2022 State Recognition Dennis Thompson

Dennis Thompson was raised on a central Iowa farm where his family raised grain crops and livestock. As a boy, he was charged with raising a breeding flock of purebred poultry for a local hatchery. He continued his interest in poultry through 4-H as a youth and into adulthood where he became the poultry superintendent for the Polk County Fair. He then volunteered to take on the superintendent position for the Iowa State Fair, which he maintained for over two decades.

He encouraged his son Matt and daughter Anne to pursue 4-H in their youth, where they showed poultry and dairy goats. Dennis and his son became Master Exhibitors with the American Poultry Association, and they still maintain a small flock of purebred poultry near Ottumwa, Iowa.

Dennis earned a master's degree from Iowa State University and is an English and Humanities professor at Des Moines Area Community College in Boone, Iowa, where he teaches writing, literature, and film.

In 1997, Dennis became a General Licensed Poultry Judge with the American Poultry Association. He has judged 4-H and FFA youth and open shows across the United States and Canada. In 2008, he judged the APA National Meet in Ventura, California. Dennis has shared his poultry expertise while serving in the capacity of Show Superintendent for the Iowa State Fair 4-H Poultry Show for the past twenty-seven years. Dennis currently serves as a board member for the Iowa Poultry Association, an organization that advocates for the poultry industry in Iowa and is dedicated to greater youth education and involvement with poultry.

His experiences with 4-H and poultry would not have been possible without the love and support of his wife Carol and family. Dennis and Carol have been married for forty-three years. They have two grown children, a son Matt (Jeni) and grandchildren Luke, Grant, Mazie, and Isaac, and a daughter Anne (Chris) and grandchildren Alli and Hayden.

Dennis has combined his love of poultry with his passion for education and has encouraged many young people to pursue their interest in 4-H poultry and the poultry industry.