The Budget and Advocacy Committee and the Committee on Legislation and Policy of the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly
Past Awardees
Lifetime of Service to CARET Awardees
The Lifetime of Service to CARET Award is an award given to a longstanding CARET delegate who has concluded their service to CARET and who has made significant contributions to CARET over many years to enhance the national support and understanding of the importance of the land-grant university system’s agricultural research, extension, and teaching programs. This award is presented only when individuals have exemplified extraordinarily rare service to CARET and the land-grant university community.
2023 Lifetime Service Winner
Jean-Mari Peltier
The 2023 CARET Lifetime of Service Award was presented posthumously to Jean-Mari Peltier. Jean-Mari was a tireless supporter of California agriculture, farmers, and farm organizations. She served as the CARET National Vice President and as President and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC). Her support and vision for research, Extension, and teaching programs have helped to propel CARET advocacy to new heights.
2022 Lifetime Service Winner
Louise Beaman
Purdue University
Louise Beaman has been active in the community and in the promotion of agriculture locally, statewide, and nationally for many years. She previously served as the Chair of the CARET Planning Committee, CARET Vice Chair, and CARET Secretary. She also served as CARET’s liaison to the Academic Programs Committee on Organization and Policy (ACOP). At the regional level, she served as Secretary for the North Central Region of CARET. At the state level, she was Past President of the Purdue Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching (P-CARET). At the county level, she is a past president of the Johnson County Extension Board, Extension Homemakers, and the Johnson County Farm Bureau, Inc.
2019 Lifetime Service Winner
Kenneth J. Nicewicz
Ken served as a delegate from the University of Massachusetts to the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching for 23 years with several of those years serving on the Executive Committee as an elected delegate of the Northeast Region and a term as the appointed CARET liaison to the Budget and Advocacy Committee (BAC).
Ken and his family have an orchard near Bolton, MA, where they sell their fruit, vegetables, and flowers at their farm stand, wholesale and at farmers markets.
Ken feels his volunteerism is an important way for him to give back to the land grant university system that has helped him so much in growing his orchard business.
2019 Lifetime Service Winner
Robert T. "Tom" Jones
Tom represented the University of Arizona and the Western Region of the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching (CARET) as a CARET delegate for 13 years. He was appointed CARET liaison to the Budget and Advocacy Committee (BAC) and also served as an elected delegate on the Executive Committee for four years. He brought the perspective of a former High School ag teacher, former city councilman, and mayor as well as his work as Executive vice president of the Grand Canyon State Electric Cooperative Association. One of Tom’s achievements is being recognized as a noteworthy management executive by Marquis Who’s Who.
2017 Lifetime Service Winner
John L. McLain
John was one of the founding members of the Council for Agriculture Research, Extension and Teaching (CARET) in 1982 serving as one of the early elected members on the Executive Committee for 2 years. He also served as chairman of the Western Region CARET for several of its first years among his more than 30 years of service as CARET delegate of the University of Nevada.
He became a respected and strong advocate for agriculture and the land grant university system not only in Nevada but also nationally.
John’s agriculture emphasis was in range management. He was the co-founder and principal at Resource Concepts, Inc. a multidisciplinary resource-based Engineering, Environmental, Resource Management consulting firm in Nevada. He was also active in the USDA Soil Conservation Service, NRCS National Plan Materials Advisory Committee and USDA/ARS Citizens Liaison committee as well as his work on the University of Nevada’s Citizens and Extension Advisory Committees as well as his advocacy work on CARET. In 2018 he received the W.R. Chapline Land Stewardship Award from the Society for Range Management.
2016 Lifetime Service Winner
Betty R. Buff
Betty was a founding member of the Council for Agriculture Research, Extension and Teaching (CARET) in 1982 having previously served on its predecessor, the National Extension Advisory Council (NIAC).
Betty represented Clemson University on CARET for over 30 years, serving many of those years on the Executive Committee. Betty was instrumental in the establishment in the mentor program for new CARET delegates and the development of the CARET logo.
She also served on several other state, national, and world agriculture organizations such as the Country Women’s Council USA, Associated Country Women of the World, National Master Farm Homemaker’s Guild, National volunteer Outreach Network, and Farm Bureau among others. Betty received many awards for her volunteer service including “The World Who’s Who of Women” in 1984 and the South Carolina Farm Bureau Distinguished Service Award in 2015.
2014 Lifetime Service Winners
Robert L. and Nancy Guernsey
Purdue University
Bob was one of the founding members of the Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching (CARET) in 1982 having previously served on its predecessor, the National Extension Advisory Council (NIAC).
Bob represented Purdue University on CARET over 30 years serving on the Executive Committee and a term as the national chairman. He also helped establish the state CARET group in Indiana. Bob and Nancy were strong advocates locally, statewide, and nationally for the importance of agriculture, extension, and the land grant university system. They were honored in 2012 by being named to the Boone County, IN, 4-H Fair Board Hall of Fame.
Bob and Nancy farmed with their son near Lebanon, IN and were active volunteers in their community.
Meritorious Service to CARET Awardees
The Meritorious Service to CARET Award is an award given to an individual who has supported CARET and the land-grant university system. The award also may be given to a CARET delegate who has concluded their service to CARET or other individual who has made significant contributions to CARET to enhance the national support and understanding of the importance of the land-grant university system’s agricultural research, extension, and teaching programs.
2022 Meritorious Service Winner
Dr. Barry Flinchbaugh
Professor Emeritus / Ag Policy Adviser
Kansas
Dr. Barry L. Flinchbaugh was a Professor of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University. A native of York, Pennsylvania, Dr. Flinchbaugh held B.S. in Animal Science (1964) and M.S. in Agricultural Economics (1967) degrees from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics (1971) from Purdue University. Dr. Flinchbaugh joined Kansas State University in 1971. He taught a junior-senior level course in agricultural policy and lectured throughout Kansas and the nation on agricultural and economic policy. Dr. Flinchbaugh received the Outstanding Teacher Award from KSU College of Agriculture students on three different occasions.
2022 Lifetime Service Winner
Eddie Gouge
Retired CARET Director
Eddie Gouge served as the Executive Director of CARET and Assistant Vice President, Food, Agriculture & Natural Resources (FANR) at APLU. Eddie was with APLU for over thirty years. Prior to joining the Association, Gouge served as the Assistant Director for Legislative Education and Assistant for Public Affairs at the Navy League of the United States, he managed a postdoctoral fellowship program for the American Society for Engineering Education and held several positions on Capitol Hill.
2021 Meritorious Service Winner
Susan E. Crowell
Ohio State University Retired CARET member
Ohio
2021 Meritorious Service Winner
The Honorable Pat Roberts
Retired United States Senator
Kansas
Kansas Senator Pat Roberts retired in 2021, after serving as the senator from Kansas since 1997 and as Chair of the United State Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. He also served eight terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1981 to 1997.
He truly made significant contributions to the national support for and understanding of the land-grant university's system's agricultural research, Extension, and teaching programs. Senator Robers was an instrumental advocate of agricultural research during his 40 years of Congress, and he is the only individual in the history of the committees to serve as Chair of both the House and Senate Ag Committees. During that time, he has been involved with EIGHT Farm Bills. Through his leadership, Senator Roberts built a strong history of support for agricultural research.