Ronnie Green Receives BIF Continuing Service Award


Ronnie Green (left) receives the Continuous Service Award from Richard McClung, 2003 BIF President.
.The Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) honored Dr. Ronnie Green with the continuing Service Award at the 35th Annual Meeting and Research Symposium in Lexington, Kentucky on May 30, 2003.

Ronnie Green grew up raising Angus and crossbred cattle with his family on their farm near Fincastle, Virginia. There he developed passions for learning, hard work, persistence and continuous improvement. His service to others started at an early age with his leadership and involvement in 4-H & FFA. He received his degrees from Virginia Tech, Colorado State & The University of Nebraska. He and Jane, his loving wife of 17 years, are blessed with 4 wonderful children.

The influence of his major professor, Dr. Gordon Dickerson who was honored at BIF last year, had a lasting impact on Ronnie’s life. Ronnie has that same passion for teaching and doing work that is practical and applicable to the industry. Ronnie also has tremendous dedication to his family and his Christian faith, continuously, yet lovingly encouraging those around him to enjoy the same. He has helped lay a strong foundation in the lives of so many students and friends. Ronnie has been and continues to be a man of strong character who is not afraid to ask the tough questions, or go against the mainstream crowd in order to do what is right.

Ronnie served as a professor of animal breeding and genetics at Texas Tech University for 7 years and performed some of the early work in developing carcass EPDs from Ultrasound data. He also helped develop the genetic plan for the Hotlander composite line of cattle. He then served 4 years as a professor and scientist at Colorado State University. There he became a leader in DNA research and technology for beef cattle, striving to bring industry application to a very complex science. While in academia Ronnie received numerous awards for his research, teaching, advising and service, while publishing 210 professional referred journals, abstracts and technical reports. He also served as advisor to numerous university organizations, National President of Block & Bridle and instigated the Collegiate Livestock Leaders Institute.

Following his passion of bringing industry application to science and technology, Ronnie left the University system to join the staff of Future Beef Operations where he served as Director of Genetics and later as Vice President of Cattle Operations. As a man of integrity, Ronnie was selected and served as the man to close down the struggling company, maintaining his commitment to his employees, co-workers and all involved, until the very end. Currently Ronnie serves as the National Program Leader of Food Animal Production for the Agriculture Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.

Ronnie continuously serves the beef industry on numerous committees for BIF, NCBA, ASAS, ARS and has been a featured speaker at more than 120 major livestock functions in the past 10 years. He has served on the BIF Board of Directors since 1995 and has been a speaker on the program numerous times. Continuing service in all aspects of life truly describes our friend, Ronnie Green. BIF is pleased and honored to recognize Ronnie Green’s continuous contributions to the beef industry by presenting him with the BIF Continuing Service Award.