UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Agricultural Leaders From Five States Have Honored Three Family Farm Operations From Pennsylvania And Three From Maryland With 2004 Mid-atlantic Master Farmer Awards.

The honorees are Greg Forejt Sr. of Ruffs Dale, Pa.; Dale and Carol Hoffman of Shinglehouse, Pa.; Michael Rice of Mercersburg, Pa.; James and Sharon Keilholtz of Emmitsburg, Md.; Robert and Roselyn Payne of Still Pond, Md.; and Drew and Patricia Stabler of Laytonsville, Md.

They were selected from among 27 applicants and nearly 200 nominees from Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Judges rated and chose the winners for their successes in progressive business management, responsible use of resources and exemplary civic leadership.

Established in 1927, the Master Farmer program is one of America's oldest and longest-running agricultural honors programs. The award is co-sponsored by American Agriculturist magazine, Penn State Cooperative Extension and the cooperative extension programs of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and West Virginia.

Judges for the competition were Robert Bruch, coordinator of rural development services for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture; Robert Frazee, president of Mid-Atlantic Farm Credit; and Theodore Alter, director of Penn State Cooperative Extension.

Here are brief profiles of this year's winners:

Greg Forejt grew up helping his father grow sweet corn and raise beef cattle and working on neighboring farms. While earning an agriculture/resource management degree at West Virginia University, Greg rented land and farmed on weekends. In 1993, he and his wife, Lesley, purchased their first farm. Today, Forejt farms about 1,460 acres with close attention to soil conservation, machine efficiency and what he terms as "intense marketing" of grain and vegetable crops.

Forejt is a director of the Westmoreland County Ag Fair, a member of the county's Ag Land Preservation Program's recertification committee and a volunteer Boy Scout leader. He also has served with the local volunteer fire department.

Dale Hoffman was born into the dairy business and hauled milk for his father after finishing high school in Snyder County, Pa. In 1972, he rented his first farm and started milking with 16 cows, a tractor, manure spreader and a $15,000 loan. Along the way, he met his wife, Carol, on a church hay ride, and they quickly became a team. By 1976, as their herd grew to 50 cows, the Hoffmans purchased and moved to a 400-acre farm near the New York border. They undertook a major expansion in 1998, putting up a 400-cow freestall barn and a double 12 parallel parlor.

The Hoffmans were instrumental in establishing Potter County Milk Producers to gain bargaining clout for milk prices and other resources. Dale is vice president of the Potter County Conservation District, a board member of the Holstein Club, a member of the county's Cooperative Extension Advisory Board and executive committee, and a member of the Ag Choice Farm Credit board. Carol was secretary-treasurer of the county fair board and has been a 4-H dairy club leader. They have received numerous county awards for service to agriculture, the "Take Pride in America" conservation award and DHIA milk quality awards.

Michael Rice is the third-generation manager of the Northeast's largest aquaculture operation, raising ornamental fish of all sizes, shapes and colors. After earning a bachelor of science degree at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, he spent a short time in the South on bait fish and goldfish farms. In 1999, he succeeded his father as manager of Mt. Parnell Fisheries Inc., which raises and ships fish worldwide to wholesalers. Mike was instrumental in developing the farm's new climate-controlled facility, which features a closed recirculating water system that greatly accelerates fish development.

Rice is past president of the National Ornamental Goldfish Growers Association and vice president of Pennsylvania's Aquaculture Association. He is a past advisory board president of the First National Bank of Mercersburg, past president and current three-term vice president of the Tuscarora School Board, and charter member of the Tuscarora Education Foundation.

Jim Keilholtz was born and raised on the dairy farm that he and his wife, Sharon, began buying in 1983 after his father's death. Sharon grew up on her family's Brown Swiss farm before leaving to get a nursing degree at Frederick Community College. The Keilholtzes chose to stay "low tech," using computerized feeders and improved herd genetics to raise milk production without incurring major investments. Jim hauls cattle to sales and national shows. Sharon, a registered nurse, practices geriatric nursing part-time. Both milk and manage the dairy and farm, with part-time help from their daughter, Jennifer.

Jim has been president of the Thurmont Co-op and has served on the local Farmers Home Administration and Soil and Water Conservation boards. Sharon has been secretary of the Maryland Brown Swiss Association and a 4-H club leader. The couple has been honored for soil conservation, milk quality and Brown Swiss production and for showing the intermediate champion Red and White at World Dairy Expo.

In 1949, at the age of 11, Bob Payne began milking on his father's farm. After marrying in 1959 and working for another dairy farm for several years, he and Roselyn (Jean) began renting his father's farm and milking 30 of their own cows. The Paynes gradually acquired 310 acres of farmland and grew the milking herd to 60 cows. In 1984, they began contracting out the farming operation to concentrate on the dairy, their family and off-farm activities.

Since 1972, the farm has been a resource to students from the Echo Hill Outdoor School. By 2000, the Paynes had hosted more than 100,000 children, providing a connection with agriculture and an appreciation for the land. In 1994, they donated a 150-acre conservation easement to Maryland Environmental Trust.

Bob is a director of Maryland-Virginia Milk Producers Co-op and the Still Pond Cemetery Company. Jean is president of the Kent Museum and their church board of trustees. They have received numerous milk quality awards, the "Superstar Volunteer" award from United Way of Kent County and the "Heart of the Shore" award from the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy.

Drew and Patricia Stabler both grew up on farms. They met in 4-H and dated while attending the University of Maryland, where she earned a master's degree in home economics. Drew started farming with his father and brother in 1960. A year later, they were married, and she became a Maryland Cooperative Extension 4-H agent. She also taught school before becoming a mother and homemaker. By 2000, their Pleasant Valley Farm had grown to 4,000 acres. Drew retired from the partnership in 2001 and formed a new one, Sunny Ridge Farm, with his brother's son-in-law.

The Stablers have filled many leadership roles in agriculture and community service and have served as spokespersons for agriculture in Washington, D.C. Drew currently is treasurer of the Maryland Grain Producers, a member of Montgomery County's Ag Land Preservation board, president of the Enterprise Farmer's Club and board chairman of the Sandy Spring Bank. Pat has served as chairperson of Maryland Women's Ag Forum, board member of the Montgomery County Ag Fair and Center, vice president of the Maryland Home Economics Association and lay leader in their United Methodist Church.

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EDITORS: For more information on the winners or the Mid-Atlantic Master Farmer program, contact John Vogel by phone at 717-334-4300 or by e-mail at Chuck Gill Office 814-863-2713 FAX 814-863-9877