Raised on a dairy farm in Johnstown, William Wailes graduated from Colorado State University (CSU) in 1969 and joined the Marine Corps, spending nearly eights years serving. But within a few years of leaving the Navy, Wailes was back at CSU and today is the department head of animal sciences. He's worked as an extension specialist and as manager of the university's dairy research facility.

"When you're from Colorado originally, it's kind of hard to leave," said Wailes, now 65.

For 30 years, Wailes has worked as ambassador representing Colorado State University, reaching out to the dairy farmers around the state. He's helped improve nutrition and genetics by advising farmers on best practices that improve animal welfare and production, which helps maximize profits.

And yes, he still has a few cows of his own, although the Fort Collins, Colorado, resident has managed to get his brother to look after them.

On Feb. 24, Wailes was inducted into the Colorado Agriculture Hall of Fame with four other industry leaders.

"We have an industry here that is probably second to none in the United States," Wailes said in an interview. "Folks in Colorado have been able to adopt technology early on."

Specifically, Wailes said Colorado dairy farmers have been quick to adopt different feeding techniques that help dairy cows maintain consistent milk production. Since the 1950s, he said, the amount of milk a dairy cow produces daily has risen fourfold, to about 110 pounds.

Wailes, who plans to retire next year, said he's seen a major shift in the background of students entering animal sciences field. Where once they were primarily kids from farms, he said about 50 percent of them today don't have that connection to animals, and an understanding of where food comes from.

"We're at the protein business here at CSU Animal Sciences. At the end of the day, they need to understand that process from animal to the consumer – the supply chain," Wailes said. "It's incumbent on the agriculture industry to go back the to the drawing board and have more educational venues to explain where food comes from."

Also being inducted into the hall of fame are:
• William Coors of Golden, Colorado, who developed the Coors Barley System that is considered the gold standard amongst brewers today. This system has created local relationships with hundreds of Colorado barley growers resulting in over 6 million bushels and $30 million in purchases of Colorado grown barley each year. Known for his passion for the local producer he continues to work at the grower level to develop crop strains that are beneficial to the family company and the farmer.
• Dr. Ben Konishi of Alamosa, Colorado, a veterinarian who has worked tirelessly and efficiently for his clients and their animals for more than 60 years. Known for his accuracy and speed of pregnancy checking his services are requested far and wide. “Doc Ben” is known as a man of true generosity throughout his community and profession.
• John Schweizer Jr. of Rocky Ford, Colorado, has spent a lifetime farming and ranching in the Arkansas Valley. He has also been committed to preserving the agricultural way of life through extensive involvement in Farm Bureau, Farm Service Agency, and the Lower Arkansas Valley Super Ditch Company.
• George Tempel of Wiley, Colorado, has impacted agriculture throughout all of eastern Colorado and beyond. An entrepreneur, he has built many sustainable agricultural businesses that allowed small communities to thrive. Grain elevators, rail car shipping terminals, a feedlot, swine finishing barns, a feed mill, an oil processing plant, a hotel, and a restaurant/truck stop round the diverse list. All of these endeavors have assured agriculture will remain strong and rural life will be protected. PD

—From Coloradoan