Nomination Process and Qualifications

The Board of Directors elects former ADGA Directors to the position of Director Emeritus for several reasons. One is to honor them for the long term positive contribution they have made as they served on the Board. The second is for the benefit they can give future Boards as they participate in discussions about the historical significance and intent of past Board decisions.

Daniel’s experience in all areas of ADGA development over the past 40 years makes him uniquely qualified to be elected to serve the Board and the ADGA Membership as a Director Emeritus. Daniel joined the American Dairy Goat Association on February 3, 1958. He became an ADGA Life Member in 1983, after 25 continuous years of membership. Currently, Daniel has been a member of ADGA for 59 years and ranks the 4th longest held membership of those still living.

52 Years as a Dairy Goat Judge

Daniel was first licensed as an ADGA judge in New Mexico in 1965 and has held a continuous ADGA Judge’s license since that time. At the end of 2015 Daniel completed his 50th year of judging, continuing a passion for evaluating dairy goats as well as having an opportunity to raise awareness of quality dairy goats around the country.

Exemplary ADGA Leadership

Daniel was first elected to the ADGA Board of Directors in 1977 and has served District IV for 36 years. He has also served as the Association President for eight years and on the Executive Committee for 19 years. Daniel has served as chair or co-chair of seven committees and has served on most ADGA committees over the years.
ADGA Pioneer and Historic Herd Name

Daniel was in the 2nd Class of ADGA Pioneers in 2004 in Albuquerque. In 2014 Daniel’s Herd Name Diamond/Sunshine was recognized as an ADGA Historic Herd Name. No other herd name in the history of ADGA has won as many premier breeder awards from the ADGA National Show as the Sunshine Herd. There are 537 animals with the Sunshine herd name that have earned the Superior Genetics designation, 54 animals with the Sunshine herd name with the GCH prefix, and 8 animals with the Sunshine herd name with the CH prefix in the ADGA database.

Performance Programs

Daniel’s endorsement of, support and participation in, each of ADGA’s three performance programs can be seen as one of his most significant accomplishments. He was on the original Classification Committee and was one of the three taskforce members who implemented the field study of the measurements and values given to the individual traits used in the Linear Appraisal Program.

Showing Dairy Goats

Daniel’s 61st consecutive year as an exhibitor at the Wisconsin State Fair was marked in 2016, making him one of the longest-term livestock exhibitors there in history.
Daniel has shown his herd at large state and county fairs across the country. His skills in presenting his animals in a quiet, deliberate way, makes him one of the all-time masters of showmanship in our industry.

(Republished from the 2017 Fourth Quarter ADGA News & Events.)