Nothing, it would seem, could be more natural than for a Williams man to dedicate his life to cows. Yet the path is not well worn between this green campus and the pastures of our nation’s dairyland. What was intended to be a single year as a farm intern between college and veterinary school led to an abrupt change in your career and your life. On 400 acres of what has been officially rated the poorest soil in the town of Pawlet, Vermont, you have crafted a true farming success story out of hard work and sound practice. After years of pre-dawn millings and no vacations the results began to show. In 1984 your cows attained the highest average milk production in the state. By 1987 you were named Outstanding Young Holstein Breeder and by 1990 Dairyman of the Year in a state that at the time had more cows than people. 1bis latter award acknowledged not only the quality of your farm’s milk, but your conservation practices (which have also won you an award from the Poultney-Mettawee Conservation District), your care for your livestock, and your contributions to the industry and your community. While still intimately involved with the daily rhythms of life on Morning Moon Farm, your efforts to reduce world hunger have involved you further away from Pawlet. These include service on the Governor’s Agricultural Advisory Board, testimony before the U.S. Senate’s Agriculture Committee, serving as a panelist at last summer’s National Dairy Summit, and now joining the board of directors of Agri-Mark, the largest milk cooperative in the Northeast, whose 2,000 members produce more than $400 million worth of dairy products each year. “He doesn’t have the easiest farm to work with,” one Federal farming official has said. “But he does the best with what he has.” You betcha’ … In recognition of your distinguished achievement as a farmer and leader in the dairy industry, Williams College is proud to present you with its Bicentennial Medal.
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