The James W. Crowley 4-H Dairy Leadership Award program provides recognition to youth who have excelled in their dairy project. The James W. Crowley Dairy Management and Extension Fund is the sponsor of this award. We are pleased to name the award in honor and memory of James W. Crowley, longtime Extension Dairy Specialist and strong supporter of dairy youth projects. Dr. James W. Crowley, or "Doc Jim", devoted his lifetime to serving farmers and dairy professionals in Wisconsin and around the world. Crowley started his career in 1950 as an Extension Dairy Specialist at UW-Madison. Over the years, he won renown for his extraordinary communication skills, becoming a noted presenter and a regular contributor to Hoard's Dairyman for ten years. While Dr. Crowley's primary interest was dairy cattle feeding and management, his work brought him in contact with nearly every facet of the industry. A founder of World Dairy Expo, he served as dairy cattle superintendent and was honored as the first recipient of the "Friend of Expo" in 1982. He was also honored at Expo with the "Industry Person of the Year" in 1987. Dr. Crowley served as coach of the UW Dairy Cattle Judging team and his teams placed among the top ten nationally in five of the nine years he coached. Always taking a progressive approach to dairying, Dr. Crowley headed up the UW Dairy Science Department's involvement in DHI programs, leading the Wisconsin DHI Cooperative into the age of computerized record-keeping in the late 1950's. He also helped establish Wisconsin's forage quality programs. He received many honors in recognition of his numerous contributions to the dairy industry. Crowley's enthusiasm and vision laid the groundwork for many current youth programs in the state. His broad interest in dairy cattle management and in young people who will be tomorrow's dairy leaders has been vital in keeping Wisconsin "America's Dairyland."
Each year, Wisconsin counties select their top dairy participant to receive this award. A special engraved medallion will be presented to the outstanding 4-H dairy project member in each county for their accomplishments in 2009. These medallions are provided by the Crowley Fund. County Award winners are eligible to compete for 15 state-wide awards. State winners will receive plaques and the top two youth in the state competition will each receive $500 awards for continuing their dairy education. State winners are announced at the Wisconsin State Fair Dairyland Youth Celebration.
August 2010– March 2011 – Counties select individual winners using their own selection criteria. Each county should submit the name and address of the county award recipient by March 31 to Beth Heinze.
April 15, 2011 – The Extension Youth Specialist will send each county winner/nominee an application to compete for the statewide awards.
June 1, 2011 - State level award forms due to Beth Heinze
July 15, 2011 - 20 finalists for interviews will be notified.
August 3, 2010 (at State Fair) - Finalist interviews
August 6, 2010 – Winners announced at the Governor’s Dairyland Youth Celebration