Members of the Colorado Agriculture Hall of Fame

Chris Jouflas was a major player in the operation of agriculture organizations and issues on the local, state and national levels. He has held the offices of president and vice president of the Colorado Wool Grower’s Association; chairman of the Sheep and Wool Board; and served as president, vice-president and secretary of the American Sheep Production Council. In addition, Jouflas has been instrumental in directing activities, laws and regulations that involve water and water-related issues.

Jouflas served as a member of the Colorado River Water Conservation District, was appointed to the Governor’s Water Roundtable and served as chairman of the Western Slope delegation to the Colorado General Assembly. Jouflas served on the Agriculture Council of America, and was chairman of the Bureau of Land Management Board of Directors. He was a member of the Advisory Council and a member of the District Advisory Grazing Board.

Kenneth W. Monfort (1930-2001) was a pioneer in the beef industry and served as president and chief operating officer of ConAgra Red Meat Companies based in Greeley.

Monfort Inc. was founded by Kenneth’s father, Warren, as a cattle feeding enterprise in the 1930s. In 1960, Monfort Inc. expanded from cattle feeding into meat packing by opening a plant in Greeley. Monfort pioneered the movement of beef packing plants from urban consumer areas to the source of cattle. He was among the first to begin large-scale beef fabrication (boxed beef production) at the packing plant level. By 1968, the company was operating the world’s first 100,000-head feedlot.

Monfort served as the 1988 chairman of the American Meat Institute and is a former member of the Colorado Legislature, the State Board of Agriculture, the Colorado Cattle Feeders Association Board and the Colorado Commission on Higher Education.

Dr. William Morgan (1909-2005) served as president of Colorado State University from 1949-1969. He was ultimately responsible for conducting undergraduate and graduate teaching programs in the College of Agriculture, for policy guidance and research conducted by the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station, and for the university’s academic preparation of vocational agriculture teachers. He promoted agriculture throughout the state to keep the tradition of agriculture and the land grant college a viable, everyday working image at CSU. The extension and research functions were also important to him and he fought for their budgets and agendas.

In addition to his service to Colorado agriculture, Morgan served eight years as chairman of the Economic Research Advisory Committee to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. He was responsible for an annual review of the entire USDA research program. For seven years, he served as a member and as chairman of the advisory board to the National Agriculture Extension Center for Advanced Study. Additionally, he was a member of the Agricultural Advisory Committee to the W. K. Kellogg Foundation for six years.

Jeanne Davies has served Colorado agriculture in many ways. She served as president of the Colorado State Grange for more than 11 years, and was the first woman to hold that position in the 118 years of the Grange’s existence in Colorado.

Davies has continued to be a leader in Colorado’s agriculture industry. She helped establish the Always Buy Colorado (ABC) Program and the Colorado Agricultural Leadership Council. She served on both boards for several years, and as president of the Colorado Agricultural Leadership Council.

Hilbert Kahl (1921-1992) devoted his 31-year career to agriculture and vocational education. Kahl spent several years as a teacher, livestock judging coach and administrator at Northeastern Junior College. During his tenure at NJC, he also served as chairman of the Agriculture Division and dean of Vocational Education. Kahl dedicated his entire career to agriculture at the state and national levels. Kahl’s knowledge, smile and humor touched many students’ lives as well as the lives of others who have become valuable leaders in Colorado agriculture.

Dr. Howard Stonaker shaped the lives of many students who became leaders in animal agriculture. Stonaker’s research efforts led to the development of inbred cattle lines, which continue to be used by U.S. breeders today. His pioneering efforts in performance-testing beef cattle and introducing the first selection index for beef cattle have made a significant impact in the industry.

Naioma Benson is a 40-year partner in her family’s farming and ranching operation located in Logan and Washington counties. Benson’s involvement in agricultural issues is far reaching. She is a past national president of Women Involved in Farm Economics (WIFE), a national spokeswoman for various committees and has served as Colorado’s president, vice president and legislative chairperson. Benson has served on the Colorado Agriculture Commission for three, four-year terms and was the first woman to serve on the commission who was appointed by two governors. While serving on the commission, she was appointed chairperson and guided the commission’s activities in many regulatory and policy-making issues.

Farrington R. Carpenter (1886-1980) became engaged in the cattle business at the age of 21. He developed an innovative pricing formula for the cattle he sold based on the animal’s production weight per day of age, which had implications for genetically improving the purchaser’s cattle. Carpenter started the Elkhead School District in 1914 and was president of the board from 1914-1927. He was instrumental in leading the Solandt Memorial Hospital building campaign in Hayden, which opened in 1923. From 1934 to 1938, Ferry served as the first director of the National Grazing Service, now the Bureau of Land Management, and drafted the Taylor Grazing Act. In 1941, he was appointed as the first director of the Colorado Department of Revenue by then-Governor Ralph Care. From 1952-1954, Carpenter served in the Colorado Legislature.

Dr. Irving C. Cross (19xx-2003) began his agricultural teaching career at Logan County High School. He became a graduate assistant at The Ohio State University and received his Ph.D. in agricultural education in 1967. He returned to Colorado and began a long teaching career at Colorado State University before retiring as head of the Agricultural Education System in 1983.

During his tenure at CSU, he served in many professional organizations. He received the Outstanding Achievement in Agricultural Education Award, was named one of the top 20 professors at Colorado State University, and received the National Vocational Agriculture Teachers’ Association Distinguished Service Award.

W. D. “Bill” Farr is a third-generation livestock producer and feeder. Farr studied cattle in-depth and, working with the Monfort family, refined cattle feeding techniques throughout the region.

Farr also played a pivotal role in developing water for northeastern Colorado. He spearheaded the effort that led to the formation of the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District and the building of the Big Thompson Project.

He has served Colorado agriculture in many ways, including chairing the National Cattleman’s Beef Grading Commission and serving as the National Cattlemen’s Association president. He is credited for opening NCA’s Washington office. He has been director of both the National Livestock Meat Board and the National Livestock Tax Committee, and he was a founder of the Colorado Cattle Feeders Association.