Darr honored in first class of Missouri Agricultural Hall of Fame

Southwest Missouri businessperson Bill Darr this week was among the inductees into the first class of the Missouri Agricultural Hall of Fame.

Darr was honored April 9 during a ceremony at the Capital Bluffs Event Center in Jefferson City, according to a news release. Gov. Mike Parson addressed a crowd of 425 industry leaders at the event.

“Agriculture is the heart and soul of Missouri, and the recipients of this award truly deserve the honor,” Parson said in the release. “To be able to recognize them and be part of this first-ever Hall of Fame makes me so proud of our state and proud to be your governor.”

The Missouri Agricultural Hall of Fame was created in 2023 to recognize farmers, ranchers and agribusiness leaders for their contributions to the state's agriculture industry. Hall of Fame inductees this week received a custom sculpture, featuring a beef bull, wheat and corn, created by Missouri artist Clay Gant.

Darr, who in 2019 sold pet food ingredient providers American Dehydrated Foods and International Dehydrated Foods for $900 million, is the benefactor behind the William H. Darr College of Agriculture at Missouri State University. His Darr Family Foundation has awarded millions of dollars in grants to local organizations serving at-risk children since it was established in 2002, and he received Springfield Business Journal’s Lifetime Achievement in Business award in 2011.

Darr was awarded the Key to the City from Springfield Mayor Ken McClure in 2022, according to past reporting.

Darr was the only local inductee into the Missouri Agricultural Hall of Fame this week, according to the release.