Posted on August 9, 2013 at 8:35 AM by Global Reach
Maynard Lang's 4-H career began in 1936 as a member of the Madison Go-Getters 4-H Club. He served in various officer positions within his club and at the county level. Maynard exhibited registered Ayrshires at the county fair, Iowa State Fair and National Dairy Cattle Congress. In 1942, he was named the State Champion 4-H Dairy Member. He was elected the State 4-H Vice-President in 1946 and was selected as an Outstanding 4-H Club member in Iowa winning a trip to the National 4-H Club Camp in Washington, D.C. He received the Lou Plager Award for outstanding 4-H club work in 1946 which was presented during the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation meeting. In 1945, Maynard along with his brother, Jack, and Norman Hall won the Iowa 4-H Dairy Judging Contest. Then in 1946, Maynard and Jack repeated winning the Dairy Judging Contest, this time along with Don Parker. However, his leadership skills weren't limited to just 4-H. In FFA he won the Iowa Farmer Degree and was elected Iowa Fifth Vice-President, both in 1943.
His 4-H leadership skills carried over later in life as he has served as chairman of the National Dairy Board, the Midwest Dairy Association, the Central Valley Division of Dairy Farmers of America, the Iowa Dairy Industry Association and Midland UDIA, just to name a few. Locally, he served as a 4-H club leader, director on the Poweshiek County Water Board and Poweshiek County Zoning Board, past Poweshiek County Farm Bureau President, past elder and Sunday School teacher at Madison Church of Christ.
He was named an Honorary Member of the Iowa State University Dairy Science Club in 1980. Other honors include Iowa Distinguished Dairyman, Iowa Holstein Auxiliary Hall of Fame Award, Ralph Keeling Leadership Award, Robert Massey Sportsmanship Award at the 2010 Iowa State Fair Dairy Show and the Richard Ling Award.
All four of his children and most of his grandchildren were 4-H members. His love for showing dairy cattle carried over to his children and grandchildren. They continue to carry on the Lang tradition of exhibiting dairy cattle at the Iowa State Fair and at the World Dairy Expo. One of his showing highlights was having both the Grand Champion Ayrshire and Holstein at the Iowa State Fair in 1979.
Maynard and his wife, Dorothy, were married 63 years before she passed away in 2011. Currently he owns, manages and operates a dairy and grain farm with two sons, Craig and Eric, and two grandsons, Dane and Cade.
Categories: Poweshiek
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