A36-Unc«Bt«f Fanning, Saturday, November 4, 2000
Weaber Joins American Simmental Association Staff
BOZEMAN, Mont. The
American Simmental Associa
tion (ASA) has recently appoint
ed Robert L. Weaber as the new
Interim Director of Performance
Programs.
“The ASA is widely recog
nized for its aggressive research
agenda, especially in the areas of
multi-breed and carcass evalua
tion. In my duties, I plan to uti
lize my broad industry knowl
edge and practical problem
solving approach to help in the
ongoing effort to improve Sim
mental influenced genetics and
the beef industry,” Weaber re
marked.
Weaber hails from a cattle and
sheep operation near Beulah,
Colorado. He is a graduate of
Colorado State University with a
Bachelor’s degree in Animal Sci
ence and a Master’s degree in
Agriculture-Beef Industry Lead
ership.
Previously, Weaber served on
the American Gelbvieh Associa
tion (AGA) staff in Westminster,
Colorado. As the Director of Ed
ucation and Research for the
AGA, he coordinated breed im
provement, research, perform
ance records, and youth pro
grams. In conjunction of his ASA
duties, Weaber will be working
Conservation Conference
(Continued from Page A3O)
dairy manure. The facility not
only protects water quality but
curtails unnecessary odor. They
have also taken on several volun
tary management practices to
help curb runoff from the farm.
Through the Chesapeake Bay
Program, they voluntarily partic
ipate in a program to control
barnyard runoff of 13,240 square
feet.
Gerald Hiestand, who ac
cepted the award for the family,
recounted that Coleman’s react
ion to winning the award was,
“Why now? I’m not finished
yet.” The attitude of never being
done, of continual progress, is
crucial to conservation efforts,
noted Hiestand.
The Heid farm in Loretto,
Cambria County won recogni
tion for battling the runoff, mud,
and manure problems caused by
concrete. Now milkhouse filter
area system plus a concrete nu
trient management plan help
take care of the problem.
The waste water goes to a
900-gallon tank for the solids to
settle. The tank then flushes
every 3-4 days. Nutrients filter
from the pipe while the water fil
ters slowly out. In addition, the
farm has an 85-foot sod water
way, a livestock exclusion fence,
500 feet of subsurface drains,
contour farming, crop rotation, a
6-month manure storage facility,
and contour strip cropping.
The 400-acre dairy farm hosts
70 milking cows, 90 replacement
heifers, and 20 calves.
The Ron and Kathy Kline of
Y-Run Farm in Troy, Bradford
County, began conservation ef
forts in 1978. Since then the farm
has added 21,000 feet of storm
water diversion, 440 acres of con
tour strip cropping, contours, no
till plowing, and a milkhouse
waste treatment system.
Three manure pits handle 90
percent of the manure through
the system and nearly eliminate
the need for winter spreading.
The manure storage tank has
greatly reduced the amount of
spring runoff coming from the
farm. Also large rocks stabilize
the Kline’s stream that also hosts
a planted vegetation corridor.
The Klines have partnered
with his sons Glen and Gary and
their families for the past 10
years. Y-Run Farms cover 600
from Cornell University in Itha
ca, New York as he completes his
Ph.D. His duties will include
handling more complicated per
formance record questions, work
ing on special projects such as
Total Herd Enrollment data col
lection, and the Carcass Merit
program.
“Bob Weaber has been an ac
tive participant in the beef busi
ness for a long time,” says Exec-
vjr
MB
Mr. Bob Weaber, interim
director of performance
programs, American Slm
mentai Association.
acres cropped with corn and al
falfa. In addition they milk 425
cows and own 300 head of young
stock in the dairy operation.
“It’s just good, solid farming
practices,” said Kline.
Other awards given included
the Watershed Protect Award,
given to the Conoduguinet Creek
Watershed Association of Cum
berland County. Robert Kready
Mowrer, Lancaster County, re
ceived the Ann Rudd Saxman
Conservation Volunteer of the
Year. The Conservation Organi
zation of the Year award went to
the Northern Allegheny Conser
vation Association, Warren
County.
Steve Walker, Cambria Coun
ty received the Media Conserva
tion Award. The Conservation
Educator of the Year went to
Richard McLaughlin, Bucks
County. Twin Oaks Gun Club,
Dauphin County, won the M.K.
Goddard Forest Resource Man
agement Award. Stephen Ritup
er Jr., Northampton County, re
ceived the William Lange Urban
Conservation Award.
The Legislator Recognition
Award went to Rep. Jim Lynch,
Warren County. County Com
missioner District Director of the
Year was Fred Soisson, M.D.,
Cambria County. Glenn O. Haw
baker, Inc., Indiana County, won
the Erosion and Sedimentation
Pollution Control Award.
