September 23, 2024 - 11:31am -- newcomb.84@osu.edu

WAUSEON – The 2024 inductees to the Fulton County Agriculture Hall of Fame were recently announced by the Ohio State University Extension Office and Hall of Fame selection committee. The purpose of the Hall of Fame is to recognize selected farmers or agribusiness leaders from our county who have committed over 25 years or more of service to the agriculture industry in our county, state, or region.  Since 1983, there have been 41 classes totaling 163 honorees that have been inducted into the Fulton County Agriculture Hall of Fame. Inductees were selected by the Hall of Fame Committee in July after all applications had been reviewed. This year’s inductees were announced at a ceremony on Monday, August 19th at St Caspar Catholic Church in Wauseon. The inductees will have a permanent plaque hung in their honor at the Fulton County Fairgrounds.  Each honoree will receive an identical plaque for their home, thanks to the 2024 Sponsor: Neu-Brook Seed Service, LLC.

The 2024 Fulton Agricultural Hall of Fame inductees are Donald R. Fogle, D.V.M., Gary Pennington, Randy Rice, and Jeff Simon.

Donald R. Fogle, D.V.M. of York Township is being inducted into the Hall of Fame for his outstanding contributions to the livestock industry of Fulton County and beyond. As a large and small animal veterinarian with Northwest Veterinary Hospital, Doc Fogle has served as an official vet for the Fulton County Fair since 1985.

Don has served in agricultural related areas for his entire life. While completing his undergraduate degree in Animal Sciences, Don worked part-time as a slaughter line and laboratory worker with Ohio Packing Company. A true Buckeye, Don completed his Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral degrees from the Ohio State University. In 1975, Don was part of the General Livestock Judging Team for OSU. While completing his masters, Don was employed at Bernard’s Turkey Farm and helped with the farm’s grain and poultry operations. Additionally, he completed his meat technology thesis research work in Bjuv, Sweden. Upon the completion of his D.V.M. in June 1984, Don came to Fulton County where he has served as a veterinarian ever since.

Throughout his career, Don has been a servant of the industry, giving back in many capacities. He has served as a mentor to many aspiring veterinarians whether they were shadowing for the day or interning with the Hospital. Often Don is a speaker for career days at the county’s elementary and middle schools. His commitment to youth education and development is evident, as he served as a co-advisor for the Blue Ribbon Raisers 4-H Club and is an honorary member of the Delta FFA. Don has served on many committees and associations including the American and Ohio Veterinary Medical Association, Professional Veterinary Products Board of Directors and the Fulton County Extension Advisory Committee. He has been a member of the Ohio Farm Bureau for 48 years. 

Caring, cooperative, and community oriented are all words used to describe Don. In his community, Don was a member of the Pike-Delta-York School Board for 16 years serving multiple terms as President or Vice President. The Delta Elementary and Middle School were both raised during his tenure along with many other major renovations. Don and his wife Margie are members of the Hope Church of Delta (formerly the United Methodist Church of Delta) where Don has served on the Pastor Parish Committee and Affiliation Team. He has also served on the State Bank and Trust’s Advisory Board and was a member of the Delta Rotary Club.

Don is a proud father to his son and two daughters and grandfather of seven.

Gary Pennington is a lifelong hog and grain farmer from Chesterfield Township. His contributions to the pork industry and service to Fulton County agriculture promote his induction into the Fulton County Agriculture Hall of Fame.

Gary has been a hog farmer for nearly his whole life, raising hogs for Indiana Packers, Archbold Elevator, and Gerald Grain Center for nearly 55 years. He started as a farrow-to-finish swine operation before transitioning to an integrated finishing barn where he feeds out approximately 4800 head annually. He currently employs his nephew-in-law and looks forward to his son returning to the operation in the coming years.

Beyond his farming operation, Gary is an advocate for agriculture in his community. He and his wife Luann have served on the Fulton County Pork Producers for over 40 years and continue to serve and offer guidance to the organization during the current transition to the next generation of Fulton County. It would be difficult to count the number of sausage sandwiches Gary and his family have served at both the county and Ohio State Pork Stand, though if anyone could do it, it would be Gary! He is exceptionally good with numbers and his analytical skills have served him well through the tough years of farming. Gary influenced many youth through his 25-years of service as an advisor to the Chesterfield Feeders 4-H Club.

Community service has been a priority for Gary. He has served on council, as President, and Secretary of his church congregations. Gary was part of the zoning committee for Chesterfield Township and served on the Evergreen Local School District School Board for over 16 years. During his school board tenure, he served as President and Vice President of the Board and helped guide the district through the construction of a new elementary school. His leadership was well utilized on the Gerald Grain Center Board of Directors for over 10 years as well where he helped to increase revenue by expanding the cooperative’s service area to the Archbold and Delta areas.

Family has always come first for Gary; he spent countless hours working with his 5 children to teach them all about the pork industry. All four of his daughters and one of his many granddaughters served as Fulton County Pork Industry Queen, and he is currently looking forward to watching another granddaughter carry on the family tradition and receive her American FFA degree this fall. While Gary is still farming today, he always finds time to support all of his 18 grandchildren and recently learned the first great-grandchild is on the way. You will find many of them in the Pork Stand on Saturday night waiting to hear Gary say “One more box!” be placed on the grill over and over as the night progresses.

