Greenhouse still open; open house a success

VERSAILLES – The Versailles Agricultural Education Department and FFA Chapter is conducting its third annual Greenhouse Sale. The Greenhouse, 280 Marker Road (close to the auditorium), Versailles, is open to the general public and will remain open until May 31, while supplies last. The greenhouse will be open from 2:30-5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

A special thanks to everyone that supported and assisted with the greenhouse open house on May 11. Thanks to all the following for serving as presenters for the greenhouse open house, speakers included: Greg McGlinch-Darke County Soil & Water Conservation, Susan Browder, florist, Dena Wuebker, Versailles ag ed instructor and FFA advisor, Emily Harman, Versailles FFA member and greenhouse manager, Christa Puthoff, Versailles FFA member and greenhouse manager, Bev Garrison, Versailles Garden Club member and Laura Schwieterman, Darke County Park District, Butterfly Gardening & Butterflies of Darke County. Many of the speakers gave out great door prizes as part of their presentations.

A special thank you to the following for donating door prizes toward the event they included Monica Goubeaux - Mary Kay Cosmetics, Versailles Ace Hardware, Spencer Landscaping, Natures Reflections, Fred Williams-Natural Alternative Worm Castings, Versailles FFA, Jeff and Dena Wuebker, and Kevin Flory Landscaping. A special thanks to all the Versailles FFA members that assisted with the event and donated cookies.

Guests at the open house all enjoyed cookies, cheese/crackers and fruit trays. Also, the children had the opportunity to plant a flower for Mothers Day and participate in other special crafts.

If you have any questions, contact Versailles FFA Advisor Dena Wuebker at dena_wuebker@darke.k12.oh.us.

Versailles FFA member Katerri Schmitmeyer is showing assisting customers in the greenhouse as part of the greenhouse open house. 

Christa Puthoff, FFA member and greenhouse manger is showing assisting some of the greenhouse open house participants with cupcakes as part of her flower cupcake demonstration.

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Local youth recognized as BEST Winner

MARYSVILLE – The 2012-2013 Ohio Cattlemen’s Association BEST (Beef Exhibitor Show Total) Program wrapped up on May 11 with its annual awards banquet held at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus.

“The banquet is a time to celebrate the many achievements of our BEST participants, both in and out of the show ring,” says Stephanie Sindel, BEST coordinator. “Each participant is recognized for their hard work by family, friends and BEST supporters alike.”

Several representatives from program sponsors Bob Evans Farms, Burroughs Frazier Farms, Farm Credit Mid-America, Green Oak Farms, M.H. Eby, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and Weaver Livestock were on hand to help present awards totaling more than $35,000 in belt buckles, furniture, show materials and other awards.

This year’s BEST program featured 16 sanctioned shows that weaved its way across the state. More than 525 head of market animals and heifers were shown and 355 youth participated. The following Darke County youth were recognized:

Janel Gilbert, Greenville, won Champion Crossbred Heifer and Champion % Simmental Heifer. Janel is the daughter of Chris and Judy Gilbert.

Isaac Gehret, Yorkshire, won Third Overall Bred and Owned Steer. Isaac is the son of Gary and Jill Gehret.

BEST is a youth program of the OCA that recognizes Ohio’s junior beef exhibitors through a series of shows. Juniors who participate in these sanctioned shows earn points for their placing at each show. The OCA BEST program promotes educating Ohio’s juniors about the beef industry’s issues and rewards the successful accomplishments and hard work of those junior beef producers.

Darke County youth had a successful 2012-2013 BEST season and were recognized during the annual BEST banquet by BEST Sponsoring Partners Bob Evans Farms, Burroughs Frazier Farms, Farm Credit Mid-America, Green Oak Farms, M.H. Eby, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and Weaver Livestock. Pictured are Isaac Gehret and Janel Gilbert. 

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Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management Workshop Series

GREENVILLE – The Darke Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) and the Ohio State University Extension, Darke County will be jointly hosting a Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management workshop series beginning in June and wrapping up in November. This series will consist of four workshops – June, July, August and November – that will cover basic agronomy, how to obtain a proper soil sample, a tour of a soil lab, understanding and interpreting the results, recommendations and how to properly maintain and enhance your soils, and development of a field plan for 2014. The cost to participate in this workshop series will be $10. This registration fee will cover all of your meals, resource materials and soil samples for up to 50 acres. Space is limited, so call or email to reserve your spot today!

