Peters literally wrote the book on livestock production and had a stellar career at University of Minnesota.
1885-1949 | Artist: Othmar J. Hoffler (1893-1954)
Impact & Accomplishments
After graduating from Iowa State College in 1908, Walter H. Peters taught briefly there, as well as at the Manitoba Agricultural College and the North Dakota Agricultural College.
In 1918, he joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota and was appointed head of the Division of Animal Husbandry in 1921. Peters performed extensive cattle feeding trials during the 1920s and 1930s and launched many experimental breeding programs during his tenure.
In 1941, Peters served as president of the American Society of Animal Science. His Livestock Production (1942) was a definitive textbook. Director of the Minnesota Livestock Breeders Association for twenty-two years, Peters was named to the state’s agricultural hall of fame in 1947.
Did You Know?
Peters headed the Division of Animal and Poultry Science at Minnesota from 1936 to 1948. It was under his direction that Edward Graham worked on world-renowned research to preserve sperm of all species of farm animals and poultry.
Peters Hall was built in 1950 to honor Walter H. Peters and it housed Animal Husbandry and Poultry Husbandry, and became the administrative office for the Department of Animal Science in 1966.