2/29/12 – The Beaver Dam School District has announced this year’s Outstanding Alumni. Ray Kuehl is a 1952 graduate who has been a prominent figure in the dairy industry for 60 years. After attending UW-Madison, he started his own dairy cattle consulting business, eventually becoming a partner of American Genetics, where he served as a farm manager and marketed cow embryos around the world. Later in life, his career path led him to real estate and he even started his own auctioneer business. But Kuehl is perhaps best known in the farming community for his
instrumental role in the creation of the World Dairy Expo, which is held annually in Madison. When it was announced that the U.S. National Dairy Cattle Show would be discontinued, Kuehl and a few other cattle breeders developed a plan to hold the show in Wisconsin. The Expo is now the largest dairy industry exposition in the nation. He was appointed by Governor Thompson to the World Dairy Center Authority, which found the sites for the new State Department of Agriculture and the World Dairy Center buildings in Madison. Kuehl brought state-wide attention on Dodge County’s dairy industry when he chaired the “Alice in Dairyland” competition, which was held in Beaver Dam in 1964. In submitting his application, Kuehl’ supporters said he is “very dedicated to the youth in the dairy cattle industry and has been instrumental in raising money to promote Agriculture to schools.” He frequently returns to Beaver Dam High School to encourage, inspire, and challenge young FFA members to set their goals high and respect others. Kuehl will be honored during this year’s 16th Annual Wall of Fame Banquet on Sunday, April 1.
