Alexander Simmons, of Lebanon, has joined the technical staff of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory. Simmons recently joined CRREL’s Remote Sensing/Geographic Information Systems Center of Expertise Water Resources/GIS Group as a geographer. He earned a bachelor’s degree in geographic information systems and a master’s degree in geography from Binghamton University in New York. He is a member of the American Association of Geographers.
Taylor Hodgdon, of Hanover, has joined the technical staff of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory as a research geologist. Hodgdon earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geology from the University of New Hampshire. He is a member of the Geological Society of America and Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society. His experience includes interning as an environmental technician with the New Hampshire Geological Survey, and as a collegiate link manager and a geochemical clean lab technician at UNH.
The Vermont Farm Bureau recognized several bureau members from the Upper Valley for their service to agriculture at its annual meeting and conference last month at the Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa.
Ed and Kelly Meacham, of North Hartland, Farm Bureau members for 33 years, were awarded the Farm Family of the Year Award. The family milks 100 registered Holsteins and raise 90 young stock with the Meachams, their son, Jon, and his wife, Calista, sharing the dairy chores. The family has 85 acres of corn, 60 acres of alfalfa and 75 acres of grass. Their community service activities include the Junior Holstein Club, 4-H, the Farm to School program and the Windsor County Farm Bureau.
David and Peggy Ainsworth, of Westlands Farm in Royalton, received the Century Farm Award. David Ainsworth took over the 442-acre farm, which has been in the family since 1867, in 1984. They currently milk 50 cows, house 50 heifers and have a 3,600-square-foot greenhouse in which they grow tomatoes and peppers. Ainsworth has served as chairman of the Agri-Mark Resolutions Committee and chairman of the Nominating Committee at Yankee Farm Credit. He has also served as a director of the Tunbridge World’s Fair for 18 years. He has been a Windsor County Farm Bureau member for more 30 years and serves on the executive board of the Vermont Farm Bureau. Peggy Ainsworth serves on the White River Soil Conservation Board, the Farm Bureau Foundation Board and as a state delegate.
Kerry Gawalt, of Cedar Mountain Farm in Hartland, was the recipient of the Farm Woman of the Year award. Gawalt has operated her dairy and vegetable farm with her husband, Stephen Leslie, since she was 24 years old. For the past three years she’s been an active 4-H leader and serves as vice president of Windsor County Farm Bureau.
Stuart Farnham of The Frazer Agency in Windsor received both the Nationwide Top Farm Premium Award and Most Farm Bureau Memberships Enrolled Award.
The Sunday Valley News recognizes the achievements of members of the local business community in the Business & Money section. Submissions may be sent by email to: biznotes@vnews.com (high-resolution photographs may be attached in .jpg format), or by mail to: People in Business, c/o Sunday Valley News, P.O. Box 877, White River Junction, Vt. 05001. (Photographs cannot be returned unless accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope.) All items are subject to editing.