UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Henry Bergfeld Of Salineville, Ohio, Has Been Named 2005 Animal Science Distinguished Alumnus By Penn State's Department Of Dairy And Animal Science.

While Growing Up On A Small Farm In Western Pennsylvania, Bergfeld Was Active In 4-h, Showed Beef Cattle And Owned A Small Herd Of Angus Cattle. In 1963, He Earned A Degree In Animal Science At Penn State, Where He Was A Member Of Both The Livestock And Meat Judging

For the past 38 years, Bergfeld has been general manager of Summitcrest Farms, based in Ohio. Under his leadership, the herd there has expanded from 125 head to more than 1,800 head of breeding females at ranch locations in Ohio, Iowa and Nebraska. The operation sells more than 450 registered bulls with complete performance data each spring. Bergfeld developed a global market for Summitcrest bull semen and numerous bulls are currently merchandised internationally through AI studs.

Bergfeld oversaw the first-ever exportation of Angus embryos from the United States 19 years ago, when embryos were shipped to New Zealand. These were followed by more recent embryo shipments to Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

With a relationship developed in New Zealand, Bergfeld was instrumental in developing what is known as the Summitcrest Scholarship in New Zealand, allowing young Angus enthusiasts to travel to the United States for six months to learn American Angus-raising techniques. Thirteen scholarships have been awarded.

Bergfeld has provided the Angus Association with more carcass data over the last 13 years than any other producer in the country, with data on more than 3,200-plus carcasses. Under his direction, Summitcrest Farms was named 1991 Beef Improvement Federation Seedstock Producer of the Year. In 1998 the operation was one of eight national winners of the Cattle Businesses of the Century, an award administered by the National Cattlemen's Foundation.

Bergfeld is well known for Angus showing, having shown champions internationally for more than 36 years, including champion carloads at Denver seven out of 13 years. He was named the All-American Futurity Manager of the Year in 1986, and he has judged beef breeds at shows across the United States and Canada, including the National Junior Heifer Show, the National Western Stock Show and the Fort Worth Stock Show. In 1999, he judged all breeds at New Zealand's Beef Exposition.

As a dedicated cattleman, he has served his industry by his continual promotion of Angus beef. A member of the Ohio Angus Association, Bergfeld has been a state director since 1975 and both president and vice president of the organization. Bergfeld was a strong force in the forming of the Buckeye Beef Improvement Federation and then served as a charter member and first president of the organization. He is a past president of the Ohio Cattlemen Association. A member of the National Cattlemen Beef Association, he served on the association's strategic planning, grading and live-marketing committees.

He was elected to two terms on the American Angus board of directors. While a director of the American Angus Association, he served on the public relations, finance, activities, and planning and industry committees, along with the Angus Foundation and Angus Journal. For two years he was chairman of the Certified Angus Beef program, the largest branded beef program in the world.

Bergfeld and his wife, Dona, who is a nursing supervisor at Copeland Oak Retirement Community, have three children, Ann, Ellen and Lee.

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Writer/Editor: Jeff Mulhollem Office 814-863-2719 FAX 814-863-9877