The first workshop will be June 25 at the Darke OSU Extension office on Wagner Avenue in Greenville beginning with a meal at 6 p.m. This workshop will give an introduction to the series, cover how to properly collect a soil sample and discuss nutrient sources and concentrations. It is important to note that the Darke SWCD, through a series of grants and sponsorships, will cover two samples to be tested from your farm.

This workshop series will utilize your samples to walk you through understanding your soil fertility and nutrient management needs. You will need to turn in your soil samples at the office before the second meeting date.

The second workshop will take place on July 22. The group will meet at the Darke SWCD office at 9 a.m. before traveling to Brookside Labs in New Bremen. While there, they will tour the facility and visit with available technicians to understand the process of soil testing. This is when and where the samples you pull will be delivered for analysis. After the tour, the group will grab lunch before returning to Greenville.

The third workshop will be held on Aug. 28, at the Darke County Parks’ Assembly Room, just off State Route 503, Greenville. This meeting will cover your soil sample test results and begin the process of interpreting and understanding the results for an analysis of your farm. They will also go over recommendations for the area and cover any environmental limits or concerns that may exist. Like the first meeting, this one will begin at 6 p.m. with a meal.

Finally, the group will gather for a fourth and final workshop on Nov. 12. This will cover ways you can build upon or maintain your soil health by identifying practices you can utilize on your farm. The workshop series will end with an overview of the 4R Tomorrow program and a certificate of completion for all participants.

All workshops in the series will include a meal. The goal is to help you better understand how to identify and address the needs of your soil. Upon completion of the series, you will have a wider knowledge base and many reference materials to help you get the most out of your soil in a healthy manner.

“The benefits of proper nutrient management are two-fold: the farmer lowers inputs and environmental impairments are reduced. These are two goals any farmer should have because it relates to money and protecting their land,” said Greg McGlinch of the Darke SWCD.

This workshop wouldn’t be possible without the cooperation of the Darke SWCD; OSU Extension, Darke County; Menke Consulting; Brookside Laboratories and the support of our sponsors: Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Top of Ohio RC&D Council and the Ohio Livestock Coalition.

If you are interesting in learning how to best manage your soil’s needs, sign up now for this workshop by calling the Darke SWCD, 548-1515, extension 3 or email greg.mcglinch@oh.nacdnet.net.

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Register for West Central Wildlife Habitat Workshop

GREENVILLE – A habitat workshop series is being offered to landowners wishing to improve habitat for wildlife and other conservation goals. The workshop series is sponsored by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife, ODNR Division of Forestry, Pheasants Forever (PF), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), The Ohio State University Extension, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

The Grassland Habitat workshop is the second in the series and will take place on July 13, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., on the Rammel Farm, 6879 Arcanum-Bears Mill Road, Greenville. This event is $10/person with continental breakfast and lunch and reference materials to take home.

The purpose of the workshop series is to offer the landowner and wildlife enthusiast a well-rounded approach to managing their property to establish and maintain wildlife habitat. Each workshop will focus on a specific habitat type or wildlife species. Participants will learn techniques for managing land to benefit both game species and wildlife in general as well as information on funding and technical assistance. This grassland workshops main focus will be CRP mid-contact management, grass & wildflower identification, grassland site prep and seeding, weed control and more.

The participants must pre-register with the Darke Soil & Water Conservation District, 548-1715 ext. 3. The registration deadline for the first workshop is July 5.

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MV FFA hosts annual Food for America Day

UNION CITY – On April 26, the Mississinawa Valley FFA held its annual Food for America Day. The Agriculture Science II classes planned the event which consisted of a petting zoo and several stations to educate children about the different aspects of agriculture. During the day students from kindergarten through third grade came to see the different stations. Students in the class picked which station they felt was best for them to teach the younger students about that certain topic. The stations included proper hand washing techniques, different aromas sampling, soil and the role it plays in growing plants, tractor safety, corn plastic, livestock management. Each station included hands-on activities as well as a presentation about information for each of the topics. Some of the activities included identifying and smelling different scents, planting a plant to take home, washing their hands, playing with animals, and learning what is made out of corn.

The day was an educational experience for the younger children as well as the Ag II students, who planned the whole day and took on the leadership positions. Food for America day was a big success and hopefully will continue being successful for years to come. Mississinawa Valley FFA is a satellite program of Miami Valley Career Technology Center. FFA is a student organization that promotes premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education.

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Ansonia FFA monthly meeting

ANSONIA – On May 13, the Ansonia FFA Chapter held its fifth monthly meeting of the year. After committees met, the chapter discussed upcoming activities such as the blood drive (the Grudge Match) on June 24. After closing ceremonies, the members met for hot dogs and hamburgers.

