814-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 13, 1997
ADADC
MORRISVILLE, N.Y.
County dairy princesses from
across New York State enjoyed
three days of educational work
shops, camaraderie, and fun at the
Dairy Princess Training Seminar
held July 9-11 at Morrisville Col
lege.
Sponsored by the American
Dairy Association and Dairy
Council, Inc. (ADADC), the semi
nar prepared participants for an
upcoming year of representing the
dairy industry and promoting its
products.
Deborah Mathers, ADADC in
dustry relations administrator and
coordinator of the seminar, wants
to make it clear that county prin
cesses play a vital role in dairy
promotion efforts.
"Dairy princesses generate over
$lOO,OOO worth of publicity each
year,” she said. “With the training
they received at seminar, 1997’s
promoters are on their way to an
other successful year.”
In addition to the county prin
cesses in attendance, New York
State dairy princess Alison Little
field of Watertown, Alternate
Dairy Princess Melissa Osgood of
Bliss, and 2nd Alternate Princess
Lois Lewis of Great Valley, were
also on hand. Three three role
models assisted in the planning
process and carried out several
activities. Among their responsi
bilities were “get to know you”
activities, school presentation
workshops, and a basic product
knowledge game.
Rick Naczi, ADADC chief exe
cutive officer, addressed the parti
cipants to illustrate ADADC’s im
portance in the marketplace.
Highlighting several of ADADC’s
effective promotional programs,
Marianne Browning
Recalls Lifetime
KAREN BUTLER
Maryland Correspondent
FREDERICK, Md. Not
many people can say they have
been involved in agriculture and
witnessed its evolution throughout
almost the entire twentieth cen
tury. Marianne Browning can.
Bom in 1909 to a farm family near
Bartholows in Frederick County
and later married to a local farmer,
Mrs. Browning has been active in
farming and farm organizations all
her life. Now 88 years old and a
resident of Homewood Retire
ment Center in Frederick, Mrs.
Browning maintains a keen inter
est in the local farming communi
ty she has always been a part of.
Marianne Engle was bom to
John A. “Allie” Engle and Laura
Gertrude Watkins Engle in 1909.
The Engles had grown up together
in the small farming community
around Bartholows near Kemp
town, attended school together
there, and were both active in the
Kemptown Methodist church.
As a child Marianne grew up in
this community. She was an active
4-H member, and liked to make
clothes and show animals. She had
a Jersey calf she showed at the
state fair, but she didn’t like to be
in the spotlight. “I mostly did
behind the scenes work." Mrs.
Browning says, “I never aspired to
be farm queen."
As a young woman, she
attended Western Maryland Col
lege in Westminster for three
years, studying biology and the
sciences and homemaking. She
left college in 1929 when she mar-
Trains Dairy
Naczi also spoke of the princess’
local efforts as complements to
ADADC’s mission statement.
Many participants enjoyed the op
portunity to understand their role
in the overall promotional picture.
As promoters of the dairy in-
dustry, effective communication
skills are a must. Princesses
learned and practiced these skills
during workshops on interviewing
techniques, school presentations,
and public speaking. Since effec
tive communicators need to know
what they are talking about, state
princesses ran a basic product
knowledge quiz game. This was a
fun way to lest and reinforce
knowledge of dairy products.
Brenda Bcltram, ADADC com
munications director, conducted a
workshop dealing with controver
sial media questions. “It is import
ant for county promoters to be
able to respond to tough questions
from the media, consumers, and
especially animal rights activists,”
she said.
“By reviewing questions and
professionalizing responses on
video, the workshops provided the
training necessary to handle on
the-spot questions and general
speaking with confidence.”
Now that they have received
training in the multiple aspects of
dairy promotion, princesses and
their alternates will put their skills
to use in the real world by con
ducting school presentations, writ
ing news articles, and carrying out
other activities promoting the
dairy industry. These experiences
will prepare them for the New
York Dairy Princess Pageant in
February and for their future
careers, whatever field they
choose to pursue.
In Farming
ricd her childhood sweetheart,
William H. Browning. Just like
her parents had, Mrs. Browning
and her husband had grown up
together in the same small com
munity, attending the same school
and church. She has since lost her
husband to a heart attack.
Mrs Browning’s father set the
young couple up in farming on a
farm adjoining his in 1929. They
started out milking eight or nine
Holsteins. “My, farm is on the
Bartholows-Kemptown road. It
was a dairy. We built a house on
top of the hill so that you could see
the Blue Ridge mountains," said
Mrs. Browning.
After her father’s health failed
they acquired her home farm, and
then through inheritance, purch
ase, and gifts they amassed several
more farms. Around 1940 they
built a new 60-cow bam to house
the expanding dairy herd. “We
didn’t get any rest but our hired
man did," recalls Mrs. Browning.
The Brownings joined the fled
gling Frederick County farm
bureau after their marriage. The
farm bureau had been organized in
1921. “My mother and father were
members, and we joined because
we took them to it We had the
meetings at people’s houses.
When a whole bunch got together,
we had to meet at someplace
where they could all fit, and we
had those in different places like
the fire hall,” said Mrs. Browning.
Thc women’s committee was
started in 1939 with 13 members
as the Associated Farm Women of
(Turn to Pag* B 15)
incesses To Promote Industry
Pr
New York State dairy princesses. Front row, left to right, Chautauqua County-
Theresa Legler; St. Lawrence County - Sheila Brice; Delaware County - Michele
Shaefer; Lewis County - Katie Zehr; Montgomery County - Stacy Keith; Otsego Coun
ty - Carrie Key; Herkimer County - Melissa Foster; Chenango County - Nap c Y Coise,
Cattaragus County - Roxanne Herman; and Nlagara-Orleans Counties - Bambl Hor
ton. ~
Second row, left to right, Franklin County - Mindy Cornell; Creen County - Karen
Novak; Cortland County - Brandi Pudney; Jefferson Count r h lmMnli rou^ Sarah
County - Crystal Kerrick; Oneida County - Patricia Furner; Chemung County Sara
Kent; Schoharie County - Shelby Murphy.
Third row left to right, Onondaga County - Meghan Fullington; Seneca County -
i£
w r s. c sg ;;r». s r
Dal™ PriSiS “Sri twelield; and Nev, York Slate Ist Alternate - MeHssa, Os
good. Not pictured: Wayne County - Carrie Snyder; Saratoga County - Mary
Pautler; and Broome County - Crystal Cornell.
Alternates for New York State. First row, left to right, Washington County - Lynn
Yurschak; Chenango County - Krisen fuller; Wayne County - Jessica Boise; St. Law
rence County - Gayle Delorne; Delaware County - Sandra Schaefer; Sullivan County
Ambassador - Heather Bernhardt; Oneida County • Becky Smith; Tioga County - Mir
anda Beilis; Stueben County • Charlotte Oakley; and Washington County - Heidi De-
Paul.
Second row, left to right, Chemung County - Marla Lant; Steuben County • Stacey
Hann; Washington County - Judy Rouse; Cattaraugus County - Kim Graves; Wash
ington County • Mary Lampleve; Rensselaer County - Samantha Harrington; Onon
daga County - Julie Bloom; Cortland County - Shawna Strough; St. Lawrence County
• Rachael Bullock; and Chanango County • Lisa Ives.
Third Row, left to right, Jefferson County • Katrina Ellis; Lewis County • Ingrid
Zehr; Allegany County - Andrea Elliot; Schoharie County - Melinda Wilcox; Allegany
County - Karl Feuchrer; Herkimer County - Dana Schuyler; Chenango County - Kate
Newbold; St. Lawrence County - Deanne Villnave; Onondago County • Nichole Ste
phens.
Back row, left to right, New York State Ist Alternate - Lois Lewis; New York State
Dairy Princess - Alison Littlefield; and New York State 2nd Alternate - Melissa Os
good.
MBJC.IT DOES A BODY GOOD.