The Budget and Advocacy Committee and the Committee on Legislation and Policy of the APLU Board on Agriculture Assembly
Past Awardees
Lifetime of Service to CARET Awardees
The Lifetime of Service to CARET Award is an award given to a longstanding CARET delegate who has concluded their service to CARET and who has made significant contributions to CARET over many years to enhance the national support and understanding of the importance of the land-grant university system’s agricultural research, extension, and teaching programs. This award is presented only when individuals have exemplified extraordinarily rare service to CARET and the land-grant university community.
2023 Lifetime Service Winner
Jean-Mari Peltier
The 2023 CARET Lifetime of Service Award was presented posthumously to Jean-Mari Peltier. Jean-Mari was a tireless supporter of California agriculture, farmers, and farm organizations. She served as the CARET National Vice President and as President and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC). Her support and vision for research, Extension, and teaching programs have helped to propel CARET advocacy to new heights.
2022 Lifetime Service Winner
Louise Beaman
Louise Beaman has been active in the community and in the promotion of agriculture locally, statewide, and nationally for many years. She previously served as the Chair of the CARET Planning Committee, CARET Vice Chair, and CARET Secretary. She also served as CARET’s liaison to the Academic Programs Committee on Organization and Policy (ACOP). At the regional level, she served as Secretary for the North Central Region of CARET. At the state level, she was Past President of the Purdue Council for Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching (P-CARET). At the county level, she is a past president of the Johnson County Extension Board, Extension Homemakers, and the Johnson County Farm Bureau, Inc.
2022 Lifetime Service Winner
Eddie Gouge
Eddie Gouge served as the Executive Director of CARET and Assistant Vice President, Food, Agriculture & Natural Resources (FANR) at APLU. Eddie was with APLU for over thirty years. Prior to joining the Association, Gouge served as the Assistant Director for Legislative Education and Assistant for Public Affairs at the Navy League of the United States, he managed a postdoctoral fellowship program for the American Society for Engineering Education and held several positions on Capitol Hill.
2019 Lifetime Service Winner
Kenneth J. Nicewicz
University of Massachusetts
2019 Lifetime Service Winner
Robert T. "Tom" Jones
University of Arizona
2017 Lifetime Service Winner
John L. McLain
University of Nevada, Reno
2016 Lifetime Service Winner
Betty R. Buff
Clemson University
2014 Lifetime Service Winner
Nancy Guernsey
Purdue University
2014 Lifetime Service Winner
Robert L. Guernsey
Purdue University
Meritorious Service to CARET Awardees
The Meritorious Service to CARET Award is an award given to an individual who has supported CARET and the land-grant university system. The award also may be given to a CARET delegate who has concluded their service to CARET or other individual who has made significant contributions to CARET to enhance the national support and understanding of the importance of the land-grant university system’s agricultural research, extension, and teaching programs.
2022 Meritorious Service Winner
Barry Flinchbaugh
Dr. Barry L. Flinchbaugh was a Professor of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University. A native of York, Pennsylvania, Dr. Flinchbaugh held B.S. in Animal Science (1964) and M.S. in Agricultural Economics (1967) degrees from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics (1971) from Purdue University. Dr. Flinchbaugh joined Kansas State University in 1971. He taught a junior-senior level course in agricultural policy and lectured throughout Kansas and the nation on agricultural and economic policy. Dr. Flinchbaugh received the Outstanding Teacher Award from KSU College of Agriculture students on three different occasions.
2021 Meritorious Service Winner
Susan E. Crowell
2021 Meritorious Service Winner
Senator Pat Roberts
Kansas Senator Pat Roberts retired in 2021, after serving as the senator from Kansas since 1997 and as Chair of the United State Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. He also served eight terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1981 to 1997.
He truly made significant contributions to the national support for and understanding of the land-grant university's system's agricultural research, Extension, and teaching programs. Senator Robers was an instrumental advocate of agricultural research during his 40 years of Congress, and he is the only individual in the history of the committees to serve as Chair of both the House and Senate Ag Committees. During that time, he has been involved with EIGHT Farm Bills. Through his leadership, Senator Roberts built a strong history of support for agricultural research.