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Food plot seed is available

GREENVILLE –The Darke Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) will be distributing wildlife food plot seed on a first come first serve basis. This mixture of Sorghums and Millets will provide some of the best winter cover available for pheasants and quail. It will provide both food and excellent winter cover to help increase the winter survival of your birds. This food plot seed is provided by the Darke County Pheasants Forever Chapter.

Contact the Darke SWCD, 548-1715 extension 3, or stop by the office at 1117 South Towne Court, Greenville for more details.

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Poultry Judging Team places third in the state

VERSAILLES – The Versailles FFA Poultry team placed third in the State out of 66 teams and was led by senior Justin Feltz who placed fourth overall in the state. The third place state team consisted of Justin Feltz, Hannah Niekamp, Amanda Keiser and Grant Toops. The team re-competed on May 1 and had to evaluate two sets of birds and give oral reasons on those birds.

In addition to Feltz, Mandy Keiser placed ninth, Grant Toops placed 10th and Hannah Niekamp placed 13th, out of over 200 individuals.

The Versailles FFA poultry team would like to thank Larry “Buckeyeman” Lokai for helping coach and train the team and a special thanks to Weaver Brother Eggs for supplying eggs in assist in practicing.

Poultry judging team members included Mandy Keiser, Hannah Niekamp, Justin Feltz and Grant Toops. 

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General Livestock Team places sixth

VERSAILLES – The Versailles FFA General Livestock Judging team placed sixth overall in the state out of over 350 teams, after they re-competed on May 1 by re-judging four classes and giving four sets of oral reasons, this is the highest placing of a Versailles FFA team in the past 19 years in the area of general livestock!

The team was led by Dylan Hesson who placed fifth overall out of 600 plus participates, Collin Peters placed 26th overall, Matt Subler placed 33rd overall and Sam Subler placed 34th overall.

The general livestock team would like to thank the following individuals for helping prepare the team and host practice sites, those include Goettemoeller Stock Farms-Gary & Chris Goettemoeller, Powell Creek Lambs-Gary Phlipot, Peters Family Farm-Bob Peters, Hesson Farms-Doug & Dylan Hesson, May Farms-Bernie May, Tom & Kiley Myers and a special thanks to Tim Subler for helping coach the team and preparing them for state oral reasons.

Versailles FFA members Sam Subler, Matt Subler, Dylan Hesson and Collin Peters placed 6th in the State FFA General Livestock Judging Contest out of over 300 teams, the best that Versailles FFA has ever done. 

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Ansonia FFA attends state convention

ANSONIA – On May 2, students along with Advisor Jennifer Knick from the Ansonia FFA chapter left Ansonia High School at 8 a.m. to attend the 85th Ohio FFA Convention at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus. The group of nine students included Freshmen Molly Walters and Megan Bergman, Sophomores Hannah Rhodes and Andrea Barga, Juniors Taylor Bergman and Emily Walters, and Seniors Taylor Hammaker, Mitch Garret, and Austin Bergman.

After stopping for breakfast on Thursday morning, the group headed to Magic Mountain Fun Center. From there they went to the first convention session and were lucky enough to hear keynote speaker Christopher Cloeman. The first session of the day concluded with the voting of the 2013-2014 Ohio State Officers. At 9:30 p.m., the group attended the Casey James and Aaron Kelly concert, which was also held in the Ohio Expo Center.

After breakfast on May 3, the members returned to the convention where they heard keynote speaker Jeff Civillio at the third session. The top ten chapters were recognized in three areas at this session—student development, chapter development, and community development. The students then attended workshops; choosing to either go to “Building a Positive Officer Team” or “Are you tagged to Teach Ag?”

At the fourth session, the group was able to hear keynote speaker Wiley Bailey, the Southern Region National Vice President. Austin Bergman, Andrea Barga, and Taylor Bergman also received gold ratings for their Treasurer, Secretary, and Reporter books at this session. Austin Bergman and Mitch Garret both received their State degrees at the fifth and last session of the convention.

Austin Bergman, Megan Bergman, Molly Walters, Hannah Rhodes, Taylor Hammaker, Andrea Barga, Taylor Bergman, Emily Walters, and Mitch Garret pose for a picture before the first session began. 

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Joe Schmitz elected District 5 president

UNION CITY – At the 85th annual Ohio FFA State Convention one of the Mississinawa Valley chapter members was elected to the Ohio FFA State Officer team. Joe Schmitz was elected District Five President and will be representing nearly 20,000 FFA members in Ohio.

