August 6, 2021

NEW ALBANY, OHIO – On Friday, August 6, the Ohio Agricultural Council returned to the Ohio Expo Center & State Fair for the first time in two years where they hosted the 55thannual OAC Agricultural Hall of Fame Breakfast at Kasich Hall in Columbus, Ohio. Since the ceremony was postponed due to the pandemic in 2020, more than 600 people arrived on Friday morning to enjoy a delicious breakfast served by Ohio’s commodity groups while also honoring the eight newest inductees into the Ag Hall of Fame from the classes of 2020 and 2021.
Of the eight new inductees, three of the members have enjoyed successful careers in agriculture while also being directly tied to Ohio’s pork industry. From the Class of 2020, Dr. Tony Forshey and Wendell Waters were recognized for their many years of hard work and dedication to Ohio’s agricultural community. For more than 27 years, Dr. Forshey has made invaluable contributions to the betterment of the swine industry as a practicing veterinarian, including his focus on herd health and disease prevention. He also put his knowledge to use in the world of academia where he served as an adjunct faculty member for the College of Veterinary Medicine at The Ohio State University, and later became the State Veterinarian and Chief of the Division of Animal Health for the Ohio Department of Agriculture. He was also a key factor in the creation of the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board, which is boasted as the most comprehensive livestock care standards in the United States. While Forshey was unable to attend the ceremony, his son Brandon was in attendance to be honored on his behalf.
Wendell Waters was also inducted for the class of 2020 thanks to his many years of service to the agriculture community. Following the creation of WenMar Farms, Inc. with his wife Marcia, today’s operation consists of a 3,600-sow farrow-to-finish hog operation along with 4,000 acres of corn and soybeans. For more than 50 years, Waters has been an instrumental member of Ohio’s agricultural community, most notably as a founding member of the Ohio Corn Growers and an advocate for the PGI Group, which has continuously improved the hog industry through standardized genetics, marketing, and best practices.
Included in the class of 2021, Randy Brown was honored with his induction into Ohio’s Ag Hall of Fame following more than 41 years of dedication and service to the agriculture industry. As a member of his family’s farming operation, Maken Bacon Farms, Brown has focused his time on the ever-changing production methods that have taken place over the years for their sow and farrow-to-finish swine operation. Also known for hosting personal farm tours for legislators and key leaders to educate about modern pork, Brown has served as president and board member of the Ohio Pork Council, was a National Pork Board member, involved with the National Pork Producers Council, and was a member of the Ohio Livestock Coalition.
A special thank you goes out to Forshey, Waters, and Brown for all of their hard work and dedication to Ohio’s pork industry over the years. We applaud you for your service to Ohio’s agricultural community and we wouldn’t be here today without you.