary-treasurer of the Huron-Erie County Holstein Club. In 1969, he became a director of the Milk Producers Federation and was a charter director of Milk Marketing, Inc.

The 1970's were filled with activities and growth. By 1972, Wayne installed a Ross-Holm milking parlor, possibly only one of four outside of California. He also constructed a new, including being new for the area, bunker silo and free stall barn and switched his waste handling to a manure irrigation system. Dalwood Farms was incorporated in 1974 and expanded from 100 to 250 registered Holstein cows and from 500 to 2,000 acres. These innovations and expansions triggered many tours, field days, and media coverage. In the March 25, 1977 issue, he was featured on the cover of Hoard's Dairyman and as a participant in a nationwide round-table on the topic "Dairymen look to the future through recent expansion".

By 1981, Wayne was the first in Ohio to go on-line for DHI records. He also began a tree-planting program and now has a 250-acre farm planted with 220,000 hardwoods. He was active in Soil and Water Conservation and served on the Wakeman Township Zoning Board for 44 years. Throughout his career, Wayne earned many awards for conservation, crop production, and dairy production.

In 1979, Wayne and Jane began sponsoring an Ohio State University Dairy Science Scholarship that has continued for 29 years. The 1996-1997 Cow Tales was dedicated to Wayne and Jane Dalton. Wayne served on the OSU Dairy Science Advisory Board from 1992 to 1997 and on the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Vice-President's Development Board from 1999 to 2008. The Ohio State University will benefit from a Charitable Remainder Trust funded by the gift of a 200-acre Dalton family farm. The Dalton's also have made recent contributions to the College's endowment fund to support the World Food Prize and Scarlet and Gray Ag Day programs.

Wayne has always been a willing mentor to young people, including the building of a 600 cow dairy farm over 11 years to developing a 3,000-acre grain farm over 29 years. Both of these operations continue today. Over the years, he has provided the opportunity for many students to gain experience on a modern dairy farm. Having sold his registered Holstein herd in 1994, Wayne traveled to Papua, New Guinea at the request of the Peace Corp to help the native bush people learn how to care for newly acquired dairy cattle. The Dalton's also have participated in the OSU Dairy Extension tours to Europe, China, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, and California. Wayne has sponsored a trophy for "Outstanding Junior Dairyman" at the Huron County Fair since 1983. In 1996, he established the Dalton Community Park in Wakeman on 25 acres of donated land. In 2007, he began participating in the Western Reserve High School Endowment Scholarship for Agricultural Interest and provides scholarships for students graduating from the Wellington High School.

Wayne is a lifelong member, volunteer, and contributor of the Wakeman Congregational United Church of Christ. He is a 32nd Degree Mason and a 50-year member. Wayne credits his wife Jane for being a willing partner in the farm operation and altruistic endeavors. Through the years, they have especially enjoyed their family of three grown children, four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

Wayne has been a visionary dairy farmer with integrity and a widely respected record of service to the dairy industry. The recognition provided as a recipient of the Dairy Science Hall of Service Award acknowledges not only his service to the dairy industry but also the generous service he has extended to his community, the growth and development of young people, and The Ohio State University.

DR. KENT HOBLET


Pictured: Dr. Larry Smith, Dr. Jim Kinder, Dr. Kent Hobet, Connie Hoblet,
Dr. Bill Weiss, Dr. Joe Hogan, and Dr. Bobby Moser

Dr. Kent Hoblet is a native of Henry County, Ohio and graduated with the Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degree from The Ohio State University in 1971. He practiced veterinary medicine in Ashland County from 1971 to 1983. He returned to OSU and then in 1984, he received a Master of Science degree from the Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine and accepted an Assistant Professor position in the same department. He became an Associate Professor in 1988 and was promoted to Professor in 1983. He served as Acting Chair of the Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine from 1991 to 1992 and Chair from 1992 to 2006. Since 2006, Dr. Hoblet has been serving as Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University. During his career at OSU, he held an adjunct faculty appointment in the Department of Animal Sciences. Dr. Hoblet advised or co-advised 9 MS and PhD students while at OSU. He has been to Venezuela on at least 8 occasions as a dairy consultant. He also has provided professional instruction on milk quality and lameness in Egypt, Japan, Romania, and Thailand. He was selected as the Veterinarian of the Year in 2000 by the American Association of Extension Veterinarians and received the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2007 from the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine.

For 22 years, Dr. Hoblet served the Ohio dairy industry as an Extension veterinarian. During the initial part of his career at OSU, he specialized in mastitis and mammary gland health. He presented numerous workshops and talks throughout Ohio on how to produce quality milk and prevent mastitis. Dr. Hoblet presented material with equal skill to both veterinary professionals and dairy farmers. He also made more than 450 farm visits to Ohio dairy farms, with many of these visits involved in solving a mastitis or milk quality problem. In the early 1990's, Dr. Hoblet started a research/Extension program on foot health and lameness. He was one of the first in the U.S. to conduct on-farm surveys to determine the magnitude of the problem (which was substantial). He developed a foot care workshop that was presented throughout the State geared mostly toward hoof trimmers. He also actively participated in conducting some of the first research demonstrating the benefits on hoof health of feeding biotin to dairy cows which has now become common practice.

Another Extension program developed by Dr. Hoblet that had, and continues to have, a substantial positive impact on Ohio's dairy industry was the Dairy Expansion Workshops. The participants in these workshops were veterinarians, bankers, feed company workers, Extension educators, and dairy farmers. In this workshop, participants learned how to evaluate dairy farms and determine whether they were viable candidates for expansion. This workshop was held throughout the State and most likely contributed to the growth of the dairy industry during the past several years.

Dr. Hoblet had a substantial positive influence on the Ohio dairy industry via his work with students. He often took veterinary students on farm visits so they could see how to address problems. He developed a problem-solving workshop for graduating veterinary students that had an interest in dairy herd health. In this very intensive workshop, students would go to several commercial herds that were experiencing various problems. The students learned how to obtain the necessary information, interpret it, and communicate recommendations back to the farmer. Dr. Hoblet, as chair, helped to strengthen the curriculum for future dairy veterinarians through course offerings in dairy records, dairy nutrition, and mammary gland health.

Dr. Hoblet's meek, gentle personality has portrayed to farmers, students, veterinarians, and industry personnel that "I care about you" and then in these conversations and efforts, his unequivocal passion for the dairy industry and the veterinary profession unfolded. The recognition provided as a recipient of the Dairy Science Hall of Service Award acknowledges his impact on the Ohio dairy industry, the career of many students (undergraduate, graduate, and veterinary students), the advancement of the veterinary profession in food animal health, and the advancement in our understanding of mammary health and bovine lameness.