Zane Akins

Zane Akins’ outstanding reputation for service and leadership began at Humansville High School, where he was president of the student body and led his dairy cattle judging team to a second place finish in the State FFA Dairy Cattle Judging contest. He followed those achievements as a dairy science major at the University of Missouri, by becoming president of the Dairy Science Club, president of Alpha Gamma Rho, and by placing third individually in the National Dairy Cattle Judging contest. Akins was a scholar in both high school and college.

Graduating from MU in 1962, Akins joined a farm partnership for two years, then served NOBA as an A.I. technician before joining the Holstein Association of America as program director for the state of Wisconsin in 1966. This led to becoming manager of the Holstein Sire Development Service for three years before becoming administrative assistant. In 1978 he was chosen to lead the Holstein Association of America as CEO, a post he held until 1990.

Along the way, Zane Akins served many organizations: his fraternity, as national board member and president; the American Society of Agricultural Consultants; the Brattleboro Area Boys and Girls Club; the Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding; Dairy Shrine; Genomics Institute and others. Particularly significant is his service on boards of the National Cooperative Dairy Herd Improvement Programs; National Pedigreed Livestock Council; National Purebred Dairy Cattle Association; and National Agriculture Center and Hall of Fame. He received awards of recognition from several of these organizations, and his service has been extended to many others.

Since retirement, Akins has been engaged in his own business, Zane Akins and Associates, in addition to working as regional manager of Primerica Financial Services, Inc.; vice president of Earthwide Systems, Inc.; partner in A & S Associates, Ltd.; and president and board chairman of National Integrated Technologies, Inc.

He lives in The Villages, Florida, where there exists continuing temptation to get on the golf courses. Zane is named on nine Who’s Who lists, the Humansville High School and Alpha Gamma Rho Halls of Fame, and the Men of Achievement of Cambridge University. Zane and Kay Cowan were married in 1963, and they have three children: Michael Scott, Deborah Lynn, and Christine Sue.