Members of the Colorado Agriculture Hall of Fame

Robert “Bob” Eisenach of Fort Morgan has served in a variety of capacities at the community, state and federal levels. He has been an outspoken advocate of producers and their rural communities.

Bob’s list of achievement and accolades are long and prestigious; from serving as the president of the Colorado Future Farmers of America upon graduating from Fort Morgan High School to serving Morgan County as an elected commissioner of Morgan County to serving as a legislator in the Colorado State House. Bob accepted a presidential appointment as executive director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency in Colorado in 1995; and it was in this capacity that he was recognized by then Vice President Al Gore for FSA’s field gleaning and food recovery program.

Bill Jackson of Greeley has been the agriculture reporter for The Greeley Tribune since 1980. Jackson is a fourth-generation rancher and agribusinessman originally from Yuma, Colo. Bill served four years in the U.S. Navy and graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in journalism. Bill has kept agriculture’s voice and perspective front and center with factual and fair reporting in a time when agriculture is being pushed to the back in the minds of Coloradoans. Jackson has dedicated his life to reporting the world of agriculture to a world that does not understand nor appreciate the vital role agriculture plays in the quality of life and abundance we enjoy in the United States.

Charles “Chuck” Sylvester of LaSalle is synonymous with the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo. Under Sylvester’s 25 years of leadership as the general manager, the National Western grew from a nine-day to a 16-day event and increased attendance from 200,000 to more than 630,000.  By introducing a Draft Horse Show and bringing in other events such as the Mini Horse Show, Llama Show, Dog Pull and the “Mexican Rodeo Extravaganza,” Sylvester was able to increase the urban attendance to 66% from the six-county metro areas.

Sidney E. Koon Jr. earned his bachelor of science degree in Agriculture Science with a major in Vocational Agriculture Education from Colorado A&M College in 1956. Diploma in hand, Koon accepted an agriculture teaching position at McClave High School in 1956. After teaching agriculture for eight years, he returned to the same Fort Collins campus to complete a Masters of Education in Vocational Education.

In 1972, he accepted the department head position at Larimer County Vo-Tech. Then, in 1974, he moved into the state office as the assistant supervisor of agricultural education and the Colorado FFA Association executive secretary. By 1975, Koon was the agricultural education supervisor and began serving as advisor for the Colorado FFA and the Colorado Young Farmers Educational Association.

Albert J. Shivley graduated from Liberty High School in 1960, and enrolled in the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. After two quarters at UNC, Al returned to Joes to marry his high school sweetheart, Sandy Scofield, and become the manager of Guy Keller Oil Company in Cope, Colorado. In July of 1962, Al accepted a job at the Adams County  Co-op service station repairing tires. In 1964 he was promoted to manager of the service station. By November of 1967, he had been promoted to general manager of the Adams County Co-op, a job he held until he retired in 2003.

When Al accepted the reins of leadership, annual sales at the co-op were just under $300,000 with 11 employees. By the time he retired, the business employed more than 160 people and had grown sales to $60 million. In 1984, Al was appointed to the Farmland Industries Board of Directors and served that group for 17 years, nine as chairman.

Dr. Thomas M. Sutherland earned his bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Glasgow University in Scotland in 1953 and a post-graduate diploma in animal husbandry from Reading University in England in 1954. From there, it was on to master’s and Ph.D. degrees in animal breeding from Iowa State University in 1956 and 1958, respectively.

Sutherland accepted a position in CSU’s Department of Animal Science in 1958, and soon became one of CSU’s favorite professors. In 1964, the CSU student body voted him “top professor.” With a fervent belief in the power of education to improve people’s lives, Tom accepted the position of Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences at the American University of Beirut in 1983. On June 9, 1985, Tom was returning from a trip to the United States when he was captured by Islamic militants. Throughout six-and-a-half years of captivity, he shared his views on agriculture’s role in bringing peace to troubled regions of the world, and taught his fellow captives about animal science. Since his release in 1991, Tom has addressed thousands of groups ranging from elementary school children to business executives.

George Marvin Beeman was born in Denver and raised in Highlands Ranch on the site of the Arapahoe Hunt Club. He received his DVM in 1957 from Colorado State University. Beeman joined the Littleton Large Animal Clinic and launched a distinguished career, which now spans 48 years of service to the livestock and equine industries. He has served the National Western Stock Show in many different capacities, including serving as second vice president on the executive committee until his retirement in 2003.

John Holtorf was born and raised on the Buffalo Springs Ranch near Akron. He attended Akron High School and Colorado A & M College, now Colorado State University. After serving in the U.S. Army, Holtorf returned to the family ranch and, in 1961, took the reins of leadership as manager of the 8,000-acre ranch. Under his management, John implemented many innovative practices, including artificial insemination, estrus synchronization and rotational grazing. In the mid-1980s, John and his brother, Tom, became one of the first certified natural and organic beef producers and feeders in the region.

Tom Jenkinson has invested his time and talents in the dairy industry, working to promote dairy products and help dairy producers increase their efficiencies and their finances. Jenkinson is co-creator of the dairy industry’s “real” seal, and serves as the Executive Vice President Industry Relations for Dairy Management Inc., a domestic and international planning and management organization responsible for increasing demand for dairy products on behalf of America’s dairy farmers. Jenkinson also holds the reins of the Western Dairyfarmers’ Promotion Association and Western Dairy Council as Chief Executive Officer, positions he has held since 1981.

Elwin Swartz “Bud” Van Berg was born and raised near Aurora, Nebraska. The Van Berg family was in the auction business, with the first sale barn in Columbus, Neb., and the second in Sterling. Bud and his family moved to Sterling to manage the Sterling Livestock Commission in 1958.  Since that time, Bud has become the “go-to guy” for area benefit auctions, including junior livestock sales, FFA chapter events, the American Red Cross, the Hospice Foundation the Northeastern Junior College Foundation, and many others.