MEADOWS OF DAN, Va. — The Carroll County agricultural community is mourning the loss of one of its best farmers. And while Kenneth Owen Dalton was always at the forefront of his occupation, those who knew him say he was an even better person.

Dalton, 47, died Saturday after a tire he was changing on the back of his tractor fell on top of him at his farm on Terry’s Mill Road in Meadows of Dan, in the Laurel Fork section of Carroll County.

The owner of Sunset Farms, a greenhouse and produce operation in Meadows of Dan, Dalton also was a lifetime member of the Laurel Fork Volunteer Fire Department and a board member of the Carroll County Farm Bureau. Fellow farmers describe Dalton as a man with a passion for his profession who wasn’t afraid to break from tradition. Doing so required lots of hard work and the patience to stick with something even through the leanest of times.

“He was the best of people. He wasn’t afraid to try something new and he always managed to get it out. He came through some tough times and beat it. He was always upbeat about it, to go into the next year and do a good job,” said James Light, a fellow farmer in Laurel Fork. “He was tough and a good grower. He had done it for all his life and it was all he ever wanted to do. It’s going to be a major loss to the community.”

In recent years, Dalton was one of the few farmers in Carroll County to break from such local staples as apples and cabbage to grow cauliflower. Kevin Semones, manager of the Southwest Virginia Farmers’ Market, said Dalton was one of two growers that took up the crop two or three years ago, leading to a recent agreement to grow cauliflower for Food City this year. Pumpkins and tomatoes were among other crops Dalton grew other the years, in addition to greens such as mustard and turnip. Semones said Dalton even dabbled in cilantro recently and was always up for a new challenge.

“He wasn’t afraid to try new crops, cauliflower and cilantro are good examples. I called him and asked about trying Roma tomatoes a year or two ago and his answer was the same as always, ‘Let’s go for it,’” Semones said. “He was an outgoing person and he wasn’t afraid to try some of these new crops. A lot of growers try apples or cabbage or more common crops and are a little reluctant to step out of the circle. I think that says a lot about his character. He was a hard worker and he always tried hard.”

That came naturally though for Dalton, who made a name for himself in the agricultural world from a very young age. As a senior at Carroll County High School in 1980, Dalton did something no other student has ever done at CCHS, a school with one of the best agricultural programs in the state, if not the nation. That year, Dalton was the national winner of the FFA Fruit and Vegetable Production Proficiency Award.

“He started at the local level and went on to win the state. It was based on his involvement in the FFA and how much he had progressed on his own,” said Wayne Combs, Dalton’s ag productions teacher at CCHS. “Then he was interviewed at the national level by a panel of people. He had to respond to their questions, talk to them about their programs, and they would ask questions to see how knowledgeable the students were.”

Combs said Dalton’s award was based on a student’s self-worth — proficiency in the field without the help of others — something his young student had lots of.

“He had a passion for it. It was his goal when he was in school. I’ve had four or five like that, James Light being another one. He wanted to farm and that is what he did,” Combs said. “While I was there, Kenneth helped perpetuate the Carroll County tradition as far as doing well in contests and being active. He was also an officer with the FFA Chapter and he did a very good job for us. He just had a very pleasing and easy-going personality. I’ve traveled hundreds of miles with him and I never saw him angry. He was able to take a project and move on. He was wide open. I enjoyed having him, and as it turned out, I am fortunate to have been acquainted with him.”

Before he became the Carroll County administrator, Gary Larrowe served as an agriculture extension agent and specialist in the county. Having worked closely with Dalton in his former and current roles, Larrowe acquired an enormous level of respect for the local farmer through the years.

“Kenneth was just a phenomenal guy. It’s such a loss to our community, and to the ag community especially,” Larrowe said. “He has a passion and desire and an ability in the area of vegetable production. I was just talking to him the other day and he was doing a superior job in his production. It’s just a loss to the ag community and one of those generational losses that cannot be replaced.”

Bennie Quesenberry, president of the Carroll County Farm Bureau, said Dalton was a valuable member of the bureau full of innovative ideas. While he was an important member of the organization, Quesenberry said he’ll most remember Dalton’s personality and sense of humor.

“He was a good, dedicated farm bureau member and just a good all-around person,” Quesenberry said. “He enjoyed farming and he just really cared about his family.”

And that passion that made him such a successful farmer won’t be forgotten by the local agriculture community.

“He left a void here and we won’t be able to fill it,” Light said.