Ag Day 2001

UMD AG DAY 2001

76th Annual Ag Day

Dedication: Dr. Emory C. Leffel – For Your Years of Service

We honor today Emory c. Leffel, professor emeritus of animal and avian sciences in the University of Maryland college of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Dr. Leffel retired 20 years ago but his legacy still lives in the achievements of former students like David and Stuart Greene, Tom Morris and Marlin Hoff – to name just a few of the well-known names in Maryland sheep and dairy cattle circles

Emory served more than 13 years as faculty to University of Maryland AG Student Council and AG Day. And as an undergraduate student he remembers with some embarrassment that he chaired the Student AG Day planning committee in 1943, the only year the AG Day was ever cancelled in its 77-year history. Of course, World War II was in full swing as the time, and only five male AG students were available to work on AG Day. There were no women AG majors in those days!

Born in the Brush Mountain area of southwest Virginia where his father was a Giles County Extension agricultural agent, Emory Leffel has been a Maryland resident since high school days at Lisbon in western Howard County. His father, Claude S. Leffel, was farm manager for many years at Oakdale Farm, a 1,000-acre operation near Daisy, in an area traditionally known for top-quality livestock. So it’s not surprising that all six of Claude’s children – four sons and two daughters – chose academic or farming careers related to livestock.

After graduating from Lisbon High school in 1940, Emory Leffel enrolled at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he earned a B.S. degree in animal science in 1943, and M.S. degree in animal science in 1947, and a Ph.D. in dairy science in 1953.

Except for one year as a dairy husbandman for the USDA at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, he was an animal sciences graduate assistant or faculty member in the University of Maryland college of Agriculture and Natural Resources continuously from 1946 until his retirement in 1981. Between 1943 and 1946 he spent three years with the U.S. Marine Corps in the Southwest Pacific during World War II.

Achieving the status of full professor in 1968, Dr. Leffel produced an impressive list of scientific publications and he taught an amazing array of animal science course at both undergraduate and graduate student levels. He was principal advisor for at least 17 M.S. and Ph.D. candidates. The AGNR Alumni chapter cited him for excellence in research.

Emory also served as a sheep management specialist for the Maryland Cooperative Extension Service, conducted an annual sheep shearing school and gave sheep shearing demonstrations around the state. He was instrumental in organizing the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, now in its 28 ^th year, which has grown to be one of the largest shows of it’s kind east of the Mississippi River. Emory is a past president of the Maryland Sheep Breeders Association, and he was named MSBA Shepherd of the Year in 1976.

Animal Husbandry Club Livestock Show

Livestock Show Judges:

Dr. Tom Hartsock – Swine

Jennifer Woodward-Greene – Sheep

Willard Leimaster – Beef

Mark Iager – Dairy

SWINE FITTING AND SHOWMANSHIP

Faculty Coach: Dr. Tom Hartsock

Student Coach: Heidi Drury

CLASS 1

Heidi Drury

CLASS 2

Nia McDonald

Daphne Schauber

Margot Seldin

Rachel Dayton

Tamar Vardi

Jennifer Barnard

SHEEP FITTING AND SHOWMANSHIP

Faculty Coach: Jordan Thomas

Student Coach: Lindsay Callahan

CLASS 1

Leah Katz

CLASS 2

Jeni Lerner

Lindsay Callahan

Sherri Heft

Matt Koerner

Veva Wallace

Teal Edelen

Christine Laing

Ashley Dietz

Stephanie Decaro

CLASS 3

Kathryn Bonistalli

CLASS 4

Christine Force

Tawney Huston

Erick Krausenberger

Rebecca Baldwin

Crystal Rice

Jenny Krueger

Heather Dernoeden

Celeste Streeter

Riki-Ann Serins

BEEF FITTING AND SHOWMANSHIP

Faculty Coach: Willard Leimaster

Student Coaches: Jennifer Barnard & Londell Luther

CLASS 1

Daphne Schauber

CLASS 2

Shelley Armour

Teal Edelen

Lindsay Callahan

Genyne Epstein

DAIRY HEIFER FITTING AND SHOWMANSHIP

Faculty Coach: Dr. Lee Majeskie

Student Coach: Katie Dixon

CLASS 1

Jennifer Barnard

CLASS 2

Genyne Epstein

Rachel Dayton

Scot Frobish

Liz Wood

Leah Katz

Shelley Armour

Ashley Dietz

CLASS 3

Jena Ahr

Sam Stanton

Stacey Labrador

Rob Weng

Kathryn Bonistalli

Agriculture Student Council

The Agriculture Student council is a service group consisting of representatives from all agricultural clubs at the University of Maryland. Its purposes are to coordinate activities of the member clubs, to promote agricultural public relations, and to establish and develop interaction among students, faculty, administrators and alumni. In addition, the Ag Student council promotes the welfare and betterment of physical conditions and academic programs on campus for agricultural students.

Two representatives are elected to serve from each student club and officers of the Council are elected to 1-year terms from among these representatives. This year’s Ag Student Council members are:

Officers

President: Paul Gorman
1 ^st Vice President: Bryan Dillehty
2 ^nd Vice President: Matt Koerner
Treasurer: Tom Parisi
Secretary: Liz Wood
Historian: Sarah Bedgar

Agriculture Day Committee

Chairman: Patrick Lloyd
Program: Don Marston
Livestock Show: Mary Kalinowski
Publicity: Barb Chatham
Non-Parade: Kobi Johnson
Concession and Sales: Gary Seibel
Educational Displays: Stan Tesch
Entertainment: Mildred Hayman
Procurement: Tray Trimmons
Space Allocations: Barb Chatham
Door Prize: Patrick Lloyd
Agriculture Student Council Table: Nancy Opel

Thanks to the following people and organizations who helped may Ag Day 2001 a success:

AGNR Student Council
AGNR Student Clubs
SGA & OCP
Sheila Brown
Dean Fretz
Pete Mazzocchi
Dr. Leon Slaughter
Dr. Nepote
Steve Rothman
Gary Seibel and the Shop Crew
Dr. Paul Schreuders
Paul Gorman
Matt Koerner
Jordan Thomas and the Farm Crew
Donna Walther
Elizabeth Weiss
SMREC Dairy Facility
Gail Yeiser
Animal Show Judges
Pepsi Cola Bottling Company
Livestock Coaches
AGNR Alumni Association
AGNR Department Chairs
Members of the Community and University for providing displays and support!

For more information, contact Gail Yeiser

Last updated: 03/9/2009