National Dairy Board Honors Dairy Leader with Richard E. Lyng Award

David Weitzer Recognized for Contributions to Dairy Promotion
posted 11/13/09  

GRAPEVINE, Texas  – The National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (NDB) honored Maryland dairy producer David Weitzer as the 2009 recipient of the Richard E. Lyng Award for his dedication and service to dairy promotion. Weitzer was recognized at the Joint NDB/National Milk Producers Federation/United Dairy Industry Association (UDIA) Annual Meeting in Grapevine, Texas.  

The award is named after former U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Richard E. Lyng, who played a key role in implementing policies that led to the establishment of the NDB more than 25 years ago. The Lyng Award honors dairy industry leaders who have made a significant contribution to dairy promotion that benefits the entire U.S. dairy industry.  

“David has dedicated more than four decades of service to dairy producers in Maryland and across the country,” said Kimberly Clauss, California dairy producer and NDB chair. Weitzer has been a leader in dairy promotion since the mid-1970s, when he was first elected to serve on a local dairy promotion board. He served multiple terms as chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association and its predecessor organizations.  

Weitzer also represented dairy producers nationally. He was elected 2nd vice chairman of UDIA, and chairman of the National Dairy Council®, the nutrition research and education arm of the dairy checkoff. Weitzer also was a founding director of the U.S. Dairy Export Council®, which helps grow U.S. dairy sales internationally, and served six years as a member of the NDB.  

As a national leader, Weitzer was actively involved in the formation of Dairy Management Inc.™, which manages the national dairy checkoff program.  

As a recipient of the Lyng Award, Weitzer will award a $2,500 donation in his name to a college of his choice.  

For more information about the national dairy checkoff program, visit www.dairycheckoff.com.

 

###

 

The 36-member NDB, formed in May 1984 under the authority of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, carries out coordinated promotion and research programs to help build demand and expand domestic and international markets for U.S.-produced dairy products and ingredients. NDB funds, in part, DMI, which manages the national dairy checkoff program.