Mark Henning

Mark Henning has been with the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality since 2001, but just recently changed positions to become a program specialist in the agency’s agriculture section.

Some of his responsibilities are conducting livestock inspections, doing compliance assistance for the general public, implementing regulations, permit writing for operations and complaint and discharge investigations. Henning had previously been located at DEQ’s northeast field office in Norfolk, but is now based in the Lincoln office. His territory is the southeast part of Nebraska, including the counties of Colfax, Dodge, Washington, Saunders, Douglas, Sarpy, Lancaster, Cass Otoe, Gage, Johnson, Nemaha, Pawnee, and Richardson.

Henning grew up on a farm northeast of Seward. They raised both cattle and farrowed to finish hogs. Disease caused an end to their farrowing business in the late 1980s, but they continued to raise cattle into the mid 1990s.

Henning’s father also had his own business, Easy Chemical Co., established in 1962. Easy Chemical Co. formulated cattle oil and manufactured cattle handling equipment and was also a distributor for various livestock equipment. Henning helped out with his father’s corporation for many years. He also raised his own cattle and hogs, and was active in FFA in high school.

Henning received a BS degree in Industrial Technology at Wayne State College in 1991. He later earned an additional degree in Industrial Management from Wayne State. Since 2006, he has been teaching health and safety classes at Wayne State on a part-time basis.

He was hired as a design engineer with Great Dane Trailers in 1991, and later accepted the position of industrial engineer position with the company. In that position, he was responsible for all environmental aspects of the company. He also worked part time for various farmers and continues to keep his commercial applicator license current.

When Henning joined NDEQ’s Norfolk office in 2001, he was responsible for oversight of industrial and municipal wastewater facilities in northeast Nebraska.

When Henning accepted the NDEQ position in the agriculture section in the spring of 2008, he moved back to his father’s farm and assumed responsibility for its operation. He also serves his community as a volunteer firefighter.

He said he welcomes the new challenges and opportunities of his new position in the southeast portion of the state, and looks forward to working with producers in the region.