PROF. DR. JOŽE FERČEJ (1917-2009)
Štirinajstega oktobra smo se na ljubljanskih Žalah poslovili od staroste slovenskih govedorejcev, profesorja dr. Jožeta Ferčeja. Profesor Ferčej je bil zadnji iz skupine strokovnjakov, ki so v Sloveniji po drugi svetovni vojni izvedli pasemsko rajonizacijo in razširili umetno osemenjevanje krav.
rodil se je 28. februarja 1917 na Blejski dobravi. Gimnazijo je končal v Kranju, študij kmetijstva pa 1941, dva dni pred napadom na Jugoslavijo, na Kmetijsko - gozdarski fakulteti v Beogradu. Tam je leta 1941 diplomiral in 1963 tudi doktoriral s področja selekcije rjave pasme v Sloveniji. Po vojni je bil referent za živinorejo v Celju in Mariboru ter na Ministrstvu za kmetijstvo. Bil je tudi tajnik Zveze živinorejskih zadrug za sivo-rjavo govedo in tajnik zveze živinorejskih selekcijskih zadrug. Od leta 1953 do leta 1974 je bil znanstveni sodelavec, znanstveni svetnik in predstojnik Zavoda za živinorejo na Kmetijskem inštitutu Slovenije. V letih 1955 in 1956 je bil pol leta na izpopolnjevanju v Kopenhagnu na Danskem. Od leta 1974 in do upokojitve v letu 1987 je bil redni profe-
sor za govedorejo na Oddelku za živinorejo, Biotehniške fakultete v Ljubljani. V letih 1971 in 1972 je bil profesor Ferčej predsednik Jugoslovanske skupnosti znanstvenoraziskovalnih organizacij za področje živinorejskih ved. Večkrat je bil tudi delegat Jugoslavije na sestankih in konferencah Evropske zootehnične federacije. Intenzivno je deloval v Evropskem združenju rejcev rjavega goveda, v dveh obdobjih je bil tudi predsednik tega združenja in je organiziral konferenci združenja v Sloveniji.
Za realizacijo razvojnih programov na področju govedoreje se je znal povezati z govedorejskimi strokovnjaki po Sloveniji, poskrbel pa je tudi za razvoj mladih sodelavcev, Janeza Pogačarja in Slavka Čepina, ki sta kasneje doktorirala in postala univerzitetna profesorja. S skrbjo za mlajše sodelavce je nadaljeval tudi na Biotehniški fakulteti. V Sloveniji bi težko našli govedorejca, ki se s profesorjem ni kdaj srečal. Dobre, prijateljske stike je znal navezovati tudi z naprednimi kmeti. Aktiven je ostal tudi po upokojitvi leta 1987.
Izjemno plodno delo profesorja ni ostalo neopaže-
no v široki javnosti. Prejel je številna domača in mednarodna odlikovanja, priznanja in nagrade, med njimi Red dela z zlatim vencem (1968), Red zaslug za narod z zlato zvezdo (1987), Priznanje švicarske zveze rejcev rjavega goveda (1969), Jesenkovo priznanje Biotehniške fakultete (1977), Nagrado Sklada Borisa Kidriča za tehnično izboljšavo - s sodelavci (1981), Kidričevo nagrado za življenjsko delo v govedoreji (1987).
Profesor je bil ploden pisec. Seznam bibliografskih navedb od leta 1947 presega 450 enot. Slovenski gove-dorejci, kmetijski strokovnjaki in prijatelji smo prof. dr Jožetu Ferčeju hvaležni za vse kar je naredil in napisal za slovenskega kmeta, kmetijstvo in zlasti za govedorejo. S svojim delom si je postavil trajen spomenik.
In Memoriam Prof. Dr. Jože FERČEJ (1917-2009)
Professor Jože Frečej, the doyen of Slovenian cattle breeders was buried on Ljubljana cemetery Žale on October 14. Professor Ferčej belonged to the group of experts who after the Second World War introduced artificial insemination and regionalisation of cattle breeds to Slovenia.
He was born on February 28 1917 at Blejska Dobrava, finished high school in Kranj and university study at the Faculty for Agriculture and Forestry in Belgrade in 1941, two days before German air force attacked Yugoslavia. From the same Faculty he received his PhD in 1963.
After the Second World War, he was employed as an expert for cattle breeding in Celje, Maribor and at the Slovenian Ministry for agriculture. He was also secretary
of the Society for brown cattle breeding and secretary of the Society for cattle selection. Between 1955 and 1974 he was researcher and head of the unit for animal breeding at the Agricultural institute of Slovenia. In the years 1955 and 1956, he spent six months as a guest researcher in Copenhagen, Denmark. From 1974 to his retirement in 1987 he vas full professor for cattle breeding at the Department of Animal Science at Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana. In the years 1971 and 1972 was professor Ferčej president of the Yugoslav zootecnical research community. He represented Yugoslavia several times at the meetings of the European brown cattle Association, was two times its president and organized two annual meetings of the Association in Slovenia.
He developed vivid contacts to researchers and experts in the field of cattle breeding in Slovenia as well as abroad. He was mentor of several graduate students, among tem also Janez Pogačar and Slavko Čepin, who both later became university professors. Professor Ferčej remained active also after his retirement in 1987. For his professional and research work he received numerous awards, among them "Red dela z zlatim vencem' (1968), "Red zaslug za narod z zlato zvezdo" (1987), Award of the Swiss Brown Cattle Breeder Association (1969), Jesenko Award of the Biotechnical Faculty (1977), Award of the Boris Kidrič Foundation for technical innovation - with co-workers (1981) and Kidrič award for his lifework in the field of cattle breeding (1987).
Professor Ferčej was a fruitful writer. His entire bibliography contains more than 450 units and Slovenian cattle breeders, experts, farmers and friends appreciate his contribution to the development of Slovenian agriculture. With his work he will remain with us.
Prof. dr. Jože Osterc