Reporter
One local man was honored last month for his outstanding contributions to the agricultural and livestock industries.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)— One local man was honored last month for his outstanding contributions to the agricultural and livestock industries.
Darrell Anderson has been named the newest inductee of the prestigious
Saddle and Sirloin Portrait Gallery. According to his son, Ben Anderson, who also happens to be the Public Works Director of West Lafayette, this is a much bigger honor than most people realize.
“It is the highest and most prestigious award that can be bestowed upon anybody in the livestock industry,” Ben said. “What most people can probably relate that to is the Hall of Fame for the NFL.”
The portrait that now hangs in the historic gallery at the North American Livestock Expo in Louisville, Ken. took 6 months to paint. Darrell said it’s quite an honor. According to him, only one person per year is recognized.
“The portrait gets hung on the wall with legends,” Darrell said. “When I was younger, I thought those are all my heroes and my legends in the industry. Now I’m hanging next to them.”
Darrell was in charge of the National Swine Registry for 25 years. He also helped form the National Junior Swine Association, which has grown from 200 members in its first year, to more than 12,000. It became the fastest growing youth animal association in the country. Those are just a couple of his accomplishments out of a very long list.
Darrell was nominated for this honor for his position as a mentor, a leader, his impact on animal agriculture and creating a lasting legacy in the industry.
“What I learned is to be a leader, it isn’t flow charts and computer print-outs,” Darrell said. “It’s a matter of influencing one person at a time.”
Darrell said he treated everyone like the owner of his company, not a renter. He said when you treat people like owners, they are truly interested in what you’re doing.
“You know my brother and I would probably tell you the same thing,” Ben said. “We’ve learned a lot of lessons from him. I know for me he’s my number one mentor.”
Darrell adds that when there’s excess money after the cost of the banquet and the portrait, the remaining funds go toward scholarships for youth hoping to go into the livestock industry.
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West Lafayette man awarded highest honor in the livestock industry – wlfi.com
