KENT THIESSE
Kent has served the livestock indu=
stry
and the youth of Minnesota
from 1975 until the present time, through his many years in the Extension
Service and the extensive number of committees he has been involved with. Some of the many career highlights=
: 4-H
Auction: Member of the commit=
tee
since 1987; chair of the Finance Committee since 1993. Total premiums have grown from aro=
und
$30,000 in 1993 to $230,000 in 2005.
He helped initiate many of the present programs within the auction,
including the 4-H Animal Science Enhancement Funds, whereby some of the auc=
tion
funds are used for animal science programs around the state; the 4-H Auction
scholarships, which are now at $750 each and have been given to over 70 4-H
youth over the past 10 years; helped organize the first ever public televis=
ion
broadcast of the auction; helped organize the 4-H Auction website and serve=
d on
the 4-H Auction Task Force in 2005.
4-H Beef Show: Over-all Chairperson of the show for 26
years; since 1980. He served =
on the
state committee that transitioned the 4-H market livestock show into the St=
ate
Fair in 1980. He coordinated =
the
addition of the 4-H Beef Championship show into the State Fair in 1987 and =
assisted
with adding the 4-H beef interview competition into the fair in 1995.
Minnesota Beef Expo: He served on the overall committee=
to
initiate the Beef Expo in 2001. He presently serves as the Junior Show
Coordinator, handling all aspects of the junior show.
Other Youth Activities:=
Kent
helped initiate the first-ever state 4-H Livestock Bowl in 1984 and has
coordinated the Bowl since then. He
has judged over 250 livestock shows in the past 30 years, including the 2005
Shorthorn show at the Minnesota State Fair. He has assisted with the planning =
and
conducting the past five MLBA beef judges
clinics. He also has worked w=
ith
the 4-H General Livestock Judging Contest for the past 30 years, serving as=
the MC for over 20 years.
Professional Contributions and Achievements: He has served Extension in many
capacities, including coordination of the “legislative farm forumR=
21;,
serving as “cluster program leader”, coordinating the “Is=
sue
Forums” at Farmfest since 1988; serving as
“U of M legislative contact”; and many others. He’s been a member of several
state-wide organizations, including the Minnesota Association of Extension
Educators where he was president, vice-president, treasurer, and a member of
the legislative committee during his membership. He was also on the local school bo=
ard, the
State School Board of Directors, served on the county fair board and many o=
ther
local boards and committees.
He has authored many articles and received many awards f=
or
his service to agriculture over the past 30 years, including “Outstan=
ding
Young Extension Agent” in 1978, “Extension Educator of the Year=
in
1987, and “Extension Distinguished Field Staff Award” in 1999. =
For his many contributions to Min=
nesota
agriculture, Kent
is a worthy inductee into the Minnesota Livestock Hall of Fame.<=
/span>