Roy Allen Wallace

In early 2008, Ohio's beef industry lost one of its champions and a genetic breeding pioneer with the passing of Roy Allen Wallace. A native of Wood county, he spent more than 40 years in service to the cattlemen of Ohio and of the nation through his career with COBA/Select Sires, Inc., where he began his work in 1967 as a beef field representative. During his tenure at Select Sires, he acquired more than 600 beef bulls from 19 breeds for semen to be marketed through the world.

He was a founder of the National Beef Improvement Federation (BIF), a group that has played a critical role in shaping how genetics have improved the beef industry. He is the only person to have attended every BIF convention from 1967 to 2007. Wallace served in an advisory capacity to several breed organizations in the area of sire evaluation and was a sought-after speaker for his expertise.

A strong supporter of national sire summaries, he was an early adopter of structured sire evaluations and established the longest running young sire progeny-testing program in the AI industry today.

He was a board member and past president of the Buckeye Beef Improvement Association, a member of the National Cattleman's Association and its Purebred Breed Council and a member of the Ohio Cattlemen's Association.

Wallace was a devoted supporter of The Ohio State University and of the Ohio State Fair. His accomplishments include being honored in 2004 with induction in The Ohio State University Animal Sciences Hall of Fame. He also was named to BEEF Magazine's Top 40, a significant honor given to the top 40 leaders nationwide who have made major contributions to the beef industry.