WV Farm Bureau Magazine January 2016 | Page 5

WVFB Welcomes O’Dell as Director of Government Affairs Dwayne O’Dell has joined the staff of West Virginia Farm Bureau as Director of Government Affairs. O’Dell hails from Roane County, West Virginia, where he attended Spencer High School. He earned both bachelor’s (1978) and master’s (1982) degrees in Agriculture Education from WVU. During his tenure as a Vo-Ag teacher at Buckhannon-Upshur High School from ‘78 to ‘83, O’Dell’s students won two state livestock judging contests and also competed nationally. In August 1983, O’Dell became State Agronomist for the West Virginia Department of Agriculture and was later named Livestock Section Chief, supervising the livestock grading program in West Virginia. In 1986, along with WVU staff, he helped develop the Board Tel-O-Auction Sales which now market over $18 million of cattle annually through the West Virginia auction markets. In 2000, O’Dell was named by the USDA Agriculture Marketing Service to serve on the committee that reviewed USDA feeder cattle grade standards. During the last 15 years, O’Dell served as Assistant Director of the WVDA Marketing & Development Division, where he supervised approximately 20 staff members as well as the 10,000 acres of WVDA state farms. He also served on the animal disease response team and coordinated all bonding requirements for livestock dealers and auction markets in West Virginia. Dwayne and wife Cynthia have three daughters and a granddaughter. They live on a 700-acre registered Angus cattle farm which he operates with his brother near Amma, West Virginia. They are members of Cornerstone Baptist Church where Dwayne teaches the weekly adult Bible study class. Striving to be the most comprehensive performance evaluation program in the country!!! Forage Diet • Moderate Gain • Optimum Condition • Growth and Maternal Absentee bidding and transportation assistance available! bulltest.ext.wvu.edu Dr. Kevin Shaffer [phone] [email protected] West Virginia Cattlemen’s Association Jim Bostic [phone] [email protected] West Virginia Cattlemen’s Association Dr. Kevin Shaffer Office: [phone] Cell: [phone] [email protected] Jim Bostic [phone] [email protected] West Virginia Farm Bureau News 5