In this issue
- Electronic CVI reminder
- New Staff Update
- Animal Health Update for County Fairs
- Dr. Tony Forshey Animal Health Building Update
- Animal Health Staff Availability
Field staff: Dr. Ellen Yoakam, Dr. Angela Rospert, Dr. Cynthia Wise, Dr. Lauren Vesprani, Dr. David Contini, Kalin Turner, Kelsey Short, Molly Roberts, Danny Sweitzer, Heidi Johnson, Nick Wells, Zach Sims, Arlis Young, John McIntyre, Chloe Heidlebaugh
Office Personnel: Cindy Bodie, Dr. Dennis Summers, Dr. Kristy Shaw, Heidi Allen, Reagan Crock, Charity Conn, Sarah Martin, Jacquie Keller-Potvin, Deb Santarelli, Joni Vance, Kendra Rowell, Lyndsey Biddle, Gabby Gugliemotto
Commercial Dog Breeding: Dr. Melissa Simmerman, Mike King, Ann Wyant, Michele Hanna, Candice Ryan, Caitlin Morelock
Contact us
Ohio Department of Agriculture
Division of Animal Health
8995 East Main Street
Reynoldsburg, OH 43068
Phone: (614) 728-6220
Fax: (614) 728-6303
animal@agri.ohio.gov
Interested in free RFID tags? Find out more!
Moving animals out of state? Find the requirements here:
InterstateLivestock.com
Growing Ohio Magazine: Presented by ODA
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Electronic CVI (eCVI) reminder- July 1, 2026
Starting July 1, 2026, ODA will no longer be accepting paper certificates of veterinary inspection (CVI) for export (animals leaving the state).
Beginning January 1, 2027 the division will require all interstate and intrastate CVIs to be electronic. At that time, paper CVIs for imports or exports will no longer be accepted.
There are many electronic platforms veterinarians can use for CVIs. Visit our website for more information.
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New Staff Update
Animal Disease Traceability (ADT) Coordinator - Chloe Heidlebaugh
My name is Chloe Heidlebaugh, and I am originally from Hancock County, Ohio where I grew up living and working on my family’s grain farm. Starting at a young age, I became totally immersed in production agriculture through the commercial grain industry. Growing up, I was heavily involved in 4H and FFA and took a wide variety of livestock projects which sparked my interest in food animal production. In 2024, I graduated from The Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute (OSU ATI) with an Associate’s Degree in Livestock Production and Management and will be graduating with my Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Sciences with a minor in Agronomy from The Ohio State University this coming May 2026. I am very thankful for this opportunity to give back to my home state’s agriculture industry by working to safeguard livestock producers and consumers. I am very excited to be joining the Animal Health team as the new Animal Disease Traceability Coordinator!
Animal Health Update for County Fairs
Cindy Bodie, Program Administrator
Every year, ODA staff attend the district OFMA spring meetings that occur throughout the state to give an update on a variety of Animal Health topics. This year the meetings were in Henry, Muskingum, Fayette, and Lake counties. Topics covered included:
1. RFID 840 tags
- ODA has FREE tags available for cattle and swine.
- Reminder that beginning January 1, 2027 – ALL cattle and swine will be required to have RFID tags for exhibition. This includes breeding, market, and open class shows.
2. ALL animals (including breeding, dairy, back to farm, etc.) are required to be drug free prior to the start of the show. This includes but is not limited to medications, vaccinations, dewormers, and antibiotics.
3. Quality Assurance - Reminder that QA is required to be completed at least 45 days prior to the opening date of the exhibition.
4. Optional drug testing of animals
- Drug testing of feeder calves will be an option again this year. If testing is not requested on the paperwork ODA receives, test kits will not be sent to the veterinarian. Timely submission of the paperwork is imperative. Also make sure you communicate with your official fair veterinarian and be sure they are aware of the various species of animals they will be testing at the fair.
5. Treat your fair veterinarians well – you need them!! They can be your biggest asset and advocate.
6. Due to restructuring at ODA, the livestock exhibition testing will be performed by the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. (They were previously done at the Consumer Protection Laboratory here at ODA). There will be no change to routine testing turnaround times.
7. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI, Bird Flu)
- The ODA website is updated with Ohio detections and there is a map to show any active control areas in the state.
- ODA recommends that fairs continue to practice good biosecurity and work closely with their official fair veterinarians on animal health related issues. If there are any sick birds at the fair, that should be reported immediately to the official fair veterinarian and ODA.
8. ODA/USDA Field Staff visit each county and independent fair during the summer and are a great resource for the official fair veterinarian and fair personnel (senior fairboard, OSU extension, fair records official, etc.).
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Dr. Tony Forshey Animal Health Building Update
Construction on The Dr. Tony Forshey Animal Health Building continues to make progress. This building is located at the ODA campus in Reynoldsburg and will replace the current Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. The building will house the Animal Health Staff on campus as well as the Ohio Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (OVDL). The building is projected to be finished late 2026.
Animal Health Staff Availability for Educational Visits
The Division of Animal Health has field inspectors and veterinarians that are located regionally throughout the state. This includes 6 veterinarians and 14 inspectors that cover a variety of regulatory field activities including livestock market oversight, animal disease traceability, commercial dog breeding inspections, county fair visits, and animal disease investigations. If a county extension office, club, or organization is interested in having one of Animal Health's field inspectors or veterinarians stop by to provide information on ODA and our regulatory activities, please reach out to AGRAnimal@agri.ohio.gov.
Please see our website for the staff that oversee your region.
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