Ben VanderWeele of the VanderWeele Farm in Palmer, Alaska, was recently presented the Dick Hagemeyer Award from the U.S. National Weather Service. The Hagemeyer Award is for 45 years of service taking daily weather observations for the Cooperative Observing Program (Coop). As a volunteer, Ben is one of over 8,700 observers taking daily weather observations for program. Ben and his wife, Suus, moved to Alaska in 1967 from the Netherlands and immediately started taking observations by filling in for the Sherrod family. By May of 1969, Ben was taking official daily weather observations for the National Weather Service at his home. It’s quite an accomplishment to take the observation daily with only a few missing observations over the years. When asked what keeps his strong dedication and commitment to the weather observations, he replied, “It just makes sense that weather and farming go hand in hand. To produce such high quality vegetables here in Alaska you need to watch the weather closely.” Thank you, Ben!
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 22:25:47 +0000