J. Homer Remsberg, dairy leader, dies
Mr. J. Homer Remsberg, well-known Middletown Valley farmer, died Tuesday, April 13 at the Frederick Memorial Hospital.
Born in Middletown Valley on Feb. 15, 1897 he was a son of Albert S. and Clara R. Remsberg. He was a graudate of the Middletown High School and the University of Maryland, specializing in dairy husbandry, and had the distinction of being the first Frederick County farm boy to attend a state university to study agriculture.
Mr. Remsberg served with the U.S. Navy in World War I, was commissioned and was a flying instructor at Pensacola, Fla., until 1919. Upon his return, he resumed the operation of a dairy farm, specializing in the breeding of registered Holstein cattle. From 1930 to 1945 he was an instructor in vocational agriculture at Middletown High School while operating two farms.
A member and elder of the Evangelical and Reformed Church of Middletown, he served as choir director for 35 years and had been director of music for the Sunday School.
In 1922, Mr. Remsberg was largely instrumental in organizing the Frederick County Holstein-Friesian Assn. and served as its secretary-treasurer for 40 years. In 1926 he purchased the home farm and became the fifth generation of the family to operate it since 1791. He established and developed the registered Holstein herd on Locvale Farms which became known throughout the country. Bred and developed Holsteins in this herd were exported to several South American countries, Mexico and Turkey. They were also sent to other states.
He helped to reorganize the dormant Maryland State Holstein Assn., and served as president for 15 years. He served 16 years as director of the Holstein-Friesian Assn. of America, and served three years as vice president, and two years as its president. He also served as chairman of the export advisory committee of this organization. In 1961 he was appointed chairman of a national committee of nine men to make a complete study and report for milk marketing in the future.
Mr. Remsberg was past president of the Purebred Dairy Cattle Assn. of America, Atlantic Dairy Assn., North Eastern Dairy Conference, Dairy Council of Greater Metropolitan Washington, D.C., the Maryland and Virginia Milk Producers Assn. He was a past director of the National Dairy Council, Chicago, Ill., past director and treasurer for the National Milk Producers Federation, D.C., president since 1946 of the Maryland Purebred Dairy Cattle Assn.
He was past master of both the Middletown Valley Grange and the Frederick County Pomona Grange, past chairman of the executive committee of the Maryland State Grange, past director of the Maryland Farm Bureau Federation, chairman, Maryland Brucellosis Eradication Committee, vice chairman of the Maryland Mastitis Council, member of the Board of Directors and vice president for agriculture of the Maryland State Fair.
In 1960, Governor Millard Tawes appointed Mr. Remsberg to serve as chairman of a committee to study the establishment of a Maryland State Department of Agriculture. In 1968 he was appointed by Governor Agnew to the Maryland Agriculture Commission and reappointed by Governor Mandel in 1969 for three more years.
For many years he served as an official judge of Holstein shows in both the United States and South America.
He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Farm Credit Banks of Baltimore and served on the Board of Directors of the Central Bank for Cooperatives. He was appointed by President Johnson to the Federal Farm Credit Board for six years and in 1973 was elected chairman of the Federal Farm Credit Board.
He was a former member of the Board of Trustees of Hood College, a member of Columbia Lodge AF&A Masons, and the Royal Arch Chapter. He was a past president of the College of Agriculture Alumni Chapter, Alumni Assn., University of Maryland, past president of the general Alumni Assn. of the U. of Md., past president of the University’s Terrapin Club. He served three terms as commander of the Everhart Post 51, American Legion.
Mr. Remsberg received many awards for his work in the field of animal husbandry.
Mr. Remsberg’s first wife, Abby McCardell predeceased him. He is survived by his second wife, Mrs. Sarah L. Remsberg, four children, Mrs. Daniel H. (Carol) Bare, Mrs. Robert E. (Joyce) Shank, J. Homer Remsberg Jr. and Adrian M. Remsberg.
