Masters in Their Field

Six From Mid-Atlantic Named 2009 Master Farmers

Six farmers were inducted Monday into the 76th class of the Mid-Atlantic Master Farmer Awards Program. This year's recipients are William R. Camerer III of Jersey Shore, Pa.; David and Carole Doody of Union Bridge, Md.; Richard R. Ebert of Blairsville, Pa.; John K. Lott of Aspers, Pa.; and W. David Thompson of Street, Md.

The new Master Farmers were honored by Mid-Atlantic ag leaders and past award recipients during the 2009 Master Farmer Awards Luncheon festivities at the Sheraton Harrisburg/Hershey Hotel in Harrisburg, Pa. The award is co-sponsored by American Agriculturist magazine and the Cooperative Extension programs of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

More than 100 candidates are nominated each year for the award. Based on submitted applications, award recipients are selected based on their demonstrated success as progressive business managers, responsible resource use and exemplary civic leadership.

Established in 1927, the Master Farmer program is one of America's oldest and longest running honors programs. It's the "Academy Awards of Agriculture," according to John Vogel, editor-in-chief of American Agriculturist.

"Following standards established more than eight decades ago, it recognizes outstanding management, land stewardship and community role models. Even today, agriculture and our greater society very much need such exemplary people who can inspire others."

"Mid-Atlantic Master Farmers comprise only 0.9 percent of all farmers in the five states," Vogel said. "From their ranks have come a number of state and national ag leaders plus a number of state secretaries of agriculture."

Here's a brief rundown of this year's Master Farmers:

William (Bill) Camerer is president of Camerer Farms Inc., and Doebler's PA Hybrid seed company. Headquartered in Lycoming County, the farm enterprise encompasses 1,600 acres of cropland, producing seed corn for Doebler's.

Camerer is a second-generation Master Farmer, following his grandfather, Taylor Doebler, who was named a Master Farmer 47 years ago. Camerer received a bachelor of science degree in agronomy at Delaware Valley College and a master's degree in plant breeding and genetics at Purdue University.

Camerer is president of the Independent Professional Seed Association and current president of the Pennsylvania Foundation Seed Cooperative. He serves as treasurer of the Jersey Shore Hospital board, as well as serving on the school district's career advisory committee and the Woodland Bank's community advisory committee.

Camerer and wife Robin have four children: Jade, William Robert IV, Richard and Kyle.

David and Carole Doody are owners of Tulip-Pond Farm, a dairy milking 150 mostly purebred Holsteins and 945 acres owned and rented land in Frederick County, Maryland. Milk, grain and dairy genetics generate their income, allowing them to start farming on their own in 1989 with 70 cows.

The Doodys' constant focus on improving their dairy facilities and labor efficiency plus "sweat equity" helped them reduce their debt load to a low short-term loan.  They manage 330 animals with the help of their daughters, Carissa and Cathleen, plus one full-time and one part-time employee.

The Doodys received the Maryland Holstein Association's Senior Breeder Award in 2008.

Carole is leader of an 80-member local 4-H club, junior chair of the Maryland Holstein Association and chair of the Miss Frederick County Farm Bureau committee. She's also coached the state Holstein Dairy Bowl, 4-H Dairy Judging and Dairy Bowl teams.

Dave is vice president of Frederick County Holstein Association and serves on the Dairy Herd Improvement Association's testing board.

Richard (Rick) Ebert hails from Will-Mar-Re Farms, a dairy and cash grain partnership of about 590 acres owned and rented by Rick and wife Diane and his brother William and wife Martha in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. They milk 85 Holstein cows.

Ebert earned a dairy science degree at Penn State in 1982, then worked as a substitute teacher in the Derry Vo-Ag Department after returning home.

The Eberts were told they were too young and without enough collateral to buy a farm. They used a Farmers Home Administration loan to start with 20 cows and were able to pay off the loan and modernize their dairy without a heavy debt load.

Their use of biosolids dramatically reduced fertilizer and lime costs.

The Eberts have four children: Rachael, Joshua, Jonathan and Jacob. Rick has been a 4-H leader since 1982 and superintendent of the Westmoreland County Fair since 1980. He is vice president of Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and chair of PFB's dairy committee.

John K. Lott is president of Bear Mountain Orchards, a fruit growing, packing and marketing business headquartered in Adams County, Pennsylvania. The orchard raises and packs fresh apples, cherries, peaches, pears and nectarines from its 1,605-acre land base.

Lott learned the business from his father, Robert Bear, a 1961 Master Farmer. He earned a bachelor of science degree in horticulture at Penn State in 1972.
John and wife Lucy have three children: Preston, Abby and Hannah.

Bear Mountain Orchards employs 100 workers during peak season and packs fruit for 20 other fresh fruit growers. The orchard uses modern techniques, including high-density blocks, dwarfing rootstock, and trickle and micro-sprinkler irrigation. It also engages in cooperative research with Penn State in integrated pest management, mobile orchard platforms, and mechanical blossom and fruit thinning.

Lott is a board member with the Cherry Industry Administration, Knouse Foods Cooperative, Pennsylvania Apple Marketing Program and the Adams County Industrial Development Corporation. He is past president of the Adams County Fruit Growers Association and the National Peach Council.

Lott was recognized as the State Horticultural Association of Pennsylvania's outstanding fruit grower of 2005. In 2007, he received the outstanding cooperator award from the Adams County Conservation District.  

W. David Thompson is president of Foxborough Nursery, a family-held corporation in Harford County, Maryland, specializing in high-end nursery products. The horticultural plant production and landscape divisions employ 38 people.

Thompson combined landscaping, gardening and Christmas tree farming skills learned as a youth with his University of Maryland ornamental horticulture degree. He and wife Marilyn started the business 31 years ago with a $2,000 loan and a used nine-passenger station wagon.

The Thompsons have two children, Bradley and Andrew. Both are partners in the business.

Thompson is president of the Harford County Ag Preservation Board, a member of the county Ag Advisory Board and a trustee of their local church.

He is a board member of the Maryland Agricultural and Resource Based Industry Development Corporation and past president of the Maryland Nursery and Landscape Association, Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show and the American Conifer Society.

University of Maryland's College of Agriculture Alumni Association honored Thompson for meritorious service in 1994.