NRCS Engineers Take Top Awards at the Annual Texas Section ASABE Meeting

The Texas Section of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers presented its highest award to Henry “Hank” T. Wiederhold, field engineer for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) from Nacogdoches, Texas, at its annual awards banquet Oct. 11, 2006. Additionally, Dean Santistevan, field engineer for NRCS in Edinburg, Texas received the “Young Engineer of the Year”.

Wiederhold received “2006 Engineer of the Year” in recognition for his outstanding performance and lifetime achievement as an agricultural engineer.

For the past year, Wiederhold has been NRCS’s lead engineer in the agency’s response to Hurricane Rita. “Although Hank has served as team leader for NRCS in other emergency situations, the magnitude of the devastation associated with this particular storm has almost been unbelievable,” said John Mueller, NRCS state conservation engineer for Texas. “His efforts are certainly worthy of recognition.”

Shortly after the storm passed, Mueller said, Wiederhold used his experience and his knowledge of the area to get things done even when faced with very trying circumstances.

He guided the preparation of damage survey reports and administered approximately 30 contracts totaling several million dollars while assisting others with the preparation of other jobs. He was recently recognized by both the city of Port Arthur and NRCS for his exceptional work on hurricane recovery efforts.

Wiederhold began his engineering career with the Soil Conservation Service (now NRCS) in 1977 in Big Spring, Texas. Wiederhold is responsible for soil and water conservation projects that have benefited thousands of acres in Texas. He has designed and overseen installation of terraces, waterways, wetlands, ponds, grade stabilizations structures, waste management systems, and many other conservation practices. He has trained many engineers and other agency personnel on methods for soil and water conservation.

Wiederhold has also been instrumental in NRCS’s work in designing and installing poultry litter structures and mortality composting buildings. “In early 2000s water quality issues in East Texas relating to contaminated rainfall runoff from exposed poultry mortality and litter resulted in a need to design and install numerous poultry litter storage and composting buildings. At the time, Texas NRCS had limited experience in ‘building’ design and construction,” said Jerry Walker, water management engineer with the NRCS Central National Technology Service Center. “Hank took the lead in working with NRCS engineers who had experience in designing these structures in other states.”

According to Walker, Hank developed locally appropriate design procedures and construction recommendations necessary for installation of structures that helped prevent contamination of rainfall runoff. He has since shared his knowledge and experience with others, which allowed his standard drawings and designs to be used by NRCS in other poultry areas and with other types of animal operations.

“Hank has a great deal of common sense, strong moral beliefs, and a remarkable ability to get along with people,” Walker said. “These traits have served him well in his career and enabled him to work with cooperators to arrive at successful solutions when faced with very difficult technical and potentially litigious items.”

Additionally, the Texas Section of ASABE named Dean Santistevan, an agricultural engineer with the NRCS in Edinburg as the “2006 Young Engineer of the Year.” Santistevan attended Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colo., graduating in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in bioresource and agricultural engineering. Santistevan has co-authored papers including a recent paper entitled, “Evaluation and Repair of an NRCS Assisted Dam Constructed on a Collapsible Foundation” that was presented at the 2006 ASABE International Meeting in Portland, Oregon. He has worked with the Starr County Commissioner’s Court to stress the need for proper long-term maintenance of dams. He has been involved in several inspections and hazard classification reviews of NRCS-assisted dams.

Additionally, Jerry Walker of the NRCS Central National Technology Center in Fort Worth was recognized for 25 Years of Service as a member of ASABE. Retired NRCS State Conservation Engineer O’Gene Barkemeyer was recognized for 40 Years of Service as a member of ASABE.

Several NRCS engineers made technical presentations. John Mueller, state conservation engineer for Texas, presented information on streambank restoration performed while he was in Oklahoma. Dean Santistevan presented important information on considerations for dams constructed in arid and semi-arid climates. Hank Wiederhold presented information on NRCS recovery efforts following Hurricane Rita.

NRCS also has several members that donated much of their personal time to make the 2006 Texas Section Meeting a success. For the 2006 Texas Section Meeting, James Smith served on the local arrangements committee and was instrumental in coordination of technical tours, including a demonstration of engineering surveying equipment. NRCS members of the 2005 – 2006 executive committee included Catherine Nash, chair; William Pinson, awards chair; Kevin LaStrapes, vice chair of public relations; Brian Wenberg, vice chair of continuing education; Cleon Namken, nominating committee chair; and Tim Dybala and Steve Bednarz, nominating committee members.

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers is an educational and scientific organization dedicated to the advancement of engineering applicable to agricultural, food, and biological systems. Founded in 1907 and headquartered in St Joseph, Mich., ASABE has 9,000 members in more than 100 countries. Texas is represented by approximately 400 ASABE members and holds an annual meeting and awards banquet.

< Back to Highlights