Non-profit’s growth focused on food security, farmer and rancher freedoms, property rights, animal welfare
BROWNSBURG, Indiana, Sept. 5, 2023 – Protect The Harvest, the 501(c)3, not-for-profit, educational and advocacy organization founded in 2011 by Forrest and Charlotte Lucas, is positioning itself for ongoing growth as it focuses on issues associated with food security, agriculture, property rights, and animal welfare. In addition to rebranding efforts that include a new logo, new tagline (A Free and Fed America™), and refreshed website, the organization’s leadership is being restructured to accommodate growth and future needs.
Effective September 1, Dr. Mike Siemens assumed the role of executive director, with a focus on strategic development, growth and meeting constituent needs. Theresa Lucas McMahan, moved from executive director to the newly created chief administrative officer position, focused on organizational effectiveness and operations.
“Our goal is to be the go-to advocacy voice for farmers, ranchers, property owners, consumers, and other stakeholders who are under attack by animal rights and environmental extremists, unelected regulators, politicians, social and mainstream media, and others who infringe upon the rights and freedoms of Americans,” said Protect The Harvest founder and chairman Forrest Lucas. “We’ve assembled a team with the expertise, experience, knowledge, and abilities to fight for what is right, which is why I founded Protect The Harvest. We’re positioning Protect The Harvest for the long term.”
Siemens is an internationally recognized animal welfare and beef cattle genetics subject matter expert. He’s worked for DeKalb Feeds, Smithfield Foods, and Cargill in the agriculture sector, and most recently serves as global animal welfare officer for Arrowsight, Inc. Siemens has a Bachelor of Science degree in animal science from Purdue University, a Master of Science in reproductive physiology, and a Ph.D. in ruminant nutrition, both from the University of Missouri. He also served as the State Beef Cattle Specialist with tenure at the University of Wisconsin and has been affiliated with Protect The Harvest since 2020.
“Given the atmosphere in America today, we have a unique opportunity to help people better understand how their food is produced and how farmers and ranchers work diligently to provide consumers with safe, nutritious, affordable, abundance unequalled by any society in the history of our planet,” stated Siemens. Our mandate is to inform, protect, and respond to the ever-increasing threats to America’s food security and property rights of land, animal, and resource owners.”
Lucas McMahan has been with Protect The Harvest since 2013, serving in several roles including as a member of the board of directors, board secretary and, executive director. She has an associate’s degree in veterinary animal health technology from Penn Foster College and studied at Western Kentucky Technical College.
“It’s exciting to see Protect The Harvest evolving and growing to address current and future needs,” said Lucas McMahan. “We’re up to the challenges and look forward to continuing the benchmark we established by creating Protect The Harvest a dozen years ago.”