Randy Rice, a lifelong resident of Fulton County, has dedicated over 45 years to the agriculture industry as both an agricultural lender and a farmer in Chesterfield Township. His extensive career spanned five financial institutions, with the majority of his service at the Bank of Lenawee. Throughout his tenure, he has continually serviced farmers in Fulton County and beyond.

As an agricultural lender, Randy worked diligently to represent the farmer’s best interest while maintaining the integrity of the bank.  He worked closely with the Farm Service Agency to help farmers receive competitive rates and help the bank improve their overall loan credit quality using the Farmers Home Loan Guarantee program. Randy was continually balancing the agricultural and financial markets to keep the bank protected and his growers operating. Education was important to Randy, so he established several grower meetings bringing in the best economists, marketers, and advocates of agriculture from around the United States. One of those nights included Orion Samuelson “The Voice of Agriculture”. Randy was also featured on Orion’s show the U.S. Farm Report in 1994. Those education nights highlighted Randy’s appreciation for his clientele while also offering an opportunity for education in farm management. Randy mentored several young lenders as they began their careers and taught them the fundamentals of agricultural lending.

Randy is an integral part of his community, not only in the banking world, but in Fulton County where he lives and farms. He has served in leadership positions for many organizations including, but not limited to, the Wauseon FFA Alumni Association, Delta and Wauseon Rotary Clubs, Morenci Kiwanis Club, and the Fulton County Cattle Feeders. Randy is a lifelong member of St. Luke Lutheran Church in Wauseon where he has served numerous terms on the church council. Randy was committed to youth development programs in the county whether it was the FFA, 4-H, school programs, or coaching sports teams. He hired numerous students to help bale hay on his farm throughout the years, teaching strong work ethic, leadership, and integrity – while also having some fun along the way.

Randy and his wife Shelley raised three children. Now retired from banking and farming, Randy enjoys sharing his legacy with his grandkids, teaching them about agriculture and instilling in them his passion for International and Oliver Tractors. As he has transitioned out of farming, two young farmers were able to take over his acreage.

Jeffrey Simon was a lifelong farmer from Amboy Township raising corn, soybeans, wheat, cattle, and hogs. Farming was the way of life for Jeff which gave him a work ethic and desire to serve that has earned his spot in the county Hall of Fame.

Jeff began his career early learning from his father, Ray Simon. He worked side by side with him, raising crops and selling Dekalb Seed to other farmers, until Ray’s passing in 2004. He was brought up to have strong moral values and was instilled with a strong sense of civic duty. Throughout his career, he diversified from solely crop production, to include raising animals. He started off raising hogs with a few cattle for family, and then shifted to primarily raising cattle with his business partner Mark Farnsel to provide beef to local families. Along with these pursuits, Jeff also worked in the winter months for many years at AR Schmidlin’s Greenhouse. 

Jeff was a big advocate for conservation, and in the mid-90s started to apply no-till farming practices to his operation.  He used a no-till grain drill and would rent it out to other farmers to promote the practice. He was an advocate for water quality, planting grass filter strips and waterways to filter water run off from chemicals and fertilizers. In his early career he also learned the value of drainage tile in crop production and assisted his Uncles Bob and Bill Simon who installed it.

Jeff and his wife of nearly 40 years, Theresa, continued the traditions within a farming family with their three children. Today, all three of their children are involved in the family farm with Justin and Jacob managing Simon Family Farm, LLC, and Ella doing the bookkeeping. They all desire to carry on the family’s legacy for the next generation, including Jeff and Theresa’s nine grandchildren.

A servant to not only his family, but his community, Jeff was very active in representing agriculture and the residents of Amboy Township as a Township Trustee for 24 years. During his tenure, he was a member of both the Fulton County and Ohio Township Association and served on the Fulton County Regional Planning Commission for the duration of his term. His service to agriculture beyond his farming included working as a loan officer for St. Mary’s Credit Union. Jeff's leadership extended to the Fulton-Lucas West Farm Service Agency Board of Directors, where his insights and decisions impacted local agricultural policies and practices. Apart from his titled involvement, Jeff the kind of person who would drop what he was doing to assist another farmer in need. He has helped farmers harvest crops, lent out equipment, and even raised hogs for a woman who was recently widowed. He also enjoyed giving children rides on equipment whenever they asked, inspiring the next generation.

Jeff and his wife Theresa were very involved as members of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Assumption. He served as an usher, money counter, and a council member throughout the years for the church. Additionally, Jeff was an associate member of the Catholic War Veterans. As part of his service, he arranged a 10-week euchre tournament for the members for over 30 years, raising money for the Post and giving members a night out. His commitment to public service extended to his role as a bus driver for the Evergreen Local School District, where he safely transported students for 15 years.

To the family of Jeff Simon, we welcome your husband, father, and grandfather posthumously into the Fulton County Agriculture Hall of Fame for his dedication to family, farming, and community service.