Sep 3, 2006 2 min read

The National Association of County Agricultural Agents at its 91st annual meeting and Professional Improvement Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, recognized Donald C. Fretts, county extension director of the Penn State Cooperative Extension, Fayette County, by presenting him with the association’s distinguished service award. The award is presented to the top 2 percent of the county agents from each state with more than 10 years service in the nation’s Cooperative Extension Service.

The selection is made by county agent peers in that state and endorsed by the state extension director.

This year, 67 individuals from throughout the United States were presented the distinguished service award.

Before his service with extension, Fretts was a vocational-agriculture teacher, technical sales consultant for agri-chemical and livestock nutrition companies and owned and managed a 550-acre Pennsylvania livestock/crop farm.

In 11 years with extension, Fretts has raised more than $80,000 non-tax dollars to support innovative agronomic educational programs, practical on-farm research projects and national award winning computer literacy and farm records programs.

Fretts has coordinated the development of the new 4-H Achievement Ladder program designed to recognize 4-H youth development and it is being used in some counties in southwest Pennsylvania.

Fretts also has been instrumental in developing several farmer owned cooperatives in the mid-Atlantic region as chairman of the Keystone Development Center board of directors.