Applications are being accepted for USDA’s Agricultural Conservation Easement Program Wetland Reserve Easement Program, which provides financial and technical assistance to Ohio landowners wishing to protect and restore critical wetlands by enrolling property into conservation easements.

Applications for ACEP-WRE are taken on a continuous basis. However, landowners are encouraged to contact their local Natural Resources Conservation Service center before Feb. 18 for fiscal 2022 funding.

Eligible lands include farmed or converted wetlands that can successfully be restored; croplands or grasslands subject to flooding; and previously restored wetlands and riparian areas that connect protected wetland areas.

For more information, visit ACEP-WRE in Ohio or contact Michael Hasty, Ohio ACEP-WRE easement coordinator, at 614-255-2442 or [email protected].

UPI hires hog marketing officer

United Producers Inc., the Midwest’s largest livestock marketing cooperative, recently hired Jon White as the company’s relationship and strategy officer for its advanced hog marketing initiatives.

White will be responsible for maintaining the highest standard of quality, growth and profitability for UPI swine programs. White will work directly with UPI members, customers and industry leaders to maximize swine initiatives and develop new opportunities for members.

He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University. He most recently served as the assistant director for Kalmbach Swine Management in Upper Sandusky, Ohio.

UPI serves 30,000 members in Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri and Tennessee, handling about 2.5 million head of livestock per year. For more information, visit uproducers.com or follow United Producers Inc. on Facebook.

Ohio Pork Congress set Feb. 8-9

Steve Lerch, former Google executive, will provide the keynote address and share his insight into the topics of digital issues, consumer behavior and innovation Feb. 8-9 at the Ohio Pork Congress. All producers and members of the pork industry are invited to attend the event at the Veterans Memorial Civic and Convention Center in Lima, Ohio.

The event is packed with educational seminars, the largest pork-specific trade show in the mid-East, and recognition of industry leaders, as well as an opportunity to support the Friend of Pork PAC. Registration information is available at ohiopork.org.

Topics and speakers include:

These educational sessions are complemented by two sets of breakout sessions with further topics relevant to pork production.

Callicoat joins Farm Bureau public policy team

Evan Callicoat will represent the interests of Ohio Farm Bureau members with the Ohio General Assembly and throughout state government as the new director of state policy for Ohio Farm Bureau.

Callicoat comes to Farm Bureau from the Ohio Treasurer’s Office, where he worked as part of the economic development department. He also brings farm policy experience through working with Ohio Corn and Wheat and the Ohio AgriBusiness Association.

He is a graduate of Ohio State University, where he majored in agribusiness and applied economics. Before that, Callicoat served as a state officer for Ohio FFA.

Kress named board chair of W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Cathann A. Kress of Powell, Ohio, is taking a new seat as board chair of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Kress will serve a one-year term as chair, replacing Celeste A. Clark of Battle Creek, Mich., whose term as chair expired in December.

Kress joined the WKKF board of trustees in 2016. She is vice president for agricultural administration and dean of the College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at Ohio State University. Kress is responsible for leadership of the college, which also includes OSU Extension, the statewide Agricultural Experiment Station (Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center) and the Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster. She is also a full professor in the department of Agricultural Communication, Education and Leadership.

WKKF also reelected trustees Milton Chen of San Francisco, Calif.; Roderick Gillum of Detroit, Mich.; and Richard Tsoumas of Battle Creek, Mich., to new three-year terms. Other board members include Celeste Clark of Battle Creek, Mich.; Christina Hanger of Plano, Texas; La June Montgomery Tabron of Battle Creek, Mich.; Ramón Murguía of Kansas City, Kan.; Khan Nedd of Grand Rapids, Mich.; and Kress as new board chair.