By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Casey Skowron is one of those people who knew early on what he wanted to do for a career. He always had his sights set on becoming a veterinarian.
He grew up on a small beef farm near Salem, Ohio, where he raised and showed registered Angus cattle and pigs. The active 4-H member could often be found in the barn caring for and working with the animals.
“I always enjoyed spending time with the animals and taking care of them,” he said.
As a young teen, he frequently accompanied a local veterinarian on farm visits, where his dream to become a veterinarian was solidified.
The time he spent in the barn with the animals paid off in the show ring when he earned top showmanship and grand champion steer honors at the Canfield Fair during his last year in 4-H.
He attended Ohio State University’s Agricultural Technical Institute for two years and then transferred to the main campus, where he majored in animal science. He was accepted into the inaugural Doctor of Veterinary Medicine class at Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee and graduated in 2018.
Now, he’s best known as “Dr. Casey,” because “it’s easier to pronounce than Skowron, which is Polish,” he said.
He started his veterinarian career at a Fremont veterinary clinic, where he worked for four years. He landed in northwest Ohio thanks to his wife, northwest Ohio native Ashley Fisher. They met while they were both students at Ohio State.
After they married, they were able to purchase the Bradner Road farm of Ashley’s grandparents Donna and Donald Schuerman, where they have established their own beef operation.
Ready to start his own vet clinic, Skowron opened Legacy Veterinary Solutions in Pemberville two years ago. The name reflects the importance of legacy when it comes to farms and animal genetics.
The practice has a motto: “What you do is your history. What you set in motion is your legacy.”
He turned a foreclosed dentist’s office into a modern veterinary clinic, complete with an expansive waiting room, multiple examination rooms, a surgical suite and a warm, welcoming environment.
In the Legacy veterinary practice, Dr. Casey treats both large and small animals. His roots are in caring for large animals, but he welcomes small animals in the practice.
“I enjoy the variety of working with the small animals in the clinic,” he said.
He loves traveling in a mobile unit to farms as far east as Norwalk, west to Henry County and south to near Lima. Already, he is well-known for his compassionate care and his expertise in large animal reproductive services.
Having spent many years at the Canfield Fair and other fairs, Skowron is comfortable in the fair environment. He has served as fair veterinarian for the Sandusky County Fair for six years and was named the Wood County Fair vet earlier this year.
In his role as “Dr. Casey,” his main job at the fair is working with the livestock exhibitors and their families and ensuring the animals that come into the fairgrounds are healthy and properly cared for.
Skowron also is responsible for making sure the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s (ODA) rules and regulations about livestock at the fair are properly followed. During a recent Wood County Fair Board meeting, he updated the fair directors about the latest rules coming out of the ODA.
“I like interacting with exhibitors and the public,” he said about the role of a fair vet. He encourages his clients and the public to ask questions.
The fair is such a good display of agriculture in northwest Ohio,” he said, reminding everyone, “Our livestock farmers are feeding the world.”
