Dr. Allen Harper, of Suffolk, will be among five individuals inducted into the Virginia Livestock Hall of Fame for 2015 on Oct. 24.

The event will take place at the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Science’s Alphin-Stuart Livestock Arena. It is free, and the public is invited.

The ceremony will include an unveiling of the portraits of the 2015 honorees, which will be permanently displayed in the arena. The new Hall of Fame members, who hail from academia and industry, have demonstrated outstanding and uncommon contributions to the livestock industry.

Harper is a 1979 Virginia Tech graduate who served as a Virginia Cooperative Extension agent, state Extension swine specialist, and the director of the Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center. He has made many contributions to the swine industry through his leadership of the Virginia Pork Industry Conference and his research in swine nutrition and management in the area of lessening environmental impact. Harper received the Virginia Pork Industry Association’s Extension and Service awards and the American Society of Animal Science Southern Section Extension Award.

The other honorees are:

Olive K. Britt, of Maiden, who is being honored posthumously. She became the first female veteran in the state to specialize in equine medicine.

Richard H.L. Chichester III, of Falmouth, a 1956 graduate of Virginia Tech, who is renowned for his work in cattle genetics.

Gary Minish, of Keswick, who has i mpacted the development of leaders in the livestock industry.

David Notter, of Blacksburg, professor emeritus of animal and poultry sciences and a teacher and researcher in quantitative genetics at Virginia Tech.

Established in 2009, the Virginia Livestock Hall of Fame bestows honor and recognition on outstanding Virginians who have made significant contributions to the state’s livestock industry and its people. The Virginia Cattlemen’s Association, Virginia Pork Industry Association, Virginia Sheep Producers Association, Virginia State Dairymen’s Association and Virginia Horse Council can nominate living or deceased individuals to the Virginia Livestock Hall of Fame.

Since its inception, 55 industry leaders have been recognized.