First place for the annual re
port of the year went to the
Snyder Conservation District,
second place to the Bucks Con
servation District, and third
place to the Erie Conservation
District. The PACD Auxiliary
Awards, the poster contest win
ners, were Raymond Heromin,
Northumberland County for the
K-l division, Jennifer Evanisky,
Mifflin County, grades 2-3 divi
sion, Robert Heinrich, Sullivan
County in the grades 4-6 divi
sion, Roxanne Barton, Clinton
County, won the grades 7-9 divi
sion, and Michael Kensinger,
Blair County had the winning
poster for grades 10-12. Amy
Jones was the scholarship win
ner.
utive Vice-President, Jerry
Lipsey. “When we heard that
Bob was going to Cornell Univer
sity to work toward his Ph.D., we
asked him if he’d be interested in
joining our team. It is an optimal
situation for us to have Bob sta
tioned in Ithaca working directly
with Drs. John Pollack and Dick
Quass. He is an excellent addi
tion to our already amazing sci
entific team.”
Weaber assumed his responsi
bilities Sept. 1. He may be con
tacted in Ithaca, New York, via
email, at bweaber@simm
gene.com, or by phone at (607)
255-2410.
EH
IT’S WHAT YOU WANT"
Maryland and Virginia
Awards $5OOO In Scholarships
L_
RESTON, Va. Maryland
and Virginia Milk Producers Co
operative awarded five $l,OOO
scholarships to college students
who are sons and daughters of
their members. All pursuing ca
reers in the dairy industry, the
recipients were selected based on
their industry knowledge, career
plans, leadership activities and
academic excellence.
A junior at Cornell University,
David Day is the son of Curtis
and Ann Day of Shippensburg,
Pa. An animal science major,
David is active in Alpha Gamma
Rho and is on the sale crew of
the Dairy Science Club. David
hopes to contribute to the dairy
industry as an active dairyman
producing and shipping quality
milk.
Doreen Delp is a sophomore
majoring in animal science at
Penn State University and is the
daughter of Durrell and Dawn
Delp of Williamsburg, Pa. She
Doreen Delp
Jana Edwards
New Ag, Resource
Economics Department Chair
At Maryland
COLLEGE PARK, Md. Bruce L. Gardner, Distinguished Uni
versity Professor at the University of Maryland, is the new chairper
son of the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics in
the university’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
A University Park resident, Gardner has been a faculty member at
Maryland since 1981 and director of the Maryland Center for Agri
cultural and Natural Resource Policy since 1996. He will continue in
the latter role for the present, along with his new duties as depart
ment chair.
An Illinois native, Gardner grew up on a dairy farm northwest of
Chicago that is still operated by his brother. He was graduated from
the University of Illinois in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in agricul
tural economics.
Four years later, he had earned a doctorate degree in economics at
the University of Chicago. His major professor there was the world
renowned Dr. Theodore W. Schultz.
has been an active 4-H and FFA
member, serving as both secre
tary and president, and has also
been active in the Junior Hol
stein Association. After gradua
tion, Doreen plans to seek em
ployment involving breed
promotion, dairy production or
dairy research.
A senior at Virginia Tech,
Jana Edwards is the daughter of
Richard and Janice Edwards of
Ridgely, Md. A dairy science
major with a minor in computer
science, Jana hopes to combine
the two as a dairy computer con
sultant or attend graduate school
Kristen Myers
for dairy genetics. She serves as
president of the Dairy Club and
is an active member of Alpha
Zeta.
Kristen Myers is the daughter
of Jason and Donna Myers of
New Windsor, Md. She is a jun
ior at Cornell University and an
animal science major with an ag
ribusiness minor. She has been
an active member of 4-H for ten
years, FFA for four years and
currently serves as the vice-presi
dent of Cornell’s Dairy Science
Club and is on the sale commit
tee. Kristen hopes to pursue a ca
reer in finance or marketing in
the dairy industry.
Justin Potts of Purcellville,
Va., is an agricultural education
and dairy science major at Vir
ginia Tech. A junior, Justin is ac
tive in the Dairy Club, the dairy
judging team and Alpha Gamma
Rho. Justin plans to pursue a ca
reer in agriculture, which may
include returning to his family
farm. He is the son of Eddie and
Marty Potts.
Previously Maryland and Vir
ginia sent $lOOO directly to uni
versity dairy science departments
who selected students affiliated
with Maryland and Virginia
members. General agriculture re-
David Day
cipients were selected if there
were no eligible dairy science stu
dents.
According to Stephanie Mey
ers, director of communication
and education, “Bringing our
scholarship program in-house
has provided more flexibility and
more value to our members. Our
best students have been recog
nized, regardless of the school
they attend or the major they se
lect.”
Maryland and Virginia Milk
Producers is a milk marketing
and processing cooperative
which markets milk for over
1,600 dairy farmers in ten states
from Pennsylvania to Alabama.
Headquartered in Reston, Va.,
with a regional office in Char
lotte, N.C., the cooperative in
cludes a fluid milk processing
plant in Newport News, Va.; two
manufacturing plants in Laurel,
Md. and Strasburg, Va.; and an
equipment warehouse in Freder
ick, Md.
Justin Potts