Joe Schmitz has served two years as a chapter officer and participated in numerous Career Development Events with the chapter. His family has a livestock and grain farm in northwest Darke County. His father Don Schmitz farms as well as appraises damaged crop fields for Rain and Hail Crop Insurance LLC. His mother, Tina Schmitz is a bus driver for Mississinawa Valley Local Schools. Joe comes from a strong tradition of State Officers as his sister Sara was State FFA Treasurer in 2008, and his cousin Allen Schmitz was elected State FFA President in 2008.

As a state officer, Joe will go to many different FFA Chapters in the state of Ohio teaching leadership qualities and skills at chapter visits. He will also be making many appearances at chapter banquets and providing speeches about the endless opportunities offered through the FFA. He will spend most of his summer at FFA Camp in Carrolton, Ohio where he will teach members all about the Ohio FFA. Joe will make many contacts throughout the agricultural industry and represent the Ohio FFA. To finish his year as an officer he will plan and conduct the 86th Ohio FFA Convention in Columbus, Ohio. Mississinawa Valley FFA is a satellite program of Miami Valley Career Technology Center. FFA is a student organization that promotes premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education.

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Versailles FFA finds success at State FFA Convention

VERSAILLES – The Versailles FFA traveled to Columbus on May 2 and 3 to participate in the 85th annual State FFA Convention. The theme of the 2013 convention was “Grow”. The convention is a way to recognize the accomplishments of FFA members throughout the state. Versailles was recognized in many areas, including Top Ten Chapter, State Degrees, State CDE’s, Proficiency Winners, and Scholarships. The highlight of the convention was Maddison Buschur being named the 2013-14 State FFA President and the first president from Versailles and Courtney Rose, Logan Brookhart and Ted Schmitmeyer each placing first in their State FFA proficiency award areas.

On May 2, eight proficiency finalists attended interviews, and six members of the Versailles FFA presented three, 15-minute PowerPoint Presentations that highlighted the three categories of the National FFA Chapter Application which include: Student Development, Chapter Development, and Community Development. Rachel Hedrick and Justin Feltz presented the Chapter Division, Sam Subler and Maddison Buschur presented the Student Division, and Dylan Hesson and Courtney Rose presented the Community Division. As a result of the presentations and interview, Versailles FFA was named among the top ten chapters in student, community and chapter divisions and top ten chapters overall. The Versailles FFA was also named as an Ohio FFA Gold Medal Chapter.

The State FFA Degree is the highest degree in the state of Ohio. To receive the State FFA Degree, members must turn in their record books, along with an application. They must meet requirements in the area of SAE, chapter involvement, and leadership roles. This year Versailles FFA had nine members of the chapter receiving this award, and they were recognized on Friday night at the convention. The members who received this degree were Matt Stucke, Katie Heckman, Tyler Clack, Dylan Hesson, Raven Petitjean, Samantha Kremer, Justin Bruns, Lee Ruhenkamp, and Matt Subler.

Also on May 3 was the announcement of the 2013-2014 State FFA Officers where Versailles FFA Member Buschur was elected as the State FFA President. Buschur will be traveling Ohio this year serving as an ambassador of Ohio FFA and agriculture education. Versailles FFA is very proud to have her serving in this capacity. She is the daughter of Steve and Vicki Buschur of North Star. Buschur also helped conduct the 85th annual State FFA Convention as District 5 President and her parents Steve and Vicki Buschur were awarded the Honorary State FFA Degree for their commitment this past year to Ohio FFA.

The Versailles FFA was also well represented with proficiency winners at the State FFA Convention. Those who placed first in their proficiency award area will have their applications sent to the national level for further competition. Versailles FFA members who placed first in their award area include: Logan Brookhart first in State FFA Swine Placement the son of Luke and Monica Brookhart and is employed at Wuebker Farms LLC, Ted Schmitmeyer first in State FFA Dairy Placement, the son of Doug and Brenda Schmitmeyer is employed at LineView Dairy Farm, and Courtney Rose first in State FFA Agricultural Communications, the daughter of Rich and Carolyn Rose is employed at WTGR. Other Proficiency award winners include Emily Harman who placed second in the State FFA Vegetable Production Proficiency award with her large roadside garden patch is the daughter of John and Krista Harman, Matt Stucke placed third in the State FFA Grain Production Proficiency award with his 50 acres of corn and is the son of Mark and Mary Ann Stucke, Katie Heckman placed third in the State FFA Fiber & Oil Crop Proficiency award with her 15 acres of soybeans an she is the daughter of Roger and Barb Heckman, Andrew Smith who placed third in the State FFA Agriculture Design & Fabrication Proficiency award for his job placement at JK Pallet and is the son of Neil and Jan Smith. Chris Goettemoeller placed fourth in the State FFA Beef Production Proficiency award with his 20 herd cow calf operation and market heifer production. Chris is the son of Gary and Pam Goettemoeller.