There will be no viewing. The family will receive friends at the Gladhill Funeral Home in Middletown on Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. Services will be conducted from the Reformed Church in Middletown on Thursday, April 15, at 11 a.m. by the Rev. Jorris Beckmann. Interment will be in the church cemetery.
If desired, memorial donations may be made to the Memorial Fund of the Reformed Church in Middletown.
The News
Frederick, Maryland
April 13, 1976
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
J. Homer Remsberg
One of Maryland’s best known and respected agricultural leaders, J. Homer Remsberg passed away Tuesday at Frederick Memorial Hospital.
Mr. Remsberg was born on February 15, 1897 to the late Albert S. and Clara R. Remsberg, and for most of his 79 years he led a very busy and constructive life. He was a scholar, a Navy Pilot, a Naval Flight Instructor, a highly successful farmer, an author, an organizer of dairy and farm groups and associations, a breeder and developer of the highly productive Holstein-Friesian cattle, a major leader in the Farm Credit System, having spent three years as chairman and a total of nine years on the board of directors of the Farm Credit Banks of Baltimore. This District is composed of the States of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.
With what little spare time he must have had, he served as an Elder in the Evangelical and Reformed Church (United Church of Christ) in his hometown of Middletown, and served as choir director for 35 years and served as director of music in the Sunday School.
Mr. Remsberg was the first boy from Frederick County to attend the University of Maryland’s School of Agriculture where he graduated with a B.S. Degree in Dairy Husbandry. From 1930 to 1945 he was an instructor in vocational agriculture at Middletown High School.
His list of past presidency and past chairman posts of various organizations is great. His great friendship with the late Dr. Harry “Curly” C. Byrd, past president of the University of Maryland, kept him very active in the Alumni Association of the College of Agriculture where he served as one of its presidents as well as having served as past president of the distinguished University of Maryland Terrapin Club.
Mr. Remsberg was the father of four children by his first wife, the late Abby McCardell Remsberg. They are Mrs. Daniel H. (Carol) Bare; Mrs. Robert E. (Joyce) Shank; J. Homer (Jack) Remsberg Jr.; and Adrian M. (Mac) Remsberg. He also leaves behind his wife Mrs. Sarah Leiter Remsberg whom he married after the death of his former wife.
In 1962 a family corporation was formed and the farming operations on the two farms – one of which was the old family farm which Homer bought in 1926 and became the fifth straight generation of the family to operate this farm which was first established in 1790. Both his sons, Jack and Mac, graduated from the University of Maryland and have followed in their father’s footsteps as successful operators of large acres of farmland.
His work with and for such organizations as the Frederick County Holstein-Friesian Association; Maryland State Holstein Association; Purebred Dairy Cattle Association of America; Atlantic Dairy Association; North Eastern Dairy Conference; Dairy Council of Greater Metropolitan Washington, D.C. and the Maryland and Virginia Milk Producers Federation as well as the National Dairy Council of Chicago, Ill. have brought him many credits, awards and personal friends.
Mr. Remsberg’s work in breeding and developing Holstein cattle in his herd for export to many South American Countries, Mexico and Turkey and his many trips to these far away places, made him truly an ambassador of Good Will. These, along with his other efforts had as an objective a more profitable and happier living for farm families everywhere.
In 1965 Mr. Remsberg published a 232 page illustrated book titled “History and Development of Holstein Cattle in Frederick County, Md. 1922 – 1964” which has become an agricultural reference book everywhere and in 1972 he authored a twenty-five year “History of the Terrapin Club.”
Two or three years ago, Mr. Homer J. Remsberg had a sale and disposed of all his own cattle and farm equipment. It was a sad day for those who knew him and had watched him plowing, seeding, harvesting over many, many years. But, indeed, he had done his share and has given to the agricultural interests of most of the world much knowledge and sound advice.
He has helped make Frederick County – and particularly its Middletown Valley and the hundreds of herds of Holstein cattle – famous not only in the State but in many parts of the world into which his avocation and interests brought him. May he rest in peace!
The News
Frederick, Maryland
Thursday, April 15, 1976
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mr. J. Homer Remsberg, well-known Middletown Valley farmer, died Tuesday, April 13 at the Frederick Memorial Hospital.
Born in Middletown Valley on Feb. 15, 1897 he was a son of Albert S. and Clara R. Remsberg. He was a graudate of the Middletown High School and the University of Maryland, specializing in dairy husbandry, and had the distinction of being the first Frederick County farm boy to attend a state university to study agriculture.
Mr. Remsberg served with the U.S. Navy in World War I, was commissioned and was a flying instructor at Pensacola, Fla., until 1919. Upon his return, he resumed the operation of a dairy farm, specializing in the breeding of registered Holstein cattle. From 1930 to 1945 he was an instructor in vocational agriculture at Middletown High School while operating two farms.
A member and elder of the Evangelical and Reformed Church of Middletown, he served as choir director for 35 years and had been director of music for the Sunday School.
In 1922, Mr. Remsberg was largely instrumental in organizing the Frederick County Holstein-Friesian Assn. and served as its secretary-treasurer for 40 years. In 1926 he purchased the home farm and became the fifth generation of the family to operate it since 1791. He established and developed the registered Holstein herd on Locvale Farms which became known throughout the country. Bred and developed Holsteins in this herd were exported to several South American countries, Mexico and Turkey. They were also sent to other states.
He helped to reorganize the dormant Maryland State Holstein Assn., and served as president for 15 years. He served 16 years as director of the Holstein-Friesian Assn. of America, and served three years as vice president, and two years as its president. He also served as chairman of the export advisory committee of this organization. In 1961 he was appointed chairman of a national committee of nine men to make a complete study and report for milk marketing in the future.
Mr. Remsberg was past president of the Purebred Dairy Cattle Assn. of America, Atlantic Dairy Assn., North Eastern Dairy Conference, Dairy Council of Greater Metropolitan Washington, D.C., the Maryland and Virginia Milk Producers Assn. He was a past director of the National Dairy Council, Chicago, Ill., past director and treasurer for the National Milk Producers Federation, D.C., president since 1946 of the Maryland Purebred Dairy Cattle Assn.
He was past master of both the Middletown Valley Grange and the Frederick County Pomona Grange, past chairman of the executive committee of the Maryland State Grange, past director of the Maryland Farm Bureau Federation, chairman, Maryland Brucellosis Eradication Committee, vice chairman of the Maryland Mastitis Council, member of the Board of Directors and vice president for agriculture of the Maryland State Fair.
In 1960, Governor Millard Tawes appointed Mr. Remsberg to serve as chairman of a committee to study the establishment of a Maryland State Department of Agriculture. In 1968 he was appointed by Governor Agnew to the Maryland Agriculture Commission and reappointed by Governor Mandel in 1969 for three more years.
For many years he served as an official judge of Holstein shows in both the United States and South America.
He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Farm Credit Banks of Baltimore and served on the Board of Directors of the Central Bank for Cooperatives. He was appointed by President Johnson to the Federal Farm Credit Board for six years and in 1973 was elected chairman of the Federal Farm Credit Board.
He was a former member of the Board of Trustees of Hood College, a member of Columbia Lodge AF&A Masons, and the Royal Arch Chapter. He was a past president of the College of Agriculture Alumni Chapter, Alumni Assn., University of Maryland, past president of the general Alumni Assn. of the U. of Md., past president of the University’s Terrapin Club. He served three terms as commander of the Everhart Post 51, American Legion.
Mr. Remsberg received many awards for his work in the field of animal husbandry.
Mr. Remsberg’s first wife, Abby McCardell predeceased him. He is survived by his second wife, Mrs. Sarah L. Remsberg, four children, Mrs. Daniel H. (Carol) Bare, Mrs. Robert E. (Joyce) Shank, J. Homer Remsberg Jr. and Adrian M. Remsberg.
There will be no viewing. The family will receive friends at the Gladhill Funeral Home in Middletown on Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. Services will be conducted from the Reformed Church in Middletown on Thursday, April 15, at 11 a.m. by the Rev. Jorris Beckmann. Interment will be in the church cemetery.
If desired, memorial donations may be made to the Memorial Fund of the Reformed Church in Middletown.
The News
Frederick, Maryland
April 13, 1976
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
J. Homer Remsberg
One of Maryland’s best known and respected agricultural leaders, J. Homer Remsberg passed away Tuesday at Frederick Memorial Hospital.
Mr. Remsberg was born on February 15, 1897 to the late Albert S. and Clara R. Remsberg, and for most of his 79 years he led a very busy and constructive life. He was a scholar, a Navy Pilot, a Naval Flight Instructor, a highly successful farmer, an author, an organizer of dairy and farm groups and associations, a breeder and developer of the highly productive Holstein-Friesian cattle, a major leader in the Farm Credit System, having spent three years as chairman and a total of nine years on the board of directors of the Farm Credit Banks of Baltimore. This District is composed of the States of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.
With what little spare time he must have had, he served as an Elder in the Evangelical and Reformed Church (United Church of Christ) in his hometown of Middletown, and served as choir director for 35 years and served as director of music in the Sunday School.
Mr. Remsberg was the first boy from Frederick County to attend the University of Maryland’s School of Agriculture where he graduated with a B.S. Degree in Dairy Husbandry. From 1930 to 1945 he was an instructor in vocational agriculture at Middletown High School.
His list of past presidency and past chairman posts of various organizations is great. His great friendship with the late Dr. Harry “Curly” C. Byrd, past president of the University of Maryland, kept him very active in the Alumni Association of the College of Agriculture where he served as one of its presidents as well as having served as past president of the distinguished University of Maryland Terrapin Club.
Mr. Remsberg was the father of four children by his first wife, the late Abby McCardell Remsberg. They are Mrs. Daniel H. (Carol) Bare; Mrs. Robert E. (Joyce) Shank; J. Homer (Jack) Remsberg Jr.; and Adrian M. (Mac) Remsberg. He also leaves behind his wife Mrs. Sarah Leiter Remsberg whom he married after the death of his former wife.
In 1962 a family corporation was formed and the farming operations on the two farms – one of which was the old family farm which Homer bought in 1926 and became the fifth straight generation of the family to operate this farm which was first established in 1790. Both his sons, Jack and Mac, graduated from the University of Maryland and have followed in their father’s footsteps as successful operators of large acres of farmland.
His work with and for such organizations as the Frederick County Holstein-Friesian Association; Maryland State Holstein Association; Purebred Dairy Cattle Association of America; Atlantic Dairy Association; North Eastern Dairy Conference; Dairy Council of Greater Metropolitan Washington, D.C. and the Maryland and Virginia Milk Producers Federation as well as the National Dairy Council of Chicago, Ill. have brought him many credits, awards and personal friends.
Mr. Remsberg’s work in breeding and developing Holstein cattle in his herd for export to many South American Countries, Mexico and Turkey and his many trips to these far away places, made him truly an ambassador of Good Will. These, along with his other efforts had as an objective a more profitable and happier living for farm families everywhere.
In 1965 Mr. Remsberg published a 232 page illustrated book titled “History and Development of Holstein Cattle in Frederick County, Md. 1922 – 1964” which has become an agricultural reference book everywhere and in 1972 he authored a twenty-five year “History of the Terrapin Club.”
Two or three years ago, Mr. Homer J. Remsberg had a sale and disposed of all his own cattle and farm equipment. It was a sad day for those who knew him and had watched him plowing, seeding, harvesting over many, many years. But, indeed, he had done his share and has given to the agricultural interests of most of the world much knowledge and sound advice.
He has helped make Frederick County – and particularly its Middletown Valley and the hundreds of herds of Holstein cattle – famous not only in the State but in many parts of the world into which his avocation and interests brought him. May he rest in peace!
The News
Frederick, Maryland
Thursday, April 15, 1976
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
J. Homer Remsberg, dairy leader, dies
Mr. J. Homer Remsberg, well-known Middletown Valley farmer, died Tuesday, April 13 at the Frederick Memorial Hospital.
Born in Middletown Valley on Feb. 15, 1897 he was a son of Albert S. and Clara R. Remsberg. He was a graudate of the Middletown High School and the University of Maryland, specializing in dairy husbandry, and had the distinction of being the first Frederick County farm boy to attend a state university to study agriculture.
Mr. Remsberg served with the U.S. Navy in World War I, was commissioned and was a flying instructor at Pensacola, Fla., until 1919. Upon his return, he resumed the operation of a dairy farm, specializing in the breeding of registered Holstein cattle. From 1930 to 1945 he was an instructor in vocational agriculture at Middletown High School while operating two farms.
A member and elder of the Evangelical and Reformed Church of Middletown, he served as choir director for 35 years and had been director of music for the Sunday School.
In 1922, Mr. Remsberg was largely instrumental in organizing the Frederick County Holstein-Friesian Assn. and served as its secretary-treasurer for 40 years. In 1926 he purchased the home farm and became the fifth generation of the family to operate it since 1791. He established and developed the registered Holstein herd on Locvale Farms which became known throughout the country. Bred and developed Holsteins in this herd were exported to several South American countries, Mexico and Turkey. They were also sent to other states.
He helped to reorganize the dormant Maryland State Holstein Assn., and served as president for 15 years. He served 16 years as director of the Holstein-Friesian Assn. of America, and served three years as vice president, and two years as its president. He also served as chairman of the export advisory committee of this organization. In 1961 he was appointed chairman of a national committee of nine men to make a complete study and report for milk marketing in the future.
Mr. Remsberg was past president of the Purebred Dairy Cattle Assn. of America, Atlantic Dairy Assn., North Eastern Dairy Conference, Dairy Council of Greater Metropolitan Washington, D.C., the Maryland and Virginia Milk Producers Assn. He was a past director of the National Dairy Council, Chicago, Ill., past director and treasurer for the National Milk Producers Federation, D.C., president since 1946 of the Maryland Purebred Dairy Cattle Assn.
He was past master of both the Middletown Valley Grange and the Frederick County Pomona Grange, past chairman of the executive committee of the Maryland State Grange, past director of the Maryland Farm Bureau Federation, chairman, Maryland Brucellosis Eradication Committee, vice chairman of the Maryland Mastitis Council, member of the Board of Directors and vice president for agriculture of the Maryland State Fair.
In 1960, Governor Millard Tawes appointed Mr. Remsberg to serve as chairman of a committee to study the establishment of a Maryland State Department of Agriculture. In 1968 he was appointed by Governor Agnew to the Maryland Agriculture Commission and reappointed by Governor Mandel in 1969 for three more years.
For many years he served as an official judge of Holstein shows in both the United States and South America.
He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Farm Credit Banks of Baltimore and served on the Board of Directors of the Central Bank for Cooperatives. He was appointed by President Johnson to the Federal Farm Credit Board for six years and in 1973 was elected chairman of the Federal Farm Credit Board.
He was a former member of the Board of Trustees of Hood College, a member of Columbia Lodge AF&A Masons, and the Royal Arch Chapter. He was a past president of the College of Agriculture Alumni Chapter, Alumni Assn., University of Maryland, past president of the general Alumni Assn. of the U. of Md., past president of the University’s Terrapin Club. He served three terms as commander of the Everhart Post 51, American Legion.
Mr. Remsberg received many awards for his work in the field of animal husbandry.
Mr. Remsberg’s first wife, Abby McCardell predeceased him. He is survived by his second wife, Mrs. Sarah L. Remsberg, four children, Mrs. Daniel H. (Carol) Bare, Mrs. Robert E. (Joyce) Shank, J. Homer Remsberg Jr. and Adrian M. Remsberg.
There will be no viewing. The family will receive friends at the Gladhill Funeral Home in Middletown on Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. Services will be conducted from the Reformed Church in Middletown on Thursday, April 15, at 11 a.m. by the Rev. Jorris Beckmann. Interment will be in the church cemetery.
If desired, memorial donations may be made to the Memorial Fund of the Reformed Church in Middletown.
The News
Frederick, Maryland
April 13, 1976
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
J. Homer Remsberg
One of Maryland’s best known and respected agricultural leaders, J. Homer Remsberg passed away Tuesday at Frederick Memorial Hospital.
Mr. Remsberg was born on February 15, 1897 to the late Albert S. and Clara R. Remsberg, and for most of his 79 years he led a very busy and constructive life. He was a scholar, a Navy Pilot, a Naval Flight Instructor, a highly successful farmer, an author, an organizer of dairy and farm groups and associations, a breeder and developer of the highly productive Holstein-Friesian cattle, a major leader in the Farm Credit System, having spent three years as chairman and a total of nine years on the board of directors of the Farm Credit Banks of Baltimore. This District is composed of the States of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.
With what little spare time he must have had, he served as an Elder in the Evangelical and Reformed Church (United Church of Christ) in his hometown of Middletown, and served as choir director for 35 years and served as director of music in the Sunday School.
Mr. Remsberg was the first boy from Frederick County to attend the University of Maryland’s School of Agriculture where he graduated with a B.S. Degree in Dairy Husbandry. From 1930 to 1945 he was an instructor in vocational agriculture at Middletown High School.
His list of past presidency and past chairman posts of various organizations is great. His great friendship with the late Dr. Harry “Curly” C. Byrd, past president of the University of Maryland, kept him very active in the Alumni Association of the College of Agriculture where he served as one of its presidents as well as having served as past president of the distinguished University of Maryland Terrapin Club.
Mr. Remsberg was the father of four children by his first wife, the late Abby McCardell Remsberg. They are Mrs. Daniel H. (Carol) Bare; Mrs. Robert E. (Joyce) Shank; J. Homer (Jack) Remsberg Jr.; and Adrian M. (Mac) Remsberg. He also leaves behind his wife Mrs. Sarah Leiter Remsberg whom he married after the death of his former wife.
In 1962 a family corporation was formed and the farming operations on the two farms – one of which was the old family farm which Homer bought in 1926 and became the fifth straight generation of the family to operate this farm which was first established in 1790. Both his sons, Jack and Mac, graduated from the University of Maryland and have followed in their father’s footsteps as successful operators of large acres of farmland.
His work with and for such organizations as the Frederick County Holstein-Friesian Association; Maryland State Holstein Association; Purebred Dairy Cattle Association of America; Atlantic Dairy Association; North Eastern Dairy Conference; Dairy Council of Greater Metropolitan Washington, D.C. and the Maryland and Virginia Milk Producers Federation as well as the National Dairy Council of Chicago, Ill. have brought him many credits, awards and personal friends.
Mr. Remsberg’s work in breeding and developing Holstein cattle in his herd for export to many South American Countries, Mexico and Turkey and his many trips to these far away places, made him truly an ambassador of Good Will. These, along with his other efforts had as an objective a more profitable and happier living for farm families everywhere.
In 1965 Mr. Remsberg published a 232 page illustrated book titled “History and Development of Holstein Cattle in Frederick County, Md. 1922 – 1964” which has become an agricultural reference book everywhere and in 1972 he authored a twenty-five year “History of the Terrapin Club.”
Two or three years ago, Mr. Homer J. Remsberg had a sale and disposed of all his own cattle and farm equipment. It was a sad day for those who knew him and had watched him plowing, seeding, harvesting over many, many years. But, indeed, he had done his share and has given to the agricultural interests of most of the world much knowledge and sound advice.
He has helped make Frederick County – and particularly its Middletown Valley and the hundreds of herds of Holstein cattle – famous not only in the State but in many parts of the world into which his avocation and interests brought him. May he rest in peace!
The News
Frederick, Maryland
Thursday, April 15, 1976
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mr. J. Homer Remsberg, well-known Middletown Valley farmer, died Tuesday, April 13 at the Frederick Memorial Hospital.
Born in Middletown Valley on Feb. 15, 1897 he was a son of Albert S. and Clara R. Remsberg. He was a graudate of the Middletown High School and the University of Maryland, specializing in dairy husbandry, and had the distinction of being the first Frederick County farm boy to attend a state university to study agriculture.
Mr. Remsberg served with the U.S. Navy in World War I, was commissioned and was a flying instructor at Pensacola, Fla., until 1919. Upon his return, he resumed the operation of a dairy farm, specializing in the breeding of registered Holstein cattle. From 1930 to 1945 he was an instructor in vocational agriculture at Middletown High School while operating two farms.
A member and elder of the Evangelical and Reformed Church of Middletown, he served as choir director for 35 years and had been director of music for the Sunday School.
In 1922, Mr. Remsberg was largely instrumental in organizing the Frederick County Holstein-Friesian Assn. and served as its secretary-treasurer for 40 years. In 1926 he purchased the home farm and became the fifth generation of the family to operate it since 1791. He established and developed the registered Holstein herd on Locvale Farms which became known throughout the country. Bred and developed Holsteins in this herd were exported to several South American countries, Mexico and Turkey. They were also sent to other states.
He helped to reorganize the dormant Maryland State Holstein Assn., and served as president for 15 years. He served 16 years as director of the Holstein-Friesian Assn. of America, and served three years as vice president, and two years as its president. He also served as chairman of the export advisory committee of this organization. In 1961 he was appointed chairman of a national committee of nine men to make a complete study and report for milk marketing in the future.
Mr. Remsberg was past president of the Purebred Dairy Cattle Assn. of America, Atlantic Dairy Assn., North Eastern Dairy Conference, Dairy Council of Greater Metropolitan Washington, D.C., the Maryland and Virginia Milk Producers Assn. He was a past director of the National Dairy Council, Chicago, Ill., past director and treasurer for the National Milk Producers Federation, D.C., president since 1946 of the Maryland Purebred Dairy Cattle Assn.
He was past master of both the Middletown Valley Grange and the Frederick County Pomona Grange, past chairman of the executive committee of the Maryland State Grange, past director of the Maryland Farm Bureau Federation, chairman, Maryland Brucellosis Eradication Committee, vice chairman of the Maryland Mastitis Council, member of the Board of Directors and vice president for agriculture of the Maryland State Fair.
In 1960, Governor Millard Tawes appointed Mr. Remsberg to serve as chairman of a committee to study the establishment of a Maryland State Department of Agriculture. In 1968 he was appointed by Governor Agnew to the Maryland Agriculture Commission and reappointed by Governor Mandel in 1969 for three more years.
For many years he served as an official judge of Holstein shows in both the United States and South America.
He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Farm Credit Banks of Baltimore and served on the Board of Directors of the Central Bank for Cooperatives. He was appointed by President Johnson to the Federal Farm Credit Board for six years and in 1973 was elected chairman of the Federal Farm Credit Board.
He was a former member of the Board of Trustees of Hood College, a member of Columbia Lodge AF&A Masons, and the Royal Arch Chapter. He was a past president of the College of Agriculture Alumni Chapter, Alumni Assn., University of Maryland, past president of the general Alumni Assn. of the U. of Md., past president of the University’s Terrapin Club. He served three terms as commander of the Everhart Post 51, American Legion.
Mr. Remsberg received many awards for his work in the field of animal husbandry.
Mr. Remsberg’s first wife, Abby McCardell predeceased him. He is survived by his second wife, Mrs. Sarah L. Remsberg, four children, Mrs. Daniel H. (Carol) Bare, Mrs. Robert E. (Joyce) Shank, J. Homer Remsberg Jr. and Adrian M. Remsberg.
There will be no viewing. The family will receive friends at the Gladhill Funeral Home in Middletown on Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. Services will be conducted from the Reformed Church in Middletown on Thursday, April 15, at 11 a.m. by the Rev. Jorris Beckmann. Interment will be in the church cemetery.
If desired, memorial donations may be made to the Memorial Fund of the Reformed Church in Middletown.
The News
Frederick, Maryland
April 13, 1976
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
J. Homer Remsberg
One of Maryland’s best known and respected agricultural leaders, J. Homer Remsberg passed away Tuesday at Frederick Memorial Hospital.
Mr. Remsberg was born on February 15, 1897 to the late Albert S. and Clara R. Remsberg, and for most of his 79 years he led a very busy and constructive life. He was a scholar, a Navy Pilot, a Naval Flight Instructor, a highly successful farmer, an author, an organizer of dairy and farm groups and associations, a breeder and developer of the highly productive Holstein-Friesian cattle, a major leader in the Farm Credit System, having spent three years as chairman and a total of nine years on the board of directors of the Farm Credit Banks of Baltimore. This District is composed of the States of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.
With what little spare time he must have had, he served as an Elder in the Evangelical and Reformed Church (United Church of Christ) in his hometown of Middletown, and served as choir director for 35 years and served as director of music in the Sunday School.
Mr. Remsberg was the first boy from Frederick County to attend the University of Maryland’s School of Agriculture where he graduated with a B.S. Degree in Dairy Husbandry. From 1930 to 1945 he was an instructor in vocational agriculture at Middletown High School.
His list of past presidency and past chairman posts of various organizations is great. His great friendship with the late Dr. Harry “Curly” C. Byrd, past president of the University of Maryland, kept him very active in the Alumni Association of the College of Agriculture where he served as one of its presidents as well as having served as past president of the distinguished University of Maryland Terrapin Club.
Mr. Remsberg was the father of four children by his first wife, the late Abby McCardell Remsberg. They are Mrs. Daniel H. (Carol) Bare; Mrs. Robert E. (Joyce) Shank; J. Homer (Jack) Remsberg Jr.; and Adrian M. (Mac) Remsberg. He also leaves behind his wife Mrs. Sarah Leiter Remsberg whom he married after the death of his former wife.
In 1962 a family corporation was formed and the farming operations on the two farms – one of which was the old family farm which Homer bought in 1926 and became the fifth straight generation of the family to operate this farm which was first established in 1790. Both his sons, Jack and Mac, graduated from the University of Maryland and have followed in their father’s footsteps as successful operators of large acres of farmland.
His work with and for such organizations as the Frederick County Holstein-Friesian Association; Maryland State Holstein Association; Purebred Dairy Cattle Association of America; Atlantic Dairy Association; North Eastern Dairy Conference; Dairy Council of Greater Metropolitan Washington, D.C. and the Maryland and Virginia Milk Producers Federation as well as the National Dairy Council of Chicago, Ill. have brought him many credits, awards and personal friends.
Mr. Remsberg’s work in breeding and developing Holstein cattle in his herd for export to many South American Countries, Mexico and Turkey and his many trips to these far away places, made him truly an ambassador of Good Will. These, along with his other efforts had as an objective a more profitable and happier living for farm families everywhere.
In 1965 Mr. Remsberg published a 232 page illustrated book titled “History and Development of Holstein Cattle in Frederick County, Md. 1922 – 1964” which has become an agricultural reference book everywhere and in 1972 he authored a twenty-five year “History of the Terrapin Club.”
Two or three years ago, Mr. Homer J. Remsberg had a sale and disposed of all his own cattle and farm equipment. It was a sad day for those who knew him and had watched him plowing, seeding, harvesting over many, many years. But, indeed, he had done his share and has given to the agricultural interests of most of the world much knowledge and sound advice.
He has helped make Frederick County – and particularly its Middletown Valley and the hundreds of herds of Holstein cattle – famous not only in the State but in many parts of the world into which his avocation and interests brought him. May he rest in peace!
The News
Frederick, Maryland
Thursday, April 15, 1976
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