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CORVALLIS - Peter Jensen of Halsey, and Len Forster and Floyd Smith, both of Shedd, are among the 41 men and women honored as Diamond Pioneers Tuesday, Oct. 14, by the Oregon State University College of Agricultural Sciences.

They and the others added to the College's Diamond Pioneer Registry were guests as a luncheon hosted by Dean Thayne Dutson at the CH2M HILL Alumni Center in Corvallis. Guest speaker was John V. Byrne, OSU president emeritus and a fellow member of the 2003 Diamond Pioneers.

This year is the 20th anniversary of the registry, which honors those 75 years and older for their contributions to agriculture, their communities and OSU. The award, begun when the college observed its 75th anniversary, has been given to 746 persons, including this year's group.

Jensen, nominated by the Oregon Dairy Products Commission and the OSU animal sciences department, has been an active member of several agricultural organizations. He has been president of the Oregon Dairy Farmers Association and served on the boards of directors of the Corvallis Milk Producers Association, Dairy Gold Cooperative of Oregon and Washington, the Linn County Farm Bureau and the Linn County Soil and Water Conservation District.

He founded Ag Pac, a political action group, serves on the steering committee for the Calapooia River water shed council and is an adviser to the diagnostic laboratory of the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine.

Forster and Smith, nominated for the registry by Linn-Benton Women for Agriculture, have both served as leaders of the Greenback 4-H club, one of the oldest continuing 4-H clubs in Oregon.

Forster, currently with Pickseed West, promoting grass seed in pastures and sports fields, is a native of the Tangent/Shedd area where he still lives. He is a past Oregon Seedman of the Year and founder of the Oregon Quarter Horse Summer Circuit. He has served as president of the Oregon Daffodil Society and captain of the Linn County Mounted Sheriff's Posse.

Smith, another Linn County native, continues the family's farming operation in the Peoria area where he farms with son, Don, and grandsons, Seth and Spence.

Twice named Soil Conservation Farmer of the Year, Smith is a past chair of the board of the Linn County Soil and Water Conservation District. His work with youth and agriculture earned him the 1974 Honorary FFA Alumna award. He was an active FFA member at Corvallis high school. The Smith family has frequently shown their farming operations to visitors.

Others to be honored are Virginia Tubbs, Adams; Fred Warner, Baker City; Kenneth Beebe, Central Point; Don B. Anderson, Cornelius; Alfred Haunold, John V. Byrne, Charles Leach, William McGuire, H. Joe Myers, Burdette Peterson, Roger Peterson and Dale Weber, Corvallis.

Vincent D. Dobbin and Glen Grossen, Hillsboro; Ralph Hart, Island City; Arlene Oliver, John Day; Andrew Greeley, Jordan Valley; Harold Youngberg, Keizer; James Elings and James Kerns, Klamath Falls; John Shipley and Donald Thompson, Moro; Keith Gressley, Isao Kameshige and William Panike, Ontario.

Robert Ramig and Virgil Rupp, Pendleton; David Lowry, Phoenix; H. Ronald Cameron, Portland; Don Grabe, Sisters; John R. Thienes and Eldon Wagenblast, The Dalles; Carl Froude and Beverly Froude, Tigard; Carl and Irene Bosch, Tillamook; John Bishop, Vale; and Everett Metzentine, Wamic.