Read Governor Kasich's Common Sense Initiative
Director James Zehringer was formally named as Director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources by Governor John Kasich on November 15, 2011. Prior to this appointment he served as Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture. He is the former owner of the Meiring Poultry and Fish Farm in Fort Recovery, which received several awards for outstanding environmental practices. He also served as a former State Representative for the 77th House District and as a Mercer County Commissioner. The regulation of dangerous wild animals, environmentally safe development of shale in Ohio, and finding solutions to reduce phosphorous in the state’s waterways are key priorities for Zehringer. While Director of Agriculture, he worked with the Ohio EPA and Ohio Department of Natural Resources to develop local solutions to problems impacting Grand Lake St. Marys and to establish the Ag Nutrients Working Group to examine ways to reduce phosphorus from agricultural sources that impact Ohio’s waterways. During his tenure at the Department of Agriculture, Zehringer led the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board in finalizing recommendations that have become the first set of comprehensive care rules in the nation. He was an active supporter of farmers and agribusinesses, and valued agriculture’s importance to the state.