James Holt papers

James Samuel Holt (1938-2008) was born in Riverton, New Jersey. He graduated from Girard College in Philadelphia, Pa., and the Pennsylvania State University (B.S., agronomy, 1959; Ph.D., agricultural economics,1965), including studies at the University of Minnesota (1962-1963). Holt joined the faculty at Penn State in 1963 in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology. In 1979, he left academics to establish a consulting firm in Washington, D.C. From 1979 to 2008, Holt served as an agricultural economist consultant and did extensive work for the United States Department of Labor and the United States Department of Agriculture. He also consulted with growers throughout the United States to assess and meet their seasonal labor needs. Holt worked primarily on legislative policy to help both growers and seasonal foreign laborers and did extensive research, funded by the United States Department of Labor, to evaluate and assess the use of immigrant and undocumented labor in agricultural areas of the United States. The research included site visits to, and interviews in, all sectors of the agricultural industry across Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, Maine, West Virginia, Virginia, Florida, California, Oregon, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, Washington, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Texas, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. This work assessed the needs for temporary farm workers and growers during the harvest season to ensure food production and guided legislation and policy concerning agricultural labor conditions. Later, Holt's work took him to Spain and China to aid agricultural workers in finding legal seasonal employment in the United States. At the end of his career, Holt worked extensively on the AgJobs legislation aimed at reforming immigration regulations for foreign farm workers and to support agricultural production in the United States. Holt is recognized internationally for his expertise in agriculture production and labor in the United States. Dr. Holt was also active in the English Cocker Spaniel Club of America and the American Kennel Club, which awards the James S. Holt Memorial Award for Promotion of Responsible Dog Ownership in Legislation (Holt award) to legislators.

In addition, Dr. Holt was also prominently active in the English Cocker Spaniel Club of America and served as the club's delegate to the American Kennel Club, participating in the showing and breeding of English Cockers for over 40 years. He was also one of the founders of the Nittany Kennel Club in State College while on the faculty at Penn State. In 1987, he was elected to the AKC's board of Directors and served for 17 years as the AKC's federal legislative consultant. Since 2010, the James S. Holt Memorial Award for Promotion of Responsible Dog Ownership in Legislation (Holt award) is administered by the AKC Government Relations Department in honor of Holt's work to defeat harmful dog legislation. The award honors legislators who demonstrate a commitment to promoting responsible dog ownership, the well-being of dogs, and whose actions advance the mission of the American Kennel Club.