Other accomplishments achieved by Versailles FFA Members included awards in Poultry judging, General Livestock judging, WLC scholarship, and Star Degree. The Poultry team and General Livestock team traveled to Columbus on May 1 to compete in oral reasons to finalize the state placings. The Poultry team placed third in the state and consisted of team members Grant Toops, Hannah Niekamp, Mandy Keiser, and Justin Feltz. This team earned the fifth banner of the year. Individually in state poultry judging, Justin Feltz placed fourth overall, Mandy Keiser placed ninth overall and Grant Toops placed 10th overall. The General Livestock team placed sixth in the state and consisted of team members Matt Subler, Sam Subler, Dylan Hesson, and Collin Peters. Dylan Hesson placed fifth overall in the state. Hesson also received a National FFA Washington Leadership conference scholarship from the Ohio FFA Alumni Association. Versailles FFA earned a total of five Career Development events banners this year placing in the top five in the state, which is the most that Versailles FFA has ever earned. The top five teams included Poultry, Ag Issues, Ag Communications, Dairy and Food Science and Technology.

Ted Schmitmeyer was recognized as the District 5 Star State Agricultural Placement Star; earning the highest State FFA Degree in District 5 and among the top three in the state. Three Versailles FFA officers were also awarded pins for being Gold Rated Officers from the Ohio FFA Association. Those officers are Rachel Hedrick, Gold Rated Secretary, Maddison Buschur, Gold Treasurer, and Brittany Brand, Gold Rated Reporter.

Versailles FFA had 34 members who attended the State FFA Convention. The students that attended were Dane Bulcher, Brice Berger, Tyler Bruns, Shane McGlinch, Courtney Rose, Mikaela Buschur, Malinda Barlage, Rachel Osterloh, Justin Feltz, Matt Subler, Sam Subler, Andrew Smith, Mandy Keiser, Rachel Hedrick, Amber Brunswick, Olivia Pohlman, Katie Heckman, Emily Harman, Kinsey McEldowney, Danielle Cochran, Dylan Hesson, Alex Stucke, Matt Stucke, Justin Bruns, Chris Goettemoeller, Ted Schmitmeyer, Logan Brookhart, Tyler Clack, Hannah Niekamp, Brianne Buzard, Macy Dirksen, Lewis Kremer, Max Stachler, and JJ Petitjean. Parents and family of the Versailles members who attended included Roger and Barb Heckman, Mark and Mary Ann Stucke, Tim and Cyndi Subler, Rich and Carolyn Rose, Jane Smith, John Harman, Julia Pleiman, Gary and Pam Goettemoeller, Ken and Tina Brand, Brad, Lil and Kayla Bruns, Jackie Kremer, Mark and Susan Clack, Steve and Vicki Buschur and Doug and Brenda Schmitmeyer. A special thank you to Krista Harman, Sharon Osterloh, Deb Keiser, and Marlene Dirksen for serving as chaperones.

Dylan Hesson, Courtney Rose, Sam Subler, Rachel Hedrick, and Justin Feltz presented PowerPoint presentations for the National Chapter application, and Versailles made the top 10 in Chapter Development, Student Development, and Community Development.  

Members of the Versailles FFA who received their State Degree at Convention are Dylan Hesson, Matt Stucke, Matt Subler, Samantha Kremer, Justin Bruns, Tyler Clack, Raven Petitjean, and Katie Heckman. 

Ted Schmitmeyer was recognized as district 5 Star State Agricultural Placement Star.

Earning officer awards were Rachel Hedrick, gold rated secretary, Brittany Brand, gold rated reporter, and Maddison Buschur (not pictured), gold rated treasurer. 

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Local egg producers give 750,000 eggs to foodbanks in Ohio

COLUMBUS – To help in the fight against hunger in Ohio, egg farmers across the state will be donating approximately 766,800 eggs to hunger relief organizations over the next couple weeks to celebrate National Egg Month in May. The announcement was made during a breakfast reception hosted by the Ohio Poultry Association at the Ohio Statehouse.

