OCA Officers
President • Aaron Arnett 614-947-9931, aaronarnett16@gmail.com Vice President • Kyle Walls 740-485-7775, kylemwalls@gmail.com Treasurer • Linde Sutherly 937-875-0670, linde@lindeslivestockphotos.com Past President • Sasha Rittenhouse 937-215-1415, hotcattle@hotmail.com
OCA Directors
Tom Karr Director At-Large Pomeroy • Term expires 2021 740-597-9900, tom@karrcontracting.com Bill Tom Director At-Large Washington C.H. • Term expires 2023 937-694-5378, btom@uproducers.com J.L. Draganic Director At-Large Wakeman • Term expires 2022 440-821-6576, paintcreekcattle@gmail.com Jaymes Maciejewski District 1 New Bavaria• Term expires 2023 309-222-0850, jaymes.maciejewski@gmail.com Kelvin Egner District 2 Shelby • Term expires 2021 419-295-6089, kjegner@hotmail.com John Ferguson District 3 Chardon • Term expires 2022 440-478-0782, john@fergusonshowcattle.com Mark Goecke District 4 Spencerville • Term expires 2023 419-233-3101, goeckefarms@gmail.com Frank Phelps District 5 Belle Center • Term expires 2021 937-539-1442, frankph@watchtv.net Pam Haley District 6 West Salem • Term expires 2022 419-853-4657, phaley@haley-farms.com Brad Thornburg District 7 Barnesville • Term expires 2023 740-310-9196, thornburgcattle@yahoo.com Linde Sutherly District 8 New Carlisle • Term expires 2021 937-875-0670, linde@lindeslivestockphotos.com Jim Jepsen District 9 Amanda • Term expires 2022 614-560-5919, jepsen.drfarms@gmail.com Sarah Ison District 10 Moscow • Term expires 2023 513-314-5382, sarah.ison01@gmail.com Lindsey Hall District 11 Hillsboro • Term expires 2021 937-763-8115, lindseycgrimes@gmail.com Luke Vollborn • District 12 Bidwell • Term expires 2022 740-441-5740, vollborncattle@yahoo.com 6 | Ohio Cattleman | Spring Issue 2021
OCA News & Views By Aaron Arnett, OCA President
OCA PRIORITIES IN FULL BLOOM On the top of my priority list for this column is to thank everyone who made the 2021 Ohio Beef Expo possible and a significant success! This includes OCA staff, the Ohio Beef Expo Committee, particularly J.L. Draganic, Pam Haley and Bill Tom, a host of other volunteers who spent significant time before and during the Expo to ensure its success. Also, a special thank you to all the OCA members, exhibitors and customers who turned out in great numbers to partake in the opportunities found at the Ohio Beef Expo. We were elated with approximately 900 entries in the junior show for the Expo! Thank you to each of you who contributed in some way to make the Ohio Beef Expo possible. As the first agriculture event to take place at the Ohio Expo Center since the onset of COVID, the leadership and resolve of Ohio’s beef community demonstrated that public events can take place in a safe and responsible manner. We are already planning for an even better event in 2022. On the policy side, legislation has been reintroduced that attempts to address greater price reporting and transparency by beef packers. The debatable issue among most beef producers and state cattlemen’s associations currently is which parts of these bills should be government mandated versus voluntary. Our Live Cattle Marketing Committee is currently working to establish positions that reflect the best interest of our membership. If you have either questions or comments to share with OCA about these issues, please contact either your OCA district representative or the OCA office directly. We would like to hear from you and share what we are learning. Another area of particular interest for OCA members is the ongoing efforts of an OCA Cattle Harvesting Needs Work Group that has been meeting to address the need for more and expanded cattle processing facilities in the state of Ohio. The group includes OCA board members and staff, OSU faculty and several stakeholders working to increase the availability of harvest facilities and skilled labor in the meat cutting trade throughout Ohio. The long-term goal and interest for OCA is to create additional value for Ohio’s cattle producing families on a local basis by increasing opportunities for marketing of beef and decreasing the overbooking issues experienced in many locations currently. We will continue our efforts to re-open many OCA programs and resources in the coming months that have been affected by COVID. The BEST banquet, the Cattlemen’s Gala and OCA Cattlemen’s Academy are just a few examples of events we are planning to reestablish soon. Please be watching our email, print and social media updates for these announcements and invitations. In closing, Happy Spring everyone! What a wonderful time of year to enjoy beef cattle as the grass has turned green. Hopefully, most readers have received ample moisture to help the early growth of pastures and hay fields. I particularly enjoy seeing newborn calves in the fields with their mothers during a drive along backroads of our state this time of year. On behalf of the Ohio Cattleman’s Association, we wish you a safe and prosperous spring season. Please feel free to reach out to me and any OCA board and staff member with your questions, comments, and discussion.
