Laughter and music filled the night air as Kansas State University Animal Sciences and Industry alumni and supporters gathered on Oct. 13, at the Stanley Stout Center in Manhattan, Kan. This evening marked the third annual ASI Family & Friends Reunion.

More than 1,000 attendees took the opportunity to re-connect with each other and interact with current students, faculty and staff. The annual event is hosted by the Livestock and Meat Industry Council in cooperation with the ASI department.

The highlight of the evening each year is the awarding of the Don L. Good Impact Award, which recognizes a person or business that has had an impact on the livestock and agricultural industry.

Sharon Schwartz, from Washington, Kan., was presented with the 2017 Don L. Good Impact Award because of her work as a long-time pork industry leader and Kansas state legislator.

She was instrumental in helping change the pork industry’s marketing strategy which led to the highly successful “Pork. The Other White Meat” campaign, released in 1987. She served two terms on the National Pork Board as well as serving on several national committees.

In November 1992, she became the first female president of the Kansas Pork Producers Council. She has also served as an executive board member of the U.S. Meat Export Federation.

Schwartz’s commitment to service is not limited to the agriculture industry, as she served 20 years in the Kansas Legislature. During her tenure, Rep. Schwartz served as the chair of the agriculture, chair and vice chair of appropriations, and chair of rules and regulations committees. She worked tirelessly for her constituents to further a strong education system for rural Kansas, reduce reliance on property taxes, ensure senior services are preserved, and the preservation and growth of agriculture.

Schwartz set out to make sure those in Topeka understood the importance of agriculture to the economy. She has a passion for protecting rural Kansas’ rights.

Schwartz’s behind-the-scenes work in the legislature often resulted in much appreciated support for Kansas State University faculty and students. Especially important to agriculture are the many K-State infrastructure and building projects she helped guide through the legislature; plus, her voice helped ensure that sound science was used to develop agricultural law.

Another project Schwartz led was the Veterinary Training Program for rural Kansas. This is a debt-forgiveness program for veterinarian students to receive $20,000 per year of a forgivable loan for each year they serve in rural Kansas (any county with less than 35,000 population). Kansas was the first state to appropriate the funds for this type of program. To date, 50 students have participated in this program.

The award, presented by the Livestock and Meat Industry Council Inc., is named in honor of Good, who is a former ASI department head, and recognizes positive impact on the livestock and meat industry or agriculture.