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WLIC Honors Retiring Board Members; Announces New
VERONA, WI (March 25th, 2009) —The Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium (WLIC) bid farewell to retiring board chairperson and founding member, Deb Reinhart, at its annual meeting at the Farm Bureau Federation’s building in Madison on March 12. Reinhart, a dairy producer from New Holstein, served on the board for six years as a representative for the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin.
“We have come a long way in both public perception and producer participation since we first started the consortium,” explained Reinhart. “We are proud to help protect the Wisconsin herd and assist other states in developing their own unified identification systems to protect the U.S. as a whole. There is a strong push, both within our own state and beyond its borders, to continue to advance animal identification to the next level and secure a safe environment for producers and end consumers.”
In recognition of her service to agriculture, Dr. Paul McGraw presented Reinhart with an award on behalf of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, signed by Secretary Rod Nilsestuen. She also received a certificate of appreciation from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Associate Administrator, Kevin Shea, which was presented by Dr. John Wiemers.
Dedicated board member Jay Mattison of Request Ltd. also stepped down from WLIC’s board of directors after serving six years on the board, including three years as treasurer.
Elected to chair WLIC’s board of directors was Gary Sutherland, who represents Milwaukee Stockyards. Patrick Fitzgibbons of Cargill returns to the board as vice chair, and Kevin Jorgensen of East Central/Select Sires was re-elected as secretary.
Newly-elected board members include David Cooper of Family Dairies USA and Elsa Arnold of M&I Bank. Elsa Arnold will serve as treasurer.
Returning board members include Dr. Ole Meland, Accelerated Genetics; Chuck Adami, Equity Livestock Sales Association; Terry Quam, Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association; Richard Keller, Wisconsin Farmers Union; Calvin Larson, Wisconsin Horse Council; Mike Salter, Wisconsin Pork Association; and Dr. Thomas McKenna, Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
WLIC continues to promote the benefits of premises registration and voluntary individual animal identification through pilot herd case studies and the Livestock Vantage, WLIC’s branded initiative to help create an understanding, awareness and motivation for premises registration and voluntary animal identification. In addition, WLIC continues to provide opportunities to help beef, dairy and swine producers get involved in voluntary animal identification.
Dr. John Wiemers of USDA APHIS-VS echoed the theme of forward progress with his update from Capitol Hill. Giving a brief synopsis of the testimony offered by three different panels of representatives to congress, Dr. Wiemers explained to members that although this was merely testimony it reinforces the importance of traceability to protect the livestock industry and food supply.
Radio farm broadcaster Pam Jahnke also addressed WLIC members. She urged them to be prepared to communicate with the media about agriculture, especially the expected changes related to animal identification, in order to help the end audience understand agriculture from the producer’s perspective. She also encouraged members to be proactive in their media interviews by asking media representatives questions in return and following up with them with additional information as soon as possible.
The mission of the Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium is to create a secure nationally compatible livestock identification system for the purposes of protecting animal health, safeguarding market access, and offering opportunities to enhance the marketability of Wisconsin livestock products. Representing more than 50 businesses, organizations and livestock-related associations, WLIC draws upon the collective strength of its diverse membership to help lead nation-wide improvement and advancement in animal traceability.
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