John Smith Obituary (1962 - 2013)

Born Feb 02, 1962, John Smith attended Jefferson-scranton High School in Jefferson, IA. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about John Smith.

Graduation Year	Class of 1980
Date of Birth	Feb 02, 1962
Date of Passing	Mar 29, 2013
About	John F. Smith , age 51, of Oro Valley, Arizona, died March 29, 2013, at his home after a courageous battle with cancer. Joh was born on February 2, 1962. in Nevada, Iowa, the son of John and Karen Smith. He grew up in Jefferson, Iowa, where he graduated from high school in 1980. John completed his B.S. in Animal Science in 1984 and his M.S. in 1986 at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. In 1989, he completed his Ph.D. in Dairy Science at the University of Missouri. From 1989 to 1995, John was an extension dairy specialist, Associate Professor, at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He then continued his career at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, as an Extension Dairy Specialist, Professor, from 1995 to 2011. In 2011, John moved to Arizona to finish out his career at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. In 1993 and 1994, John was awarded the Salt of the Earth Award from the Dairy Producers of New Mexico. In 2000, he was awarded the Midwest Outstanding Young Extension Specialist Award, in 2002 the DeLaval Dairy Extension award, in2008 he was selected as Western Dairy Business Magazine's Outstanding Dairy Educator/Researcher, and in 2010 John was recognized with the Jefferson Iowa Bell Tower of Fame Award for his efforts in dairy education and research. John's professional interests and research centered around cow comfort, heat stress, milking parlor performance and management of expanding dairies. He was a co-founder of the Western Dairy Management Conference and High Plains Dairy Management Conference. John worked throughout the United States and internationally assisting producers with the development of efficient dairy operations.