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Five family livestock and poultry farmers were presented with this year’s Environmental Stewardship Awards during a program and news conference in mid-June at the Ohio Statehouse Atrium. They have developed and implemented conservation and resource stewardship management practices that protect and enhance the environment while conserving natural resources.

Award recipients were Patrick Hord, Hord Livestock Co., Bucyrus (Crawford County); Carl Link, Cooper Farms, Fort Recovery (Mercer County); Terry Wehrkamp, Cooper Farms, Oakwood (Paulding County); Chuck and Lisa Rodenfels, Somerhill Farm, Caldwell (Noble County), and Wayne and June Williams, Oak Hill (Jackson County).

Each recipient received a plaque from the award sponsors and a proclamation recognizing their commitment to the basic principles of environmental and natural resource stewardship from Gov. Bob Taft. The awards were sponsored by the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association, Ohio Pork Producers Council, Ohio Poultry Association, Ohio Sheep Improvement Association and the Ohio Livestock Coalition (OLC). Hord, Link, Rodenfels and Williams are Ohio Farm Bureau Federation members.

"Each award recipient has worked hard and smart to protect the resources entrusted in their care while at the same time ensuring productivity and profitability for their individual farming operation," said David White, OLC executive director. "That’s what stewardship is all about – faithfully developing and using gifts, talents and resources to realize the maximum possible return on the resources that have been entrusted in one’s care."

Cutline:Farmers honored for their environmental stewardship were, l to r, Terry Wehrkamp, Cooper Farmers, Oakwood; Wayne Williams, Oak Hill; Carl Link, Cooper Farms, Fort Recovery; Patrick Hord, Hord Livestock Co., Bucyrus; and Chuck Rodenfels, Somerhill Farm, Caldwell.