Utah dairy farmers recognized outstanding achievements in the dairy industry at their annual convention last week at Utah State University.
C.A. "Tony" Ernstrom, Logan, who served as the head of the department of nutrition and food science at Utah State University for 17 years, was presented the 1990 Service to the Dairy Industry Award by the Utah Dairy Commission.Under Ernstrom's direction, the faculty in his department grew from three to 20 and the department gained a reputation as one of the best in the nation, Dairy Commission officials said.
Ernstrom was associate editor and then editor of the Journal of Dairy Science for 12 years. He was elected to the board of directors of the American Dairy Science Association and served as vice president of the National Dairy Science and Research Board.
John Hardy, Bear River City, was presented the Oldtimer's Award by the Federal Land Bank and Production Credit Association. As a teenager, Hardy worked on his family's farms in Utah and Idaho.
In 1942 Hardy purchased a farm in Bear River City and moved there with his family and his herd of Jerseys. Seven years later he bought his first registered Holstein and eventually phased out the Jersey cows.
His farm and herd have grown to more than 200 cows - mostly registered Holsteins - and several hundred acres of land. His cows have been exhibited in dairy shows throughout the Intermountain West.
Several Utah dairy organizations honored the Paul Dyreng family of Gunnison with the 1990 Governor's Award. In 1952, Dyreng left his home town of Manti to work on his father's farm in Gunnison and ended up buying the 500-acre farm and going into the dairy business.
He and a brother started out with 150 heifers in 1959 and today have 350 milking cows and 1,000 head of other livestock. Dyreng eventually bought out his brother and Dyreng and his three sons now farm nearly 1,200 acres where they raise hay, grain and corn.
Dyreng has served on the state Dairy Herd Improvement Association and the Utah Dairy Commission board. He currently serves on boards for Western Dairymen Cooperative Inc., the Federal Land Bank and the Gunnison Dairy.
The Utah Jersey Cattle Club presented the 1990 Outstanding Jersey Breeder Award to Paul Turner and his son, Jan, of Morgan, who operate the P.J. Jersey Farm. They milk 120 registered Jersey cows on their farm of 400 irrigated acres and 1,000 dry acres.
Paul Turner has been Morgan County assessor for 20 years and Jan Turner has served on the boards of the Utah Dairymen's Association and Utah Farm Bureau Federation and is currently president of the Utah Jersey Cattle Club.
The 1990 Distinguished Holstein Breeder Award was presented to the family of the late Dexter Kent, Payson, Utah County, by the Utah Holstein Association. Kent died last year while serving on the Utah Dairy Commission board and was vice president of the Utah Dairymen's Association at the time of his death.