Hamilton Farm Bureau gains calf feeding specialist

HAMILTON, Mich. — Veteran dairy specialist and veterinarian Dr. Doug Hoort has joined Hamilton Farm Bureau (HFB) Feed Division to serve customers in a dedicated role as calf feed nutrition specialist.

HFB has long provided its customers with feed and feed products, but over the past three years, the cooperative has made significant investments in improving its equipment and access to additional high quality feedstuffs. Hoort and his wife, Dr. Peggy Hoort, reside at Lake Odessa, Mich.

Established as a cooperative by local farmers, HFB has continuously served specialty, row-crop and livestock producers in Michigan’s western and northwestern reaches since 1920. Still a cooperative, the Hamilton Feed Division exists to serve the region’s dairy, poultry, cattle and swine producers.

Illinois farmer joins leading law firm
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Bode Matz PC, (OFW) the leading law and lobbying firm in the fields of agriculture, food, drugs, medical devices and health care policy, announced that Gary Baise has joined the firm as a principal. He will be complementing an already thriving agricultural practice with all of his environmental and agricultural clients, as well as his decades of experience.

Baise specializes in Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act and Solid Waste Disposal Act litigation as well as agricultural corporate governance issues.

He also serves as outside general counsel for the Agricultural Retailers Assoc., National Assoc. of Wheat Growers and National Sorghum Producers.

Additionally, he serves as the only attorney on USDA’s Agricultural Air Quality Task Force.

In addition to representing agriculture interests in the courtroom, Baise is a farmer. As an Illinois corn and soybean producer, he has a hands-on perspective to better understand the issues impacting his clients and the industry.

Angus producers claim annual BIF honors
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Angus producers were honored with top producer awards at the recent Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Research Symposium and annual meeting in Sacramento. BIF named Champion Hill, a Bidwell, Ohio producer, as one of the co-winners of the Seedstock Producer of the Year. BEEF magazine sponsors the awards.

Paul Hill and Marshall Reynolds of Champion Hill manage 220 breeding-age registered Angus females and 630 mostly half-blood Angus females used as recipients on 4,000 acres of owned and leased land in southeastern Ohio. Each year, the operation sells 300 females in two production sales and 200 bulls through a genetic partnership.

Champion Hill was nominated for the award by the Ohio Cattlemen’s Assoc. For information, visit www.championhillangus.com