BROOKINGS — Ken Olson, South Dakota State University professor and SDSU Extension beef specialist, has retired after nearly 40 years in animal and range science.

Over his career, he taught hundreds of students, mentored graduate students and research assistants, collaborated on dozens of complex research projects and delivered SDSU Extension programs to thousands of people.

Originally from Montana, Olson grew up on a cattle ranch and attended Montana State University in Bozeman for his undergraduate degree in agricultural education. He spent a year as a high school teacher, then returned to Montana State and earned a graduate degree in range science. He then went to Utah State University, where he earned his doctorate in range livestock nutrition in 1986.

While earning his doctorate, he also served as a range science instructor at Utah State, teaching range management principles and field study. In 1986, he joined the Agricultural Research Center-Hays at Kansas State University as a researcher, where he stayed until 1992.

From 1992 to 2006, Olson was an associate professor of grazing livestock nutrition at Utah State University. By 2006, Olson said he was ready for a change and a joint research and extension/outreach role at SDSU appealed to him.

Olson joined SDSU that year as an associate professor in the Department of Animal Science and an SDSU Extension beef specialist based at SDSU West River Research and Extension in Rapid City. In his role, Olson conducted research and delivered educational outreach and programming for South Dakota’s livestock producers.

“I really like being closer to the industry,” Olson said. “My job is something new every day — you just never know what’s coming at you. It never gets boring.”

Sandy Smart, SDSU Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources senior program leader and professor, praised Olson’s deep experience in research and education.

“His knowledge of rangelands and beef nutrition were a great asset to the team of researchers and SDSU Extension folks assembled at West River Research and Extension,” Smart said. “Ken’s training in range-beef nutrition was especially useful to help beef cow-calf producers with production questions on rangelands.”

Olson pointed to beefSD and the Range Beef Cow Symposium as flagship programs of his tenure. He helped launch beefSD in 2010, which has graduated nearly 180 people since it began. The two-year cohort program provides cattle producers with in-depth education, networking and on-location case studies of successful operations.

Olson especially loved working on complex, multidisciplinary research projects that brought together animal and range science experts. His recent research efforts have included how grazing affects feedlot weight gain for yearlings, and collaborative work with meat science specialists on how gestational nutrition affects meat quality.

“Dr. Olson’s success was driven by an exceptional ability to develop and collaborate with interdisciplinary teams, fostering impactful research and outreach efforts which is exemplified by his development of the beefSD program,” said John Jaeger, Calvin and Mary Hayenga Endowed Department Head of Animal Science at SDSU. “His thoughtful, personalized approach to addressing producers' questions and mentoring the next generation of researchers and SDSU Extension professionals has created a legacy at SDSU.”

Olson is a longtime member of the Society for Range Management and the American Society of Animal Science, serving in various leadership roles over the years. In 2024, he received the F.O. Butler Award for Excellence in Extension/Outreach.

From the producers to the people who eat the products created by producers, Olson said serving the people of South Dakota was the most rewarding part of his job.

“I got into this because of the rangeland and the livestock. I learned that I was never doing it because of the cows, it was the people,” he said. “I think the future for ranching in South Dakota is quite bright. It’s been great helping people.”