Posted on August 22, 2024 at 5:00 PM by Emily Saveraid
Dale Miller spent 41 years with ISU Extension and Outreach before retiring in 2020. He served as a county extension director and county education director until his final year when he became a regional director. In his childhood, Dale was a long-time 4-H member with a special passion for horse projects.
Dale began his extension career in Van Buren County in 1977 and finished in Marion County. During those years, he considered himself fortunate enough to work with hundreds of volunteers and thousands of youth involved in 4-H. He never hesitated in helping extension staff from other counties when they called – to the point he judged 4-H horse shows in at least thirty other counties and spent many years working at the Iowa State Fair 4-H horse show with two years as the assistant horse superintendent.
Dale’s interest in educating youth spurred him to implement Pork Quality Assurance training in Marion County, developing a model that was adopted by four other counties. He also helped design and implement the programming to help those in the horse industry develop better management skills. On behalf of the community, he helped start the Leadership Red Rock Program and educated over 300 county residents in the first fourteen years.
Dale received numerous awards in his career, including the ISU Extension Meritorious Service Award, the NACAA Distinguished Service Award, the NACAA Certificate of Achievement, the ISU Extension Dean’s Citation, and the University Extension Achievement Award.
