The Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association presented three leadership awards to the following honorees: Erick Coolidge, Wellsboro, Pa., as the 2013 Charles E. Cowan Memorial Award recipient; Dr. Patricia Kitchen, Danville, Pa., as the 2013 Distinguished Dairy Woman recipient; and Dr. Douglas Beegle, with the Penn State Department of Agronomy, with the 2013 Extension Award.
Each year the Charles E. Cowan Memorial Award is presented in honor of Charles Cowan, who served as secretary and treasurer of the Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association for many years. The recipient of the award must demonstrate superior management capabilities and provide outstanding leadership qualities within the dairy industry.
Erick Coolidge owns and operates Le-Ma-Re Farm in Wellsboro, Pa. with his son and wife. Coolidge has served as the Tioga County Commissioner for more than 17 years. He also holds leadership positions on the Tioga County Development Corporation and the Wellsboro Electric Company Board. Currently, he serves on the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania as Vice-Chair of its Agriculture Committee and is Pennsylvania’s agricultural representative on the National Association of Counties. He was appointed in 2010 by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to the U.S. Dairy Industry Advisory Council, which gave dairy farmers in the Northeast part of the country a voice in federal dairy policy decisions.
The Distinguished Dairy Woman Award is presented annually to a dairy woman who has served the dairy industry. The 2013 recipient is: Dr. Patricia Kitchen> She and her husband Randy farm in Danville, Pa. As a University of Pennsylvania –School of Veterinary Medicine graduate, she practiced in large animal medicine for many years. Dr. Kitchen has been published in the Journal of Dairy Science, and she is currently the owner of a small animal veterinary hospital in the Danville area. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Montour-Delong Fair Association as well. Kitchen has served as a 4-H leader for 29 years, on the Pennsylvania Holstein Association Board of Directors, and has chaired the state youth and planning committees for state Junior Conventions, and is presently serving as an adult advisor to the National Junior Holstein Activities Committee.
The Extension Award is presented annually to an individual working in extension and serving Pennsylvania’s dairy industry. Dr. Douglas Beegle contributes to the dairy industry through extension, research and teaching focusing in the areas of soil testing, agronomic crop recommendations, manure management and whole farm nutrient management.nIn 2010, Beegle was recognized for his outstanding professional accomplishments and was promoted to his current position of Distinguished Professor of Agronomy at The Pennsylvanian State University. Through his extension education programs, Beegle works with farmers, extension educators, members of the agriculture industry, state and federal technical staff as well as state and federal regulatory staff and committees. He is currently working on two cooperative research projects, “New Subsurface Application for Dry Poultry and Dairy Manures” and “Sustainable Cropping Systems for Dairy Farms in the Northeastern US.”
Source: Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association