Henry L. Bergfeld - 2005 Animal Science Distinguished Alumnus

The recipient of the Department of Dairy and Animal Science 2005 Animal Science Distinguished Alumnus Award is Henry Bergfeld. Henry was raised on a small farm in western Pennsylvania and was active in 4-H, showing beef cattle and owning a small herd of Angus cattle while in high school.

Henry Bergfeld received his college education at Penn State University, graduating in 1963 with a degree in animal science. While at Penn State, he was a member of both the Livestock and Meats Judging Teams, winning three major collegiate livestock contests. Coached by Professor Herman Purdy, he was High Individual at two contests.

For the past 38 years, Henry has been General Manager of Summitcrest Farms in Ohio. The herd has expanded from 125 head to over 1800 head of breeding females at three ranch locations, Summitville, Ohio; Fremont, Iowa; and Broken Bow, Nebraska, along with the separate entity, Loup River Ranch, at Milburn, Nebraska. Over 450 registered bulls with complete performance data sell each spring. He developed a global market for Summitcrest bull semen and numerous bulls are currently merchandised internationally through AI studs.

Under Henry's direction, the first exportation ever was made of Angus embryos into New Zealand nineteen years ago. These were followed by more recent embryo shipments to Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. With a relationship developed in New Zealand, Henry was instrumental in developing what is known as the Summitcrest Scholarship in New Zealand, where by young Angus enthusiast travel to the United States for six months spending time learning our Angus ways (13 have been awarded to date).

Bergfeld has provided the Angus Association with more carcass data over the last thirteen years than any other producer in the country with data on over 3200+ carcasses. Under his direction, Summitcrest Farms was named 1991 Beef Improvement Federation Seedstock Producer of the Year. In 1998 they were one of eight national winners of the Cattle Businesses of the Century, an award administered by the National Cattlemen's Foundation.

Henry Bergfeld is well known in the Angus showring having shown champions internationally for over thirty-six years including champion carloads at Denver seven out of thirteen years. He received the All-American Futurity Manager of the Year award in 1986. He has judged beef breeds all 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, Henry 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 both the Strategic Planning and Grading Committees and on the Live Marketing Committee.

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.

Henry and his wife, Dona, who is an RN Supervisor at Copeland Oak Retirement Community, have three children, Ann, Ellen, and Lee.