CASNR Outstanding Agriculturalist Awards go to three standout leaders
By: Norman Martin
Texas Tech's College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources honored three leaders with the Gerald W. Thomas Outstanding Agriculturalist Award on Thursday (Nov. 7) during its 92nd annual Pig Roast at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center. The Pig Roast also celebrates scholarship donors, recipients and intercollegiate judging teams.
The annual outstanding agriculturalist awards recognize individuals for contributions to various areas of agriculture. This year's recipients are Brad Bouma for Agribusiness, Stanley Young for Public Service, and Craig Heinrich for Agricultural Production.
Brad Bouma, Agribusiness. A fourth-generation dairy farmer, Bouma was born and raised in Southern California. He attended California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo. During his career Bouma has operated dairy facilities in California, New Mexico, Texas, Indiana and Ohio. For the past 35 years, he's focused much of his efforts on operating agriculture facilities in West Texas. In 2004, he established Legacy Farms, an open, dry lot dairy farm in Plainview. Separately, Bouma co-founded and serves as chairman of the Board for Select Milk Producers, Inc., which launched a milk filtration system that led to the development of Core Power drinks and Fairlife Milk in partnership with Coca-Cola. As the president of Select Milk Producers, Bouma was a key driver in the development and construction of Continental Dairy Facilities Southwest, a state-of-the-art milk and buttermilk powder plant in Littlefield. In addition, he is a founder and owner of Indiana-based Fair Oaks Farms. The Bouma family owns and operates two dairy farms, and a large dairy heifer feedlot in Hale County, where their team is responsible for the daily care and handling of 55,000 head of cattle. Bouma has served on the board of directors for First National Bank of El Paso for 25 years, and served six years as a member of the Texas Animal Health Commission.
Stanley Young, Public Service. The Tulia native received his bachelor's degree in animal production (1968) and his master's degree in animal genetics (1976) from Texas Tech. He joined the Texas Tech faculty in 1970 as an assistant professor with Tech's Department of Animal Sciences. Later he served as a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service County Agent, serving in Lynn and Lubbock counties. He retired from the extension service in 2003, after a 28-year career. As an agent he initiated programs in swine production, cotton marketing, a graduate student intern program, and a Master Gardener program. Over the year's he received numerous honors, including the Texas A&M AgriLife Superior Service Award and the Vice Chancellors Award of Excellence from Texas A&M AgriLife. Young has served on the Texas Pork Producers Association's Board of Directors for 22 years, and Lubbock's Bayer Museum of Agriculture's Board of Directors for 19 years. He's also the past president of the Texas Pork Producers Association and the Texas Hampshire Breeders Association. In 2009, Young was inducted into the Texas Pork Hall of Honor, and today he is a member of the Executive Committee of the Texas Pork Producers Association and the Bayer Museum of Agriculture.
Craig Heinrich, Agricultural Production. A third-generation cotton producer, Heinrich has been farming for more than 30 years, starting in his freshman year as a Texas Tech agronomy major. In 1997, he was named to the board of Slaton Co-op Gin, and shortly thereafter began his service to Plains Cotton Growers, Inc., where he has been on the board since 1998. He's served as president of the PCG board, and currently is chairman of the PCG PAC. Today, he is a delegate body member for Plains Cotton Cooperative Association and chairman of PCCA's Marketing Pool Committee. Heinrich also serves on the board of the Southwest Council of Agribusiness. In 2015, Heinrich was awarded as the Slaton Area Farmer of the Year. He has served as a delegate to the National Cotton Council since 2003, and has been active in NCC's American Cotton Producers. Heinrich is one of three Texas state chairmen for American Cotton Producers. Separately, he serves as a director for Cotton Council International, and has participated in several special trade missions with cotton textile executives and manufacturers from all over the world. Heinrich has served on the board of Cotton Incorporated since 2003.
The outstanding agriculturalist awards, established in 1969, are named for Gerald W. Thomas, who served as dean of Tech's College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources from 1958 to 1970.
CONTACT: Jane Piercy, Director of Development and External Relations, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2802 or jane.piercy@ttu.edu
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