Four inducted into Indiana Livestock Breeders Association Hall of Fame

Steve Dahnke, Jack Ward and Larry and Janet (Peterson) White were recently inducted into the Indiana Livestock Breeders Association (ILBA) Hall of Fame during the 4-H Grand Drive at the Indiana State Fair.

The honorees were recognized for their contributions and achievements in the livestock industry, joining a tradition that dates back to the 1930s when the ILBA established the Hall of Fame.

Originally, the ILBA consisted of statewide breed associations representing the beef, dairy, horse, pleasure horse, sheep, swine and goat industries. While the organization has changed over the years, the Hall of Fame continues through the Indiana Livestock Breeders Hall of Fame Committee, with representatives from the beef, dairy, horse, sheep and swine industries.

Each year, the committee selects new Hall of Fame honorees who are recognized during the 4-H Grand Drive at the Indiana State Fair.

Steve Dahnke

Dahnke’s involvement in the livestock industry began at an early age on his family’s grain and dairy farm. By 18, he had established a crossbred swine operation of his own while also working on the dairy farm and running a custom hay baling business.

His livestock interests expanded to registered Hampshire sheep in the early 1970s with the establishment of Hoosier Hampshires, an operation that continued into the late 1990s. 

Dahnke and his wife, Anita, were married in the show ring at the Tennessee Valley Agricultural and Industrial Fair in 1987, an occasion that received coverage from “Good Morning America.”

Dahnke’s work with sheep also included involvement in industry health initiatives. He was an early participant in the national scrapie eradication program, provided feedback on the program and worked with information and DNA testing related to spider syndrome.

The Dahnkes raised and marketed show stock to producers across the country. Their livestock operation expanded again in 1989 with the addition of Gelbvieh cattle, which were bred to Angus bulls until the farm moved in 1995.

A new chapter began in 1999 when Dahnke moved away from registered sheep and into Boer goats. Under the S & A Farms name, the operation eventually reached 500 brood does, with thousands of goats bought, bred and sold during its 20 years of operation. S & A genetics also contributed to the establishment of several Boer goat breeding programs throughout the Midwest. 

As the meat goat industry developed, Dahnke found opportunities to connect his livestock experience with another of his businesses, Wabash Valley Feed and Western Wear, which had operated since 1990. He added a modern textured feed manufacturing system to the store, allowing him to develop specialized show feed. With both the feed business and goat operation, he was able to conduct side-by-side feed trials.

He also hosted showmanship clinics and an annual All Star Sale at the feed store as interest in the goat industry grew. 

In 2010, S & A Farms earned Premier Boer Goat Exhibitor honors at the North American International Livestock Exposition, fulfilling one of Dahnke’s lifelong goals.

In 2019, Dahnke closed the store and reduced the Boer goat herd to a core group of does that his son, Nate, took over. His attention then shifted to Spanish goats, and he started a purebred breeding group to help re-establish the endangered breed.

Jack Ward

Ward, a north central Indiana native, grew up participating in 4-H and FFA, showing cattle, sheep and pigs.

Ward earned an associate degree from Black Hawk East College, where he was a member of the 1983 National Champion Livestock Judging Team. He later earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from Purdue University.

After college, Ward spent 17 years in the Angus seedstock industry as a farm manager or managing partner. He worked for H.B. Walters and Sons Angus and Hicks and Yeary Angus in Kentucky, where he managed more than 200 Angus cattle, before working for Three Rivers Angus in Roanoke, Indiana, where he managed all aspects of a 100-head Angus operation.

In 1998, Ward became a managing partner at Maple Lane Angus near LaGrange, Indiana. The operation raised some of the nation’s top Angus cattle, with cattle and pedigrees originating from Maple Lane represented in many leading herds across the country.

Ward joined the American Hereford Association in 2003 as chief operating officer and director of breed improvement. He held the position for 12 years before being appointed executive vice president in 2015, a role in which he leads and oversees the nation’s second-largest breed association and works with its employees to improve and expand the association.

Ward serves in several industry leadership roles, including with the Advisory Board for the National Animal Germplasm Preservation, Strategic Planning Committee for the Beef Improvement Federation, Board of Directors of the Beef Improvement Federation, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and Ultrasound Guidelines Council. He also serves his local community on the Clinton County Extension Council in Missouri.

Ward and his wife, Mary Ann, married in 1991 and have two grown sons, Cameron and Carter. Their sons operate Ward Brothers Angus and have one of the leading herds in the nation.

Over the past 30 years, Ward has judged livestock shows throughout the United States and served as a judge and lecturer in seven countries.

Larry and Janet (Peterson) White

Larry grew up in Henry County, Indiana, where he was a 10-year 4-H member and active in FFA. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Purdue Animal Sciences in 1974.

While at Purdue, Larry was a member of the Purdue Livestock Judging Team. His team was one of Purdue’s most successful, winning nearly every contest it entered, including the International Livestock Judging Contest in Chicago.

Janet grew up in Hamilton County, Indiana, and was also a 10-year 4-H member. She became the first Supreme Showman in both Hamilton County and the state of Indiana.

Janet earned a degree in home planning from Purdue in 1976. After graduation, she served as editor of Purebred Picture Magazine.

Larry and Janet married in 1974 and soon established White’s Yorkshires, a swine breeding operation that later expanded into Day and White Genetics. They have raised seedstock recognized for top-placing and high-selling boars and gilts in both the Yorkshire and Berkshire breeds.

In 1990, the Whites founded the Henry County 4-H Swine Club, which they continue to lead. They have also been active with the Henry County 4-H Association, 4-H Livestock Committee and Auction Committee.

For more than 35 years, Larry has worked for the Charles A. Beard School Corporation. He also supports youth by driving a school bus for Knightstown High School athletic teams.

Janet has served on the Indiana Pork Council for Women and was among the first women to serve on the Indiana Pork Producers Board of Directors. She recently retired from the Hancock County Community Foundation and now works as a part-time teaching assistant at Eastern Hancock Community Schools.

The Whites received the Friends of Henry County 4-H Award in 2024 and have led the Indiana Yorkshire Breeders Show and Sale at the Indiana State Fair for many years. In 2025, the Indiana State Fair honored them with Lifetime Passes in recognition of their dedication to agriculture, education, policy impact and youth development.