2008
Ohio Beef Expo
March 14-16, 2008

 

 


Ohio Cattlemen's
Association
10600 U. S. Hwy 42
Marysville, OH 43040
614-873-6736
614-873-6835
beef@ohiobeef.org
Expo Photos
Friend of the Beef Expo
March 14-16, the Ohio Beef Expo will convene for its 21st consecutive year at the state fairgrounds. Each year the success of the Expo relies on the contributions of beef industry members. Leading these initiatives are individuals who donate their time, money, animals and equipment with the intent of supporting Ohio’s cattle industry.

In an effort to recognize the service and contribution of such people, the Ohio Beef Expo Planning Committee presents the Friend of the Beef Expo award. According to Jason Dagger, Ohio Beef Expo Chairman, the award recipients are nominated by individual representatives within either the junior show, trade show or breeds committees. These representatives bring the nomination to the planning committee where the recipients are then selected.

Honored because of their strong commitment in supporting the Beef Expo, Jim and Marlene Campbell of Cedarville and Dr. Earl and Cynthia Arnholt of Valley City, are recognized as 2008 Friend of the Beef Expo award winners.

Jim and Marlene Campbell

Involved in the beef industry since 1954 with what began as a 4-H project, Jim Campbell is a long-standing fi xture at the Ohio Beef Expo. He and his wife, Marlene, have been actively involved in one of the Expo committees since the fi rst Expo was held.

Running a family cattle operation in Greene County, Jim and Marlene have a 300 acre farm, which they cannot wait to restock with cattle when they get back from spending the winter in Arizona. Their love of cattle and industry service began at the local level with the Greene County Cattlemen’s Association.

“I started raising cows back in 1954 and shortly after that I saw the need for participating in activities that promote the industry,” Jim said. Since then, Jim has served as president of the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association, volunteered countless hours toward supporting cattle groups and programs, as well as participating in Beef Expo committees. Of his committee experience, Jim did not really have a favorite one to serve on, but considered them all to be a challenging responsibility.

“[Each committee] has a very capable group of individuals that are able to solve all of the problems that arrive by the time Expo comes around,” Jim said.

In addition, to his committee service, the Campbell’s have also been active in the Expo by exhibiting there themselves and coming to watch their grandchildren show in the junior show.

Their most notable function at the Beef Expo is likely their time spent in the trade show. Elizabeth Harsh, Executive Director of the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association, characterized Jim and Marlene as being the “epicenter of the trade show” where they have spent countless hours selling OCA memberships and visiting with trade show participants.

“The OCA booth in the trade show is pretty much the ‘happening spot’ at Expo,” Harsh said. “It is folks like Jim and Marlene that make it that way. They anchor OCA’s membership counter, making it a pleasure for Expo attendees to stop by and renew their memberships and visit for awhile. You could even say they are the Expo’s trade show ambassadors.”

Further evidence of their dedication and commitment to the trade show is both Jim and Marlene returning from Arizona just for the Beef Expo. Jim looks forward to being there bright and early on Friday morning to help with the activities and the Campbells will later be recognized with a plaque commemorating their service as friends of the Expo.

“Jim and Marlene are more than your average cattle family, they have a long history of being ambassadors for the industry,” Dagger said. “They are always willing to help promote the integrity of the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association.” When informed that he would be this year’s award recipient, Jim was honored to selected, but did not consider himself worthy of the recognition.

“It is a very prestigious award and means a lot that my peers think so highly of me, but there are so many people that have worked just as hard and are more deserving recipients,” Jim said.

This is just another example of Jim’s modest demeanor and willingness to help his industry. This is also why he and his wife will continue to be not only the Friend of the Beef Expo winners, but great friends of the Ohio beef industry as well.

“Jim is never afraid of a challenge and will jump right in,” Dagger said. “Marlene may roll her eyes wondering what Jim has gotten her into, but in a blink of an eye she is right there helping him and the rest of the cattlemen. The Beef Expo is a huge event and Jim and Marlene are there every year to extend a helping hand, and for that I thank them.”

 

Earl and Cynthia Arnholt

Like the Campbells, Earl and Cyn Arnholt of Oakridge Polled Herefords are great assets to the Ohio Beef Expo. Meeting on a blind date during their undergrad at The Ohio State University, Earl and Cyn graduated and later married in 1966. Ten years later Earl, a graduate with a doctorate in Veterinary Medicine, and Cyn, an education and English graduate, began their cattle operation. They started Oakridge Polled Herefords in 1977, purchasing their first Hereford female from Hugh Ernhart as a birthday gift. Advancing their herd since then, the Arnholts welcomed new techniques, like artifi cial insemination, to develop quality stock and foundation animals for their herd.

Actively exhibiting their stock at many county fairs around the state, the Arnholts raised the reserve champion steer at the Medina County Fair in 1990, which their son showed. The family has exhibited at the Lorain County Fair for 24 years, while also competing at other shows on the local, state and national level. In particular, they have consigned top quality stock at sales that include Switzerland of Ohio, The Alliance, J & L sales, the Ohio River Blend Sale, and of course, the Ohio Beef Expo. Each of these sales offers the Arnholts the opportunity to not only exhibit their stock, but also to participate in the advancement of Hereford breeders who are formulating their own herds.

“The commitment the Arnholts show is the reason for the strength of the Ohio Beef Expo,” Dagger said. “The Expo is known for being one of the top cattle events in the country, with respect to quality. This is due, in part, because of families like the Arnholts, who exhibit and sell their best cattle at the Expo.”

Consigning animals to the shows and sales for every year of the Expo’s duration, the Arnholts have been dedicated to representing their industry, rain or shine—literally. One of the greatest factors affecting their presence at Expo has been the weather. Not letting it detour their participation, Cyn remembers many cold Expos when it would have been easier to leave the cows at home in the barn. Nonetheless, they never missed an Expo, including the year when they rinsed calves at the wash racks and the water turned to ice out of the hose before it even touched the cattle.

 

“The rewards can be outstanding, but still require a tremendous amount of work and effort by the consignor (the Arnholts) and the breed associations,” Dagger said. “We are honored by their level of commitment to the cattle industry and the Ohio Beef Expo. [I] thank them for what they have done for their breed and the Expo.”

According to Elizabeth Harsh, it is industry folks like the Arnholts that make the cattle world what it is. “The Ohio Beef Expo was built on the combined strength of Ohio’s beef breed associations,” Harsh said. “The Arnholts are great examples of that strength. Each year Earl and Cynthia set aside their best animals to consign to the Expo Hereford sale and they have been a top consigner for all 21 years of the event. It is breeders like this that make the Ohio Beef Expo successful and the state’s seedstock industry strong.”

 

They have continued their Expo support all of these years because they love the cattle industry. “We love what we do and you have to support your industry,” Cyn said. “It is important to give back.”

 

Due to their dedication to the cattle industry, the Hereford breed in particular, the Arnholts were inducted into the Hereford Hall of Merit this past January after 30 years of raising Hereford cattle.

 

Dale Stith, a fellow cattleman and auctioneer, commended the Arnholts for their industry dedication as well their herd improvement.

 

“It is a joy to work for and with team players of utmost integrity who love Hereford cattle as much as they do,” Stith said. “These two are like sponges always eager to soak up new ideas to improve their cattle and the marketing of them. Both are quick to support the youth, state and national Hereford associations and ask what can we do to help.”

Both the Campbells and the Arnholts will be presented with plaques in recognition of their dedication during the Ohio Ohio Beef Expo, March 14-16, 2008.

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