By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

COLUMBUS, Ohio — One of the hottest items to face those in the Ohio agricultural community and animal rights groups has been the creation of the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board.

After five months of deliberation and examination of candidates, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland announced the appointment of 10 to this board with the speakers of the house and senate president choosing two members. Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) Director Robert Boggs will serve as the 13th board member.
The Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board is charged with establishing standards governing the care and well-being of livestock and poultry in Ohio. The board will strive to maintain food safety, encourage locally-grown and raised food, and protect Ohio farms and families.

One of those appointed to this list of 10 (and the youngest at age 26) is Stacey Atherton of Newark in Knox County.

“Being chosen to this board was a total surprise to me,” Atherton said. “I’m very, very amazed and not really sure why I was chosen, but I did apply. From what I gather I fill the family farmer mission, I still work with 4-H groups and I studied animal science at Ohio State University. I also perform a lot of community service, so I’m out there.”

Atherton has served as the co-owner for Shipley Farms since 2009 and was manager for Shipley Farms from 2006-2009. She was a 4-H advisor for the Licking County Jersey Club since 2006, and is a member of the Ohio Dairy Producers and the Ohio Farm Bureau.
Atherton and the others on this panel will serve three-year terms on this board.

“This panel will deliberate key and hot issues,” she said. “I’m just excited to help the industry.”

The other nine members of this board include Tony Forshey of Columbus, Leon Weaver (Montpelier), Bobby Moser (Dublin), Jeffrey LeJeune (Wooster), Harold Dates (Cincinnati), Jerry Lahmers (Newcomerstown), Lisa Hamler-Fugitt (Reynoldsburg), Robert Cole (Gahanna) and Bill Moody (Frederickstown).
Forshey currently serves as the state veterinarian for ODA. He serves as the co-chairman of the swine update program in the department of preventive medicine at Ohio State University and chairman of the Ohio Veterinary Medical Assoc. swine sub-committee to the ODA.

Weaver serves as the owner and operator of Bridgewater Dairy and serves as a member of the board of directors for the Ohio Livestock Coalition and the Ohio Dairy Industry Forum.

Wuebker has served as co-owner of Wuebker Farms since 2001 and is the president of the Ohio Soybean Assoc. He is a member of the Ohio Corn Growers Assoc. and the Ohio Cattlemen’s Assoc. He was named Outstanding Young Farmer by the Ohio Farm Bureau in 2005.

Moser has served as the vice president for agricultural administration for the dean of the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at Ohio State University since 1991.
Prior to that he was the associate dean of agriculture and Extension program director at University of Missouri for two years.

LeJeune has served as an associate professor for Food and Animal Health at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center at Ohio State University since 2007. He currently serves as the chair of the agriculture animal care and use committee at OSU.

Dates has served as president and CEO of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) since 1986. He was community center director for the city of Cincinnati from 1971-1973.
Lahmers owns and operates a family farm that includes a cow/calf feedlot and grain operation. He was a veterinarian in Tuscrawas County for 29 years. He is president of the Tuscarawas County Farm Bureau and Tuscarawas County Parks Department.
He served as a member of the Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board from 2000-2009.

Hamler-Fugitt is executive director of the Ohio Assoc. of Second Harvest Foodbanks and as the legislative liaison for the Ohio Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs.

She has written and secured more than $200 million in grants to support various anti-hunger programs.

Cole served in various roles for the U. S. Department of Agriculture for more than 33 years, including serving as the executive director of the USDA’s Franklin County office.

He continues to help manage his family’s farm in Mississippi.
Moody was appointed to the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board by Ohio Senate President Bill Harris. Moody is the former deputy director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. In a vote held in November, Ohio voters approved of this special board favorably by 64 percent. The state legislature will set the rules for the implementation of the board.