Six
leaders of New Jersey's agriculture industry were
presented with citations for distinguished service
at the 86th State Agricultural Convention which
was held in Atlantic City earlier this month. The
awards are presented annually by the State Board
of Agriculture to those individuals who have made
significant contributions to agriculture in New
Jersey. This year's honorees included Henrietta
S. Dreyer, Cranford, Union County; Peter J. Furey,
Moorestown, Burlington County; James E. Johnson,
Pennington, Mercer County; Donald M. Kniffen, Sr.
(posthumously), Somerville, Somerset County; Senator
Robert E. Littell, Franklin, Sussex County; and
Warren J. Welsh, Newton, Sussex County. "This year's
awards were presented to individuals who have made
outstanding contributions not only to agriculture
but to their communities as well," Agriculture
Secretary Art Brown said. "We are grateful to them
for their years of dedication and hard work to
improve New Jersey's agriculture industry."
Biographies of the award winners are attached.
HENRIETTA
S. DREYER
Since
her birth on a farm in Springfield, New Jersey
in 1913, Henrietta S. Dreyer's love of agriculture
has been a driving force in her life. After
graduating from Newark State Teacher's College,
Dreyer taught school for nine years. One of the
key concepts she instilled in her pupils was
the importance of agriculture to each of their
lives. Her two sons, Henry and John, learned
this lesson well and have remained on the farm
which they now run. In addition, her granddaughter,
Jessica, has just received her degree in horticulture
from the University of Massachusetts and has
joined the family farm. Dreyer has combined her
teaching career with her love of agriculture
through her active participation in the Ag in
the Classroom program. Over the years, she has
hosted tours of the farm and roadstand for more
than 3,000 children. The Dreyer Farm celebrated
its 95th anniversary last July. During that time,
four generations of Dreyers have worked the land.
Dreyer's role of Secretary/Treasurer of Dreyer's
Farm continues to this day. She still works at
the farm stand which marked its 50th year of
operation in 1999. Dreyer joined the New Jersey
Farm Bureau in 1942. Since then, she has served
as a member of the Board of Trustees, been Union
County's representative to the Farm Bureau's
Women's Committee since 1968, and served on the
Board of Directors for six years. She also served
as a delegate and alternate to the State Agricultural
Convention for eight years. Dreyer was named
Farm Bureau Woman of the Year in 1981 and received
the Arthur West Distinguished Service Award to
New Jersey Farm Bureau in 1991. A member of the
Union County Board of Agriculture since 1938,
she served one term as President and has been
the membership Chairwoman since 1975. She was
made an Honorary Member of the Union County FFA
Chapter in 2000. Locally, she is active in the
Historical Societies of both Cranford and Springfield
and has been a trustee of the Cranford Historical
Society for more than 22 years. Dreyer is a member
of the First Presbyterian Church of Cranford
where she has served as deacon and as a member
of the Board of Trustees. She is also a member
of the Cranford Business and Professional Women's
Association. A strong supporter of local garden
clubs, she has often served as a speaker for
many of their programs.
PETER
J. FUREY
Peter J. Furey has been an advocate for New Jersey
agriculture for well over 20 years. Born in
Haddonfield, New Jersey in 1951, Furey graduated
from the Commerce School of Washington & Lee
University, Lexington, VA, with a bachelor
of arts in economics in 1973. He
began his agricultural career with the New
Jersey Department of Agriculture in 1979 as
the Project Director for the Grassroots Farmland
Preservation Project. Furey joined the New
Jersey Farm Bureau in 1981 and has served as
its Executive Director since 1982. Among his
responsibilities are the management and direction
of daily operations of the Association on behalf
of its 18,000 members. This includes developing
and, once approved, representing its public
policies concerning farmers and production
agriculture in the state. Furey works closely
with state legislators, agencies of state government,
congressional offices, university and research
professionals, agribusiness corporations, news
media, local governments, allied trade associations,
and member farmers throughout the state. He
has played an important role in the passage
of numerous pieces of legislation at the state
level, including the Agriculture Retention
Act which created the Farmland Preservation
Program, the Right to Farm Act, and appropriations
acts which funded the Agricultural Economic
Recovery and Development Initiative's grant
programs. While at the Farm Bureau, Furey has
overseen the growth of its membership from
4,000 to 18,000 members. He designed and supervised
the implementation of an innovative computerized
membership database and electronic communications
with farmer-members as well serving authoring
its newsletter, "This Week in Farm Bureau," the
most widely read farming publication in the
state with a weekly circulation of 6,000. Furey
also supervised the $1 million renovation of
historically-significant West State Street
headquarters of the Bureau. In 1995, Furey
was the recipient of the McCloy Fellowship
from the American Council on Germany for Agriculture.
