COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Missouri Dairy Hall of Honors honored its 2024 winners in a special ceremony on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, at the University of Missouri.

Jon Bebermeyer of Kansas City, Mo., is a recipient of the Dairy Leadership Award. He is currently the Chief Operating Officer for the Central Area of Dairy Farmers of America. His dad’s family has two fourth-generation farms outside of Abilene, Kan. Jon was raised in Wichita, graduating from Wichita South High School in 1979. He then attended Washburn University in Topeka, pursuing an A.A.S. in purchasing in the School of Business. After graduation, Jon started his 13-year career with the Kroger Co. in Houston, Tex. He also worked in Kroger’s plants in Fort Worth, Tex., and Hutchinson, Kan. He then worked for Roberts Dairy Co. as a division manager and then, after a merger with Hiland Dairy Co., went on to work in sales for them. In 2012, Jon joined Dairy Farmers of America, starting as a director of operations of the Southeast Area in Knoxville, Tenn. Jon was offered the chance to move back to Kansas City to become the chief operating officer for the Central Area of DFA. With DFA, he has been involved in raw milk marketing for over 2,000 dairy farm families across the Midwest and Southeast U.S. (21 states). Jon is a past president of Missouri Dairy Products Association, a current MDPA Board member and Missouri Dairy Hall of Honors trustee.

Marilyn Calvin of Mount Vernon is a recipient of the Dairy Leadership Award. Marilyn and her husband, Kenneth, began dairying with 80 acres and five cows. Today, Marilyn operates Thunder Ridge Dairy with son Kenlee and longtime employee Luis Salas. The 560-acre operation includes 400 acres in corn silage, haylage and hay pasture. The 200 mostly registered dairy herd uses a 160-acre intensive-grazing platform and 160 replacement heifers housed on-site to ensure a vibrant future for the herd. The farm has been advancing its genetic base through artificial insemination, has done Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA) milk testing for 50 years and participates in the U.S. Holstein Tristar premiere program. The family was honored as a Missouri State Fair Farm Family in 2002. Marilyn has been a dedicated leader for the Missouri dairy industry for many years.

James L. and Novalee Coats are the recipients of the Distinguished Dairy Cattle Breeder Award. The Coats started dairying in 1975 in Texas County, purchasing 176 acres and over time building a new milk barn and acquiring grade cattle. In the 1980s, they attended a DHIA meeting with speaker Dave Norman. This sparked an interest in registered cattle, and they started attending registered sales. In 1983, they purchased a heifer that became the farm’s first excellent cow. This outstanding brood cow still has offspring in their herd today. The Coats then sold all their grade cattle and focused on their registered herd under the prefix Ja-No-Co. These cows that have influenced the herd came from WeatherVu, Regancrest, Rich-Mor and Toecky, all contributing excellent offspring in the herd and a legacy that continues today. Ja-No-Co has been enrolled in Holstein DHIR, testing and classification and is a 100%-registered herd utilizing only 100% RHA Holstein sires in its AI program. Combining not only type but production and genetic advancement, the Coats have received Holstein USA’s highest honors, the Progressive Breeders Registry award, for eight years.

Dr. Stacey Hamilton of Greenfield is the recipient of the Meritorious Service Award. He has been a state dairy specialist with University of Missouri Extension since 2009. Stacey received a Bachelor of Science degree from Iowa State University in 1987, then a master’s in 1989 and Ph.D. in 1993 from the University of Missouri, both in animal science with an emphasis on reproductive physiology. In 1993, Stacey started his career working as a technical consultant for Wayne Feeds in the southeastern U.S., supporting large commercial dairies, field research trials and development and design of technical field guide sheets for dairy and swine. In 1995, he joined MU Extension as a regional dairy specialist in southwestern Missouri, providing education and technical assistance to producers at the MU Southwest Research Center in Mount Vernon. In 1999, Stacey was instrumental in the establishment of a pasture-based dairy operation at the center. This program saw an increase of pasture-based dairies in Missouri from less than 5% in 1998 to nearly 25% of the dairy cows in 2008. Stacey was one of the primary people responsible for the development of the Missouri grazing wedge application, an online tool that has assisted numerous producers with pasture management decision-making. He was also a leader in the development of PaddockTrac, a proximal data sensor that measures the height of forages and the biomass of forage in a pasture.

The late Mike Wilson of Neosho is the recipient of the Pioneer Leader Award. He was the founder of Mi-Wil Farms. Mike graduated from Neosho High School in 1975 and continued his education by attending Crowder College and later Southwest Missouri State University, where he earned his degree in animal science. In 1966, Mike’s parents bought the current farm where he was raised and fell in love with dairy cattle. As a youth, he showed cattle in Newton County 4-H. That is where Mike truly began working on developing his herd and cattle. At 16, he drove himself to shows throughout southeastern Kansas and northwestern Arkansas. Those shows exposed Mike to other breeders and registered animals. In his early years of showing, he received several red and white ribbons. The first registered Holstein at Mi-Wil was Mi-Wil Skyline Maple that was scored at 87 points. The family continued to show Holsteins until the early 1990s, when a few registered Jerseys were added to the herd for the girls. Mike’s love of showing and fellowship with other breeders has now passed down to his children. Not only did he coach his own children on the Neosho FFA Dairy Judging Team, but coached many other FFA teams through the years, including at least four state champions and a national championship. He worked at Neosho MFA after his retirement from farming.

The Missouri Dairy Hall of Honors Foundation (www.MissouriDairyHallofHonors.com) was established in 1988 following the merger of the Association of Missouri Dairy Organizations with the Missouri Dairy Association. The Foundation has two goals: 1) To maintain and perpetuate a Dairy Hall of Honors to recognize outstanding leadership in the Missouri dairy industry including excellence of achievement among dairy cattle breeders, and 2) To provide an archive for the preservation of records and memorabilia of the Missouri dairy industry in cooperation with the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri.

Contact: Gloria Johnson johnsongl@health.missouri.edu, 573-882-0770

Photos

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Marilyn Calvin, left, and Jon Bebermeyer, Dairy Leadership Award winners.

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Dairy Cattle Breeder Award winners Novalee Coats, center, and James Coats, right, with David Gunter, left, president of Missouri Dairy.

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Meritorious Service Award winner Stacey Hamilton, center, with Missouri Agriculture Director Chris Chinn, left and Ted Probert, right, a previous Meritorious Service Award winner.

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The family of the late Mike Wilson, Pioneer Leader Award winner.