The Animal Agriculture Alliance Board of Directors has elected Terry Wehrkamp of Cooper Farms as its chair-elect. Cooper Farms has been a valued Alliance member for 10 years and Wehrkamp has served on the Alliance board since 2014. Wehrkamp will serve a two-year term beginning in May 2017.
A native of Smithville, Ohio, Wehrkamp graduated from The Ohio State University in 1982. After graduation, he worked for Foster Farms in California before joining Cooper Farms in 1985. As director of live production, Wehrkamp manages the teams caring for the company’s turkeys, hogs and chickens and its feed production. A well-respected industry leader, Wehrkamp was inducted into the Ohio State University Department of Animal Sciences Hall of Fame in December 2015 and was awarded the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award in 2010.
“I am very excited to step into this leadership role with the Alliance,” Wehrkamp said. “Cooper Farms values our Alliance membership as it allows us to collaborate with other companies and organizations who are committed to securing a brighter future for our industry. I look forward to taking on the role of chair-elect and expanding my involvement in the Alliance’s work to connect industry stakeholders, engage with crucial audiences and protect the reputation of animal agriculture.”
The announcement was made recently at the Alliance’s spring board meeting, held in conjunction with the 2016 Stakeholders Summit. The Summit, entitled “Securing Animal Agriculture’s Future: Action, Please!”, focused on securing a bright future for animal agriculture by finding solutions to the challenges facing the industry today. A total of 240 attendees representing all facets of the livestock, poultry and dairy industries gathered in Arlington for the two-day event. Recorded sessions will be posted as they are available at: http://agtoday.us/2016-aaa-summit
