2014 – Dorothy Stoner
Conservation and Dairy Farm Advocate
Dorothy Stoner was a passionate advocate for conservation and dairy farming.
For upwards of 50 years, Dorothy and her husband Richard ran a model 260-acre dairy farm in Unity Township where they incorporated state-of-the-art conservation measures and best management practices to keep their cows healthy and the surrounding land and water – including the headwaters of Sewickley Creek – clean. The depth of their commitment to conservation led the District to name them Conservation Farmer of the Year in 2001.
Dorothy wanted more than anything to keep area dairy farming viable. She worked diligently toward that goal and she took her message to all who would listen.
She promoted the value of conservation practices to other farmers.
She advocated with legislators and government officials through the boards she served on, including the Farm Service Agency and the Westmoreland Conservation District (director, 1995-2006; associate director, 2009-2011), that farmers should receive the same supports available to other small businesses.
And she planned for the future. Over the years, she hosted hundreds of elementary school students at her farm, where they discovered that milk comes from cows, not the supermarket, what life is like on a dairy farm, and the joys of choosing agriculture as a profession.
Dorothy gained broad support for her message because she spoke with passion, and with the authority of experience. It also didn’t hurt that her delivery included her characteristic broad smile, gentle tone, and more often than not, a few of the just-out-of-the-oven sweets she loved to bake.
Dorothy gained broad support for her message because she spoke with passion, and with the authority of experience. It also didn’t hurt that her delivery included her characteristic broad smile, gentle tone, and more often than not, a few of the just-out-of-the-oven sweets she loved to bake.