Dr. Stephen M. Babcock, a professor from New York, is inducted for his development of a simple ten-minute test in 1890 to determine the butterfat content of milk which marked the dawn of the United States Dairy Industry.

“The Babcock Test” provided farmers with a cost-effective and accurate method of evaluating the butter-making potential of individual milk cows and yields. Using the test, creameries were able to establish milk value. Since its development, the Babcock Test remains fundamentally unchanged in its current day use

Dr. Babcock’s patent of his test and equipment won him worldwide acclaim and numerous public service awards and medals. He also made other important discoveries about the chemistry of milk that proved useful to the milk and cheese industries. His pioneering work in human and animal nutrition contributed crucial knowledge on the subject of vitamins.

Dr. Babcock studied at Tufts College, Cornell University, and the University of Goettingen, Germany. Dr. Babcock joined the University of Wisconsin faculty in 1888 as Professor of Agricultural Chemistry and retired from there in 1913.