Bob Hendershot

Bob represents the American Sheep Industry on the Steering Committee and has served the National Grazing Lands Coalition since 2012. Born and raised in Morrow County, Ohio, Bob is a graduate of Ohio State University. Bob is retired from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as the state grassland conservationist and state (GLCI) Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative coordinator. He provided leadership and technical guidance to conservation programs that use grasses and other forages. He was named the nation’s Outstanding Pastureland Conservationist by the NRCS in 1999. In 1998 he was inducted into the Ohio State Conservationist Hall of Fame and was presented the NRCS Regional Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative support award in 1996.

Bob lives in Pickaway County, Ohio near Circleville. He has three grown children and three grandchildren. They have a pasture-based sheep operation and occasionally graze some stocker cattle. He was presented the 2010 Ohio Master Shepherd Award by the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association. Bob is a past president of the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association. He has served two terms as an American Forage Grassland Council Director and is a past president. Bob was one of the founders of the Ohio Forage and Grassland Council served as their second president and still is a director and treasurer. Bob helped develop the Pasture for Profit Grazing Schools, the Ohio Forage for Horses and the Equine Environmental and Liability Awareness Programs and continues as an instructor and Pasture Walk Leader. He was presented the Ben Stinner Memorial Award in recognition of his excellent contribution to sustainable agriculture in 2009 by the Innovative Farmers of Ohio.