Congratulations to Logan Bower, Blain, Pa., Sheryl Vanco, Bear Lake, Pa. and Robert C. Goodling Jr., all who were honored by the Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association. Bower was named the 2012 Charles E. Cowan Memorial Award recipient; Vanco was named the 2012 Distinguished Dairy Woman recipient; and Goodling Jr.was awarded the 2012 Extension Award.
“The awards are intended to recognize those who have made significant contributions to Pennsylvania’s dairy industry,” said David Smith, executive director of the Dairymen’s Association. “All three of this year’s recipients have distinguished themselves in their leadership, service and ongoing commitment to dairy in the commonwealth.”
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.
Bower, who owns and operates Pleasant View Farms, a 500-cow, 750-acre farm in Perry County, has served in leadership roles in both his local community and in state and national dairy and agriculture organizations. Locally, he serves on the Perry County Planning Commission and the Blain Lions Club. Within the dairy industry, he has served on the boards of the Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association and the Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania, serving as president of both organizations at one point.
The Distinguished Dairy Woman Award is presented annually to a dairy woman who has served the dairy industry. Vanco has a multi-faceted interest in the Pennsylvania dairy foods industry and has served in many capacities.
Vanco and her husband Steve have a 95-cow dairy operation in Warren County. In addition to supporting him on the farm, she serves as a director of the Warren County Farm Bureau and as president of the Farmers Union Milk Cooperative. For the past twenty years, she has served as the chair of the Pennsylvania Holstein Association’s Junior Scholarship Foundation and received a Presidential appointment to the Pennsylvania Farm Service State Committee in 2008. Currently she serves as chair of that committee.
The Extension Award is presented annually to an individual working in extension and serving Pennsylvania’s dairy industry. Goodling is an extension association within Penn State’s Dairy and Animal Science Department, working in a variety of areas related to data and record management, dairy profitability, genetics and reproduction.
Goodling was a key developer of the Profitability Assessment Dairy Tool, as well as the sole developer of a series of data analysis tools designed to help producers pinpoint production areas needed to gain improvement on the farm. Most recently, Goodling collaborated with colleagues across the country to develop a herd assessment tool for genetic evaluation using information from parent averages and DHIA records.
Source: Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association