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VOLUME 2, ISSUE 6
Inside
I-75 to Exit 83 • PIQUA, OHIO 937-778-0830 • Fax: 937-778-1490
THIS EDITION
■ Beck’s Hybrids now in Ohio page 6
■ He’s not a salesman page 14
■ Swisher Herbs spice up life page 4
■ Debunk those garden myths page 10
■ Ohio Outdoors page 4
Editor Jeff Billiel welcomes suggestions from readers of My Own Rural Life of West Central Ohio. Forward your comments and/or story ideas to him online at jbilliel@civitasmedia.com. Letters to the editor will also be considered for publication in ACRES and may be emailed to the same address. Letters and comments may also be sent via USPS to Editor, Rural Life of West Central Ohio, c/o Sidney Daily News, 1451 N. Vandemark Road, Sidney, OH 45365.
1-800-678-4188 Logan County livestock auction serves as popular clearinghouse
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BY CAROLINE MCCOLLOCH DEGRAFF- Every Monday at 12:30 p.m., the mesmerizing cadence of a well-versed auctioneer conducts the transfer of hogs, cattle, goats and sheep from western Ohio farms to eventually become meat in grocery stores far and wide. Situated about equal distances from Sidney, Urbana, and Bellefontaine, Jackson Livestock Auction Service in southwestern Logan County serves a vital role in the local agricultural economy. Entering into his 11th PDC Photo/CAROLINE MCCOLLOCH A HOLSTEIN cow enters the auction ring at the Jