_ mu *mi - imm A JL I?. EENN3VI VAJuiA-£T.» ~c Mm Vol. 44 No. 8 Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association Presents Awards EVERETT NEWSWANGER Managing Editor STATE COLLEGE (Centre Co.) In a change from previous years, the Pennsylvania Dairy men’s Association held its annual awards banquet last week, along with the Pennsylvania Dairy Futures Conference, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Dairy Stakehol ders at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel instead of holding it in conjunction with the Pennsylva nia Farm Show in January. Since 1976, the Dairymen’s - Association presents the Charles E. Cowan Memorial Award each year to a Pennsylvania dairyman who contributes to the improve ment and promotion of the Pen nsylvania dairy industry. Other annual honorees are the Pennsyl vania Distinguished Dairy Woman and the Extension Agent Award. This year, Richard Waybright from Gettysburg was presented with the Charles C. Cowan award for his superior management capa bilities as shown with his owner ship and management of the 365 acre Mason Dixon Farms, Inc., and State Agriculture Teachers Attend National Conference Lehmar Metzler, president of the Pennsylvania Associa tion of Agriculture Teachers, left, accepts the distinguished state association award from Mike Cox, president-elect of the national association. Special Pages/Advertising/News Deadlines For Holidays , Farm Show Issues A ""mhw of special pages are planned tot Lancaster Fanning in the next few. weeks. In addition, the New Year Holiday and our annual Pen nsylvania Farm Show issue bring special deadline schedules, too. In this the Dec. 26 issue, we dedicate a few pages in section A to the inti*vtiM*inn of the Pennsylvania Young Fanner Convention to be hosted by the Manheim Chapter in early February. We have registration forms and a review of the program, hi addition, messages from the spon sors of this state-wide event are part of the advertising base with these rages. The issues for the first two weeks in January will have features and advertising messages related to the Keystone Farm Show and the Pen nsylvania Farm Show. Four Sections his outstanding leadership quali ties within the dairy industry. The recipient of die 1999 Pen nsylvania Distinguished Dairy Women Award is Elaine Sollcn berger of Everett. Elaine, along with her husband Ray, have had lifelong involvement with the Pen nsylvania Jersey Association. And the 1999 Extension Agent Award recipient is George C. Wil cox, senior extension agent in Erie County. Today, Waybright's farm has SO employees to care for the needs of 2.000 milking cows and 1,700 replacement heifers. They manage 2.000 acres of alfalfa, grass and com to supply forage to the dairy herd. He is known nationally and worldwide as a progressive inno vator in production agriculture. In 1979 Mason Dixon Farms built their own animal anaerobic digester system to produce biogas that' is used to produce all the electricity for the farms and four homes. Because of this achieve ment, in 1980 the farm received the “White House Award for Biogas "* (Turn to Pag* A 35) (Turn to Pag* A 34) Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 26, 1998 The Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association presented its annual awards last week. From left, Frank Orner, president; Lori Sollenberger accepting the Distinguished Dairy Women award for her mother Elaine Sollenberger; George Wilcox, extension award recipient; and Richard Waybright, recipient of the Charles E. Cowman Memor ial Award. * «m» * NEW ORLEANS, La. Mote than 400 agricultural education professionals from all 50 states attended the 50th annual National Association of Agricultural educa tors (NAAE) Convention earlier this month. Among the local teach ers attending were MecCcc Baker, Greenwood; Christine McCahren, Lampeter; Lehman Mctzler, Lan caster; and Gerald Reichard, Chambersburg. The teachets and state staff gathered for a national meeting that provided teachers with profes sional development opportunities to strengthen local educational programs. Highlights of the meet ing included sessions on partner ships between agricultural educa tors, agribusiness leaders, and loc al, state, and national policy makers. 1998 Probably Warmest On Record ITHACA, N.Y. - With .five days left in the year, it appears probable that 1998 will be the Northeast’s warmest year since re cords began in 1895, according to the climatologists at the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University. Up to now, 1953 was the re gion's warmest year on record with an average temperature of 49.5 degrees Fahrenheit. So far this year, the Northeast's tempera ture averages 50.2 degrees, just seven-tenths of a degree above the 1953 mark. (Turn to Pag* A 37) $29.50 Per Year “The exchange of ideas is an important function of the confer ence,” said Duane Fisher, NAAE Dale and Janie Martin with their children Becky, 10; Matthew, 8; and Michael, 6, celebrate the Chriatmaa they thought they would never have together. Read about thia dairy farmer'e battle with a malignant brain tumor and the new perepective the family aharea on page 82. Photo by Lou Am Good. 600 Per Copy president from ML Auburn, lowa. “This meeting provides teachers (Turn to Page A 33)