Furey is a Trustee of the Moorestown Youth
Baseball Federation, a member of the Moorestown
Environmental Committee and an informal advisor
to the Mayor and Council on recreational field
development. Furey and his wife Kristine reside
in Moorestown with their children, Colleen
(18), Dennis (15), and Michael (11).
JAMES
E. JOHNSON
James E. Johnson's many and varied contributions
to agriculture in the Garden State reflect
his lifelong devotion to the industry. Born
and raised on the family farm in Pennington,
Johnson was a manager at the Farmers' Cooperative
Association of New Jersey from 1946 until 1975
when he became manager of Farmers' Brokerage
and Supply, retiring in 1987. During his tenure
with Farmers' Brokerage and Supply, Johnson
instituted instant receipt of Chicago Board
of Trade quotes via satellite dish receiver
and made sure that grain bids were broadcast
on radio and available by telephone 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week. Johnson's agricultural
affiliations and volunteer service to agricultural
organizations is well known. As member of the
Lawrenceville Grange #170; the Mercer County
Pomona Grange #5; the New Jersey State Grange;
the National Grange, Johnson has held a number
of leadership positions. He served as Chair
of the Legislative Committee and Past Master
of the Lawrenceville Grange. He was elected
to 17 consecutive two-year terms on the Executive
Committee of the New Jersey State Grange and
served as the committee's chairman as well.
Throughout his membership in the New Jersey
State Grange, Johnson has worked to ensure
policy coordination between the Grange, the
New Jersey Farm Bureau and the New Jersey Department
of Agriculture so that the three groups speak
with one voice on behalf of the industry. Johnson
has devoted countless hours to the development
of the New Jersey Museum of Agriculture in
New Brunswick and has served as both trustee
and first vice-president. He received the Museum
President's Award for Service and was responsible
for implementing the popular antique tractor
and Amish quilt raffles, which are major fund
raisers for the Museum. A long-time member
of the New Jersey Agricultural Society, Johnson
was a member of the Public Information Policy
Committee which suggested the Society's logo
and motto, "Agriculture Keeps New Jersey Green." Johnson
is also a long standing member of the New Jersey
Farm Bureau where he now serves as convention
coordinator; past president of the Princeton
Agricultural Association; trustee of the Howell
Living History Farm; a charter member of the
New Jersey Soybean Industry Advisory Council;
a member of the Mercer County Board of Agriculture;
and a certified mediator for the State Agriculture
Development Committee's right-to-farm program.
Johnson is a recipient of the Mercer County
Board of Agriculture's Distinguished Service
to New Jersey Agriculture Award. Johnson has
also found time to serve his community having
been a member of the Hopewell Valley Regional
Board of Education, for which he received their
Award for Service, and of the Hopewell Township
Republican Committee. He also served in the
U.S. Army 8th Air Force from 1943-1945. Johnson
and his wife Mardella have a son, James, daughter
in law, Kathleen and granddaughter, Julia.
DONALD
M. KNIFFEN, SR.
Donald M. Kniffen, Sr. dedicated most of his life
to furthering New Jersey's livestock industry.
After earning a Bachelor of Science degree
in Animal Science from West Virginia University
and a Master of Science degree in Animal Science
from Rutgers University, he served as an associate
professor and extension specialist in animal
science with Rutgers/Cook College and the Rutgers
Cooperative Extension Service for over 37 years.
Kniffen served as President of the New Jersey
Angus Association, Secretary-Treasurer of the
Sheep Breeders Association, Director of the
New Jersey Beef Industry Council and member
and secretary/treasurer of the New Jersey Polled
Hereford and Angus Associations. Kniffen was
also an active member of the New Jersey Hampshire
Association and the National Cattlemen's Beef
Association.
Cattle, sheep and swine producers all along
the East Coast called upon Kniffen for advice
and expertise. Here in the Garden State Kniffen
provided guidance and assistance to two generations
of livestock producers. He was instrumental
in creating and implementing the Spring and
Fall Feeders Calf Sales, the New Jersey Wool
Pool, the State 4-H Baby Beef Show and Sale
and the New Jersey State 4-H Lamb Show and
Sale. He judged many local 4-H youth livestock
shows as well as regional and national events.
He became a Professor Emeritus at Rutgers University
and was honored by the establishment of the
Don Kniffen Annual Beef Showmanship Award.
During World War II, from 1944 to 1946, he
served in the United States Navy as a Gunner's
Mate, Third Class, on the USS Noa. Kniffen
was a devoted husband to Gail and father to
Donald Jr. and Daniel. The State Board of Agriculture
was deeply saddened by the death of Donald
M. Kniffen, Sr., and the entire agriculture
community mourns the loss of this dedicated
advocate.
ROBERT
E. LITTELL
Senator Robert E. Littell has been a dedicated
friend and strong advocate for the agricultural
community for more than 31 years. A
lifelong resident of Sussex County, Littell
was educated at Franklin High School and the
Hun School in Princeton. In the Senate, Littell
chairs the Senate Budget and Appropriations
Committee and serves as co-chair of the Joint
Budget Oversight Committee. Always cognizant
of the important role farming plays in so many
New Jersey communities and of the industry's
impact on the local economies, Littell has
frequently sponsored budget language and legislation
which has had significant positive impacts
on the agricultural community. Included among
these major pieces of legislation are the creation
of the Commission on Open Space, which provided
the recommendations that led to the establishment
of the Garden State Preservation Trust; amendments
to the Farmland Assessment Act to broaden the
application of law to more of the agriculture
industry; appropriations for the Agriculture
Economic Recovery and Development Initiative,
the Emergency Disaster Relief Act of 1999,
the New Jersey Museum of Agriculture and the
Farmland Preservation Program; and legislation
that will ultimately enable New Jersey to join
the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact. At
the local level, Littell is a member of the
Sussex County Peace Officers Association and
American Legion Post 132 in Franklin and an
exempt member of the Franklin Volunteer Fire
Department. He has also served as chairman
of local fund-raising efforts for the American
Cancer Society, the Association for Retarded
Citizens, and the March of Dimes in Sussex
County. In September 1996, he became a trustee
of Centenary College and was awarded an honorary
doctorate of laws degree. In January of this
year, he was awarded an honorary doctorate
of humane letters from the New Jersey Institute
of Technology. Littell served in the New Jersey
Assembly from 1967 to 1990. He also served
three years with the Marine Corps during the
Korean War. Littell and his wife Virginia have
a daughter, Alison, a son, Luke, and a grandson,
Logan. Senator Littell owns a working farm
in Sparta Township, Sussex County, that has
been in his family for over 200 years.
WARREN
J. WELSH
As Sussex County's agricultural agent for 35 years,
Warren J. Welsh worked tirelessly to improve
the county's agriculture industry and gave
countless hours of his time to furthering community
programs. With
a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture
from the University of Nevada, Welsh began
his career in 1950 as an Assistant Extension
Agent, retiring from the Rutgers Cooperative
Extension Service as Senior County Agent in
1985. Throughout his career, he worked for
the Sussex County Farm and Horse Show (SCFHS),
beginning as a volunteer assistant secretary
for the show and serving now as executive secretary
and advertising committee chairman. Welsh served
on the 1963 site selection committee which
oversaw the purchase of the 126-acre fairgrounds
and spent the next 10 years helping develop
the fairgrounds' layout. He was one of four
individuals who personally secured a $13,000
loan to build the first pole barn on the fairgrounds
in 1977.
At the SCFHS, Welsh was instrumental in developing a number of new
fair venues, including an art show, photography show, baby parade,
pet show, wood-chopping contest, chick show, landscape competition
and greenhouse displays. SCFHS Agriculture Division volunteers continue
to raise $50,000 each year for agriculture buildings at the fairgrounds.
In recognition of his service to the SCFHS, Warren's Way, a road on
the fairgrounds, was named after him. As a member of the International
Association of Fairs & Expositions (IAFE), Welsh served as an IAFE
Agriculture Awards Judge and on a variety of regional and national
agriculture planning committees. He received Hardee's American Heritage
Award from the IAFE in 1996. Welsh has received many awards for his
contributions to the agriculture industry, including the John Gerwig
Outstanding Career for Furthering Educational Program Award in 1985;
the Sussex County Honors Award in 1986; and the Sussex County Soil
Conservation Service Award in 1995. A recipient of the Coop Milk Producers
Service Award, he also received the SCFHS Years of Service Award Trophy
in 1997. Welsh was named a Rutgers Professor Emeritus in 1985. A member
of the New Jersey Farm Bureau since 1950, he has served on the Sussex
County Agriculture Development Board since 1978 and on the Sussex Vo-Tech
Commission from 1963 to 1973. He served as Sussex County Soil Conservation
Service District Secretary from 1950 to 1970, on the Sussex County
College Commission from 1964 to 1970 and as director of the Sussex
County Skylands Division of Tourism from 1989 to 1993. Locally he has
been a member of the Newton Rotary Club since 1953 and was named Rotarian
of the Year in 1965. Welsh served as Rotary International Group Study
Exchange Tour Leader to Argentina in 1967. In 1968 he started the Rotary
Youth Exchange Program in District 747 which is still active today.
In 1971-1972 he chaired a Group Study Exchange Program with Australia.
Welsh served Rotary International as District Governor in District
747 in 1969-1970.
A
member of the Newton Presbyterian Church and
a church elder in 1970, he also worked on the
Newton Memorial Hospital Fund Drives and was
on the Newton School Board from 1965 to 1975.
Welsh served with the U.S. Air Force from 1942-1946
in Iceland and India. Married to the former Letitia
Gamble for more than 50 years, their daughter,
Linda, and her husband, Ronald Zalme, have three
children, Jessica, Warren and Owen. |