About Ronald Eustice Publications
Ronald Eustice was born in Waseca, Minnesota, and raised on a family farm. He owned his first dairy animal when less than a year of age when his parents who were short of money, cashed a $50 savings bond given to him by his great-grandfather. Ron’s parents purchased a Brown Swiss cow with the money because they thought young Ronnie needed a cow more than he needed the money. From that day forward, Ronald Eustice was in the cattle business.
He received his elementary education in a one room schoolhouse near the family farm in Steele County, Minnesota. He graduated from Owatonna High School in 1963 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota in 1968. He later received a master’s in business administration.
While still in high school, Ron Eustice worked three summers at Mor-Ayr Farm, Red Wing, Minnesota. Mor-Ayr Farm was owned by Dr. R. B. Graves and by 1963 was managed by Jerry Strandlund. The herd was shown at county fairs in Minnesota, the Minnesota State Fair, National Dairy Cattle Congress and the International Livestock Exposition in Chicago.
In 1964, Eustice spent the summer at Meredith Farm, Topsfield Massachusetts where he worked under Klussendorf trophy award winner, Arthur Clark. The following year, he was a summer intern at E-L-V Apache Ranch, Lapeer, Michigan.
Ron Eustice has dedicated more than 50 years of service to the dairy and beef industries. He began his working career as a marketing specialist with Successful Farming magazine, Des Moines, IA. His talent was soon recognized by the cattle breeding industry and he began a 7-year association with Carnation Genetics. His first assignment was in Mexico where he directed sales and taught A. I. classes in the Spanish language for Carnation de Mexico. Ron rose through the ranks of the Carnation Company as Director of International Marketing, Assistant General Manager and ultimately became General Manager of Carnation Genetics.
In 1977, Ron joined American Breeders Service as International Marketing Director. He remained with ABS five years before he joined Minnesota Holstein Association as Executive Secretary. While with Minnesota Holstein Association, Eustice implemented “Marketplace.” A private treaty cattle sales program that put buyers and sellers together and facilitated hundreds of successful transactions.
In 1984, he became the International Marketing Director for Land O’ Lakes and was involved with technology transfer and farmer training in countries around the world including a three-year assignment in Indonesia where he trained hundreds of farmers and technical staff. His lectures and training were all delivered in the Indonesian language.
From 1990 until retirement in 2012, Ron Eustice served Minnesota beef and dairy producers as Minnesota Beef Council Executive Director where among many other activities, he developed the nation’s first Dairy/Beef Quality Assurance training program.
During his career, Ronald has represented the U.S. dairy industry in more than 80 countries, trained thousands in cattle management and Artificial Insemination and lectured worldwide on food safety. He has authored or co-authored multiple educational articles in national and international dairy and beef publications as well as several chapters in food safety textbooks.
Ron was an early promoter of Red and White dairy cattle. He purchased his first Red and White dairy heifers in 1963 when he was a college freshman working in the University of Minnesota dairy barn. At the time, Red & White Holsteins calves, although they were purebreds were not eligible for registry with the Holstein Friesian Association of America. Eustice served as director of the Red & White Dairy Cattle Association during the early 1970s and was instrumental in getting the RWDCA involved as an exhibitor at World Dairy Exposition. This passion for the breed led him to be successful in the show ring as well.
In 1968, he showed the first prize three-year-old and Reserve Grand Champion at the first National Red and White Show at World Dairy Expo. His interest in Red & White genetics has led him to author two comprehensive books on Red & White Holsteins; “Red & White Reflections” on the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of the Red & White Dairy Cattle Association and the most complete book on the history of Red & Whites in North America, “They Saw Red.”
“Polled Pioneers: History of Naturally Hornless Dairy Cattle in North America” was his third book on dairy cattle. His interest in the polled gene in dairy cattle goes back many years. Encouraging the use of polled genetics became a priority as a result of his work with animal welfare and dairy/beef quality assurance issues during his career with the Minnesota Beef Council.
His fourth book, “Boxcar Boys: Riding the Rails with Bovine Beauties” traces the development of North America’s cattle industry from the days of the Spanish explorers through the cattle drives of the mid-19th century and how railroads and breed associations helped the expansion of the livestock raising. Boxcar Boys shares stories of men and even a few women who rode the rails in an exciting bygone era.
Most recently, Eustice has completed two more books; “View from The Bull’s Eye: Autobiography of Dr. Robert E. Walton” and “Gentlemen Farmers: Cattle Herds of the Rich & Famous.” “Women of Means & Cows of Good Genes,” a book that tells the story of a group of wealthy women who owned and managed successful dairy farms will soon be completed.
Ron Eustice has also cooperated with Holstein historian Horace Backus in republication of his popular books, Seed Stock and Seed Stock II.
Ron Eustice speaks about a half dozen languages and has worked as a translator and interpreter for international guests during the World Dairy Expo since 2014. He is also an international expert on food irradiation and food safety and has published dozens of articles in food safety magazines and been a co-author of numerous text books..
In 2018, Eustice was a recipient of the National Dairy Shrine Pioneer Award and was inducted into the National Dairy Hall of Fame.
Ronald Eustice and his wife Margaret live in Tucson, Arizona and Burnsville, Minnesota.