Pennsylvania Dairymen's Association award winners, from left: Rob Goodling, Sheryl Vanco & Logan Bower.

LANCASTER, Pa. -- The Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association presented three leadership awards during the closing luncheon of the Pennsylvania Dairy Summit, held here on Thursday, February 9.

This year, the awards were kept under wraps until the awards ceremony, where the Association honored Logan Bower, Blain, Pa., as the 2012 Charles E. Cowan Memorial Award recipient; Sheryl Vanco, Bear Lake, Pa., as the 2012 Distinguished Dairy Woman; and Robert C. Goodling Jr., an extension association at the Pennsylvania State University, with the 2012 Extension Award.

"These leaders are people who have sacrificed time from their own businesses to serve us," said David Smith, executive secretary of the Dairymen's Association, which was initially formed in 1871 to promote the general welfare of the dairy foods industry in Pennsylvania. The organization has presented industry leadership awards for more than 50 years, with the first Extension Award presented in 1961. The Cowan Memorial Award was introduced in 1976, and the Distinguished Dairy Woman’s Award in 1995.

“These awards are intended to recognize those who have made significant contributions to Pennsylvania’s dairy industry,” Smith added. “All three of this year’s recipients have distinguished themselves in their leadership, service and ongoing commitment to dairy, and they show that dynamic leadership comes from all corners of the Commonwealth.”

The Charles E. Cowan Memorial Award is presented in honor of Charles Cowan, who served as secretary and treasurer of the Association for many years. The recipient of the award must demonstrate superior management capabilities and provide outstanding leadership qualities.

Bower, third generation owner and operator of 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.

Through his involvement with PDMP, Bower served as the first chairman of the Pennsylvania Dairy Summit and helped to mold the program and purpose of the annual event. He also is a past director of the Center for Dairy Excellence and the Pennsylvania Beef Council, and he currently serves on the Pennsylvania Dairy Leadership Council, appointed by Governor Tom Corbett.

His leadership within the Pennsylvania Beef Council and PDMP -- and his commitment to quality animal care -- prompted him to be involved in gathering industry stakeholders to transform the Dairy Beef Quality Assurance Program into the Dairy Animal Care and Quality Assurance (DACQA) Program. This initiative led to nationally-recognized guidelines being developed for dairy animal well-being.

In 2011, Bower was recognized with the Pennsylvania Beef Council’s Dairy Beef Quality Assurance Award. He was also recognized as a national leader in the dairy industry and currently serves on the National Dairy Well-Being Coalition and the board of the Professional Dairy Producers Foundation in Wisconsin.

The Distinguished Dairy Woman Award is presented annually to a dairy woman who has served the dairy industry. Vanco, a Penn State food sciences graduate, 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 the first female president of the Farmers Union Milk Cooperative. For the past 20 years, she has served as chairwoman of the Pennsylvania Holstein Association’s Junior Scholarship Foundation. In 2008, she received a Presidential appointment to the Pennsylvania Farm Service State Committee, which she currently chairs.

Vanco is a member of the Pennsylvania Animal Health and Diagnostic Commission, appointed by the Governor, and has represented dairy food producers in several legislative hearings, including a U.S. House hearing to examine the effects of food-based recalls on small businesses and a hearing before the U.S. House Small Business Subcommittee on Regulations of Health Care. Through her testimony and in other outreach, she has educated legislators on the precautions and strict regulations dairy producers must follow to ensure safe milk for consumers.

The Extension Award is presented annually to an individual working in Extension and serving Pennsylvania’s dairy industry. Goodling is an extension associate within Penn State’s Dairy and Animal Science Department, working in a variety of areas related to data and records 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 needing 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.

Prior to joining the Department, Goodling was an Extension educator in Lebanon County, where he held a leadership role within the Capital Region’s Dairy Team. As an Extension agent, Goodling worked with a number of dairy profit teams and presented workshops on enhancing reproductive management, utilizing accounting programs, and building team management skills.

Goodling represents Penn State on the Center for Dairy Excellence’s board of directors and is a past president of the Pennsylvania Association of County Agricultural Agents. He has received several regional awards for his extension work through the National Association of County Agricultural Agents and was one of three Pennsylvania delegates to the national NACAA meeting in 2011.

For more information about the leadership awards or the Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association, contact David Smith, executive director, at 717-838-3283.