Recognition Award, John Y. Ferry

John Y. Ferry

John Y. Ferry, your lifelong dedication to Utah’s land, people, and future has been equally reflected in your extraordinary service to Utah State University Trustee, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees, and member of the Foundation Board.

A 1978 graduate in Animal Science, you embody the Aggie spirit of stewardship, innovation, and leadership. For generations, your family’s legacy has shaped the Bear River Valley, and today, through your leadership of JY Ferry & Son and Little Mountain Cattle Company, you continue to set a national standard for sustainable agriculture and resource management

Your contributions to Utah State are as deep-rooted as the soil you steward. As chair of the External and Strategic Partnerships Committee, you have helped grow and strengthen the university’s external relationships. Through your work on the Recruitment, Retention, and Completion Committee, you have championed strategies to support student success, and your efforts on the Statewide Mission and Campus Oversight Committee have reinforced USU’s role as a land-grant university committed to serving all of Utah.

Your leadership extends well beyond committee meetings. You have opened your own ranch to research partnerships that provide USU students and faculty with hands-on learning in grazing, cover crops, and soil conservation. These collaborations reflect your belief in meaningful, forward-looking, education and your dedication to Utah’s landscapes.

Over the course of your career, you have served on more than 15 boards and earned national recognition, including induction into the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences Hall of Fame and the Intermountain West Joint Venture Private Landowner Conservation Champion Award. These honors speak to the breadth of your vision and the depth of your impact.

Your voice on the Board of Trustees has brought balance, perspective, and a deep understanding of the interdependence between land, community, and education. You have helped guide the university through key decisions, always grounded in what is best for Utah, its students, and the land that sustains us all.

Throughout your time with us, your insights have been as memorable as your leadership. A few of your sayings that will continue to inspire and amuse us include:

  • “Cattle never get out until Sunday afternoon.”
  • “Like Kenny Rogers, you’ve got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to run away, know when to run—and you’ve got to be cool about it.”
  • “First you have to sin before you can repent.”
  • “All we have to do is get a little bit pregnant.”
  • “How are you going to get the hay down to the cows?”
  • “You don’t just want to have a stick, you have to have a carrot too—and dip it in chocolate.”
  • “Well, he didn’t fall on the top of the mountain,” meaning someone worked to get to the top.
  • “It isn’t a problem, it is an opportunity.”
  • “Dwarfism in cows—you don’t want that.”
  • “Storms and rain always bring flowers….”
  • “We can be an itch—but if you scratch it, we can be a pain…”

For your dedication to Utah State University and your lasting contributions to its mission and people, we extend our profound gratitude and warmest appreciation. You have been a trusted steward of USU’s future, and we are honored by your service.