Eight Ohio egg farmers have committed the eggs to be provided to local hunger charities through the Ohio Association of Foodbanks’ network of 12 regional Feeding America Foodbanks. The contribution has an estimated retail value of $100,000. This donation marks the sixth year that the Ohio Poultry Association (OPA) and Ohio’s Foodbanks have joined forces to provide wholesome, nutritious food to Ohioans in need.

“Ohio eggs are a critical item for Ohio’s hunger relief providers, because they are a versatile, high-protein item that is a staple among Ohio’s needy families,” said Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, Ohio Association of Foodbanks executive director. “This generous contribution from Ohio’s egg farmers is an extraordinary opportunity for our foodbanks and pantries to make a difference when many of our clients are struggling to keep food on their tables.”

The nation’s struggling economy continues to have an impact on families in Ohio, including higher cost for housing, utilities, transportation and health care; wage stagnation; more part-time jobs; increasing poverty; and decreasing household incomes. As a result, these impacts have led to significant increases in demand for emergency food assistance as Ohio families struggle to put food on their plates.

In 2012, Ohio’s emergency food assistance network served more than one in five Ohioans (2.32 million), an increase of 46 percent in the last three years. One-third of households had at least one working adult. Additionally, one-third of the households served had a member in poor health and, of those, 20 percent were suffering from a diet-related disease, like diabetes, hypertension, nerve disease, blindness, limb amputations or renal failure.

“Ohio’s egg farmers always have been champions in the fight against hunger,” said Jim Chakeres, OPA executive vice president. “Ohio’s egg farmers are committed to supporting our local communities and that means helping out when needed, in addition to producing safe affordable food for consumers and caring for our flocks and the environment.” Chakeres said Ohio ranks second in the nation for egg production, and produces 7.6 billion eggs each year with a value of more than $490 million.

Five of the eight farms donating eggs are from Darke and Mercer Counties - Ft. Recovery Equity of Fort Recovery; Hemmelgarn & Sons, Inc. of Coldwater; Weaver Brothers, Inc. of Versailles; Rindler Poultry of St. Henry; and Ross-Medford Farms of New Weston.

Additionally, Hamler-Fugitt said that the Ohio Association of Foodbanks has partnered with OPA through the Ohio Agricultural Clearance Program for more than 15 years. This program is a statewide effort to direct Ohio’s surplus of agricultural products through the network of foodbanks in the state to ensure that Ohio families have a source of nutritious, Ohio-grown, raised and produced food products. The program works with Ohio farmers and commodity groups to provide foodbanks with surplus and unmarketable agricultural products at production cost. To date, Ohio egg farmers have contributed more than 7 million eggs for hungry Ohioans through the Ohio Agricultural Clearance Program and individual donations.

For more information regarding the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, visit www.ohiofoodbanks.org. For more information about OPA, visit www.ohioeggs.com.

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Chapter members win

NEW MADISON – At the 85th State FFA Convention, Tri-Village MVCTC had three Proficiency Award Finalists, which are based on the student’s Supervised Agricultural Experience. Proficiency Awards are given to those members that excel in hours worked and competencies gain in their SAE. Each member completes a written application that covers skills and activities. As a finalist they are required to complete a display board and participate in an interview.

Dylen Price applied in the area of Agricultural Mechanics Design and Fabrication for his SAE at IZIT, which is a metal fabrication machine shop. Dylen was able to beat out the competition and was the winner in his area. Austin Mikesell qualified in the areas of Diversified Crop Production and Grain Crop Production for his work at S&K Farms and Martin Farms. Austin finished second in the area of Grain Production and was the winner of the Diversified Crop Production. Both Dylen and Austin will have their Application forward on for the National FFA Competition.

Tri-Village MVCTC FFA State Proficiency Award winners were Austin Mikesell – Diversified Crop Production and Dylen Price – Agricultural Mechanics Design and Fabrication. 

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FS4JK plans Ag Safety Day

GREENVILLE – The Darke County Chapter of Farm Safety For Just Kids will be holding its ninth Progressive Ag Safety Day on June 11, at the Darke County Fairgrounds. Children, 7-13, are invited to participate in this event. Some of the sessions to be presented are ATV Safety, Internet Safety, Firearm Safety, Animal Safety, and Hidden Hazards. Lisa Holmes, a professional story-teller from Springfield, will teach the kids to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle in a humorous way. Grandparents are welcome to come with the kids and an adult session will be presented for them while their kids take a lunch and fun break. The event hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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