Kevin Dill named an honoree of the Michigan Dairy and Memorial Scholarship Foundation
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EmailDill served as Ag Tech Dairy program coordinator, dairy cattle judging team coach, and as industry representative for the Tri-State Dairy Nutrition Conference.
On Dec. 10, 2025, Kevin Dill was inducted as an honoree to the Michigan Dairy Memorial Scholarship Foundation at Michigan State University. The foundation supports one of the largest scholarship funds in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and provides over $100,000 each year to students pursuing careers in the dairy industry. Since its founding in 1957, almost 200 people have been recognized as honorees for both their contributions to Michigan’s dairy industry and commitment to dairy education.
Dill grew up on a Missouri 540-acre diversified crop and livestock farm in Linn County Missouri, which included a 100-cow dairy herd. His love for the dairy cow led him to attend the University of Missouri-Columbia where he completed both a bachelor’s and a master’s in dairy science. In addition to his degree research, graduate school found him teaching undergraduate students as part of his stipend responsibilities.
Dill then accepted an opportunity to coordinate the two-year Ag Tech Dairy program at Michigan State University. While in this role, his responsibilities included recruiting students, developing curriculum and supervising summer student placements on commercial dairies across the Great Lakes states and the northeast. Additional elements included teaching herd management, nutrition and farm management. Lastly, coaching dairy cattle judging teams at Michigan State provided yet additional, valuable industry engagement and experience.
While leading the Michigan State’s Ag Tech Dairy Program, Dill completed his PhD in animal science in 1991. His PhD dissertation focused on identifying and prioritizing management areas that impact milk production for commercial dairy operations. He gained farm-related producer experience while collecting both on-farm and analyzing DHIA data from the 44 Michigan participating dairies.
Upon completion of his PhD, Purina Mills, Inc. hired Dill as a dairy technical consultant for parts of Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Dill then continued in a similar role after a move by he and his wife Tina to Michigan. Purina’s dairy business in Indiana and Ohio was also soon a part of Dill’s technical role. In this role, he continued to build off his Michigan State teaching experience to train Purina sales employees along with Coop and Dealer nutritionists. Another rewarding aspect of Dill’s role was developing relationships with Purina customers, many of which were in Michigan, to improve the herd’s performance to the benefit of their business.
On-farm problem solving involved networking and collaborating with other key advisors, including close working relationships with herd and staff veterinarians. Dill continued in this role for 18 years. During this time, Dill was also involved for three years with the Tri-State Dairy Nutrition Conference, serving as an industry representative as part a planning board member. Yet another component of Dill’s Michigan dairy industry engagement included serving as part of an industry program and curriculum review for Michigan State’s large animal program. Dill’s professional organizations included both the America Dairy Science Association for 38 years and the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists for 34 years.
Beginning in the summer of 2014, the last leg of Dill’s career found him as part of Purina’s dairy technical leadership team. As in previous roles, Dill utilized his teaching and curriculum development experience while at Michigan State to lead Purina’s dairy nutrition training for all the company’s dairy sales team, along with its Coop and Dealer nutritionists. Another responsibility included supporting Purina’s dairy businesses in Mexico and China, with travels to both countries for on-farm consulting. Dill’s final responsibility for Purina was as director of technical innovation, including product development oversight, a role from which he retired in 2025.
Dill was respected for his ability to leverage on-farm data to guide problem solving, while prioritizing “following the cows” to identify solutions. Dill was in his element, walking herds and piecing together the stories told by the cows. Producers and nutritionists alike benefited from his ability to remain focused during herd performance challenges.
Today, Dill resides in Wildwood, Missouri with his wife of over 30 years. The couple has four adult children, daughters Maggie, Emma and Cora and a son D.J.
