CORVALLIS — Oregon State University has honored 12 Oregon farmers and researchers for their contributions to agriculture and natural resources.

OSU inducted the awardees into a “prestigious lifetime achievement registry,” said Heidi Happonen, an OSU spokeswoman. The college established the program, the Diamond Pioneer Agricultural Achievement Registry, in 1983.

Connie and Keith Cyrus – Sisters

OSU recognized Keith Cyrus for inventing a new irrigation frost protection system that significantly improved potato yields. He and his wife, Connie, worked closely with OSU’s experiment station and extension faculty. Connie was also a 4-H leader for about 20 years. Keith was active in the Oregon Farm Bureau, the Central Oregon Potato Growers Association and the Oregon Potato Commission.

Mike Darcy – Lake Oswego

OSU recognized Darcy for hosting TV and radio programs about gardening for more than 35 years. He continues to write a weekly e-newsletter about horticulture. He has held leadership roles on the board of the Oregon Association of Nurseries, the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon, and the Yard, Garden and Patio Show.

Dennis Glaser – Tangent

OSU saluted Glaser as a pioneer in Oregon’s hazelnut industry. Glaser has helped OSU researchers navigate Eastern filbert blight. He has also supported FFA students, and he and his wife, Martha, have been involved with OSU’s Ag in the Classroom program for about 30 years.

Conrad Jones – Bandon

Jones, a fourth-generation rancher, has mentored dozens of farmers in how to raise and shear sheep. He and his wife, Jean, have raised sheep, angora goats, cattle and other livestock. Jones has also raised and trained border collies for working with sheep.

Margaret Magruder – Clatskanie

Magruder, a third-generation farmer, owns Oregon Shepherd, a wool insulation company, and has worked with OSU Extension Service to research selenium, a micronutrient. She has held roles in Oregon Sheep Growers Association, the American Lamb Board and Oregon Board of Agriculture.

John Nyberg – Newberg

OSU recognized Nyberg, a fifth-generation farmer, for his volunteerism. Nyberg has volunteered as a firefighter, has offered his farm as the home base of a 4-H Club and has held roles in the Western Oregon Livestock Association, Yamhill County Livestock Association, Oregon Cattlemen’s Association and Extension Advisory.

Kenneth Thompson – Tigard

Thompson and his wife, Paula, have grown barley, soft white wheat and other crops. They welcomed OSU to experiment on their land, testing tillage practices, crop rotations and fungicide treatments. Thompson also served in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

Juanita ‘Nita’ Wilson – Monmouth

At different stages, Wilson has raised dairy cows, sheep and Black Angus cattle. OSU recognized Wilson as an advocate for agriculture, including as a leader in Polk County Women for Agriculture.

Lou Ann Wolfe – Hermiston

Lou Ann Wolfe and her husband, Bryan, co-ran Wolfe Ranch and Wolfe Feedlot. She also raised funds for the Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center and has helped arrange events at the station.

Carol Mallory-Smith – Albany

OSU recognized Mallory-Smith for her weed science research. From 1994 to 2022, she worked in OSU’s Department of Crop and Soil Science, studying herbicide resistance and other challenges.

Stella Coakley – Corvallis

In 1988, Coakley joined OSU’s Department of Botany and Plant Pathology. She studied the relationship between climate change and plant disease epidemics. She later worked as the associate dean in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

32 farmers, ranchers saluted by Oregon State University