Williamstown couple honored posthumously by Missouri Dairy Hall of Honors

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Missouri Dairy Hall of Honors honored its 2023 winners during a special ceremony Friday, Jan. 26.

Donald and Betty June Waterman, formerly of Williamstown, were recognized posthumously with the Pioneer Dairy Leader Award. The Watermans farmed 260 acres in Lewis County and raised good-quality Guernseys for more than 35 years. They developed a purebred, registered dairy herd, milking 60 cows, and having a TPE herd.

The Watermans also sold heifers to other dairy farms in multiple states. They showed cattle at the Missouri and Iowa state fairs, the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis., as well as several county and district fairs. The Watermans were producers for Prairie Farms Dairy in Quincy, Ill., for almost 20 years and received the annual Prairie Farms Premier Dairyman Award in recognition of superior quality milk production for more than 10 years running. They were members of the American Guernsey Association and the Missouri Guernsey Breeders Association. Donald served on the District MGBA board.

They were named the Lewis County Farm Family at the Missouri State Fair in 1959.

The Missouri Dairy Hall of Honors Foundation was established in 1988 following the merger of the Association of Missouri Dairy Organizations with the Missouri Dairy Association. The foundation has two goals: 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 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.

For more information, go to www.missouridairyhallofhonors.com.