The winner of the 2022 Pennsylvania Holstein Association’s Hall of Fame Award has long been a familiar face to PHA members, whether in his own barn, at cattle sales, or at industry board meetings. He has served as a sale chair for a national Holstein convention, bred popular bulls and award-winning cows, and served as the Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture.
This year’s Hall of Fame award was presented to Denny Wolff, of Millville. Denny has been the owner and operator of Pen-Col Farms since 1970. The Pen-Col prefix has bred 380 award winners, including Dams of Merit, Gold Medal Dams, Gold Medal Sires, and animals on the Locater and Elite Cows lists. He has bred 60 Excellent cows and bulls.
Pen-Col had several sales on the farm through the years, offering top quality cattle and genetics. Cattle were sold to friends and local neighbors, across the United States, and more than 30 countries worldwide. In 1984, Jon-Lin Jerry Myra, along with six heifer calves, was sold for $255,000 at the National Holstein Convention Sale.
Denny served as the chairman of the PHA Sale Committee from 1981-1983, and national chairman for the National Holstein Convention held in 1995 in Pittsburgh. He has been a member of the Columbia-Luzerne Holstein Association since 1970 and served several terms on the PHA Board of Directors.
During his time as the Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture, from 2003-2009, he helped implement the “PA Preferred” labeling program to promote the state’s agricultural products, and helped establish the Center for Dairy Excellence.
Denny has also served boards ranging from Agway Insurance and the North Central Bank to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. He served on the Agricultural Technical Committee of the World Trade Organization and has received the Distinguished Service Award and the Barn Raiser Award from the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. He also received the Holstein USA Distinguished Leadership Award in 2009.
He is also the founder, president and chairman of Camp Victory, A Special Camp for Special Kids, for the last 34 years. Camp Victory is a summer camp for chronically ill children and their families. Since the first campers arrived in 1994, Camp Victory has hosted more than 30,000 overnight campers and counselors.
One of the nominators for this award said this about Denny: “While Denny Wolff is often dressed in a suit and tie and seen traveling to meetings throughout Pennsylvania and across the United States, he’s a constant advocate for agriculture. He can still put on his coveralls and head to the barn to work with great Holstein cows and bulls. There is no denying that Denny is an entrepreneur, a smart businessman, dairyman and friend to farmers near and far.”
Congratulations to our 2022 Hall of Fame recipient, Denny Wolff!
Provided by the PA Holstein Association