Artist: Othmar J. Hoffler (1893–1954)
William F. Renk
RENK, WILLIAM FRANK (1875–1964), inducted 1948
William F. Renk graduated from the University of Wisconsin’s short course in agriculture in 1898, earning a silver medal in sheep judging. He imported Shropshire, Hampshire, and Suffolk sheep from England, establishing William F. Renk and Sons in Sun Prairie, in 1908. Renk’s herd produced several grand champions, and he accepted leadership roles in the sheep breeders’ and wool producers’ organizations in the state. He was on the executive committee of the Wisconsin Live Stock Breeders’ Association and served as state commissioner of agriculture in 1931. During the Depression, William F. Renk and Sons became the nation’s first family farm operation to incorporate. As universities were beginning to advocate for hybrid corn in the 1930s, Renk and his sons founded Renk Seed.
Source: Saddle & Sirloin Guidebook 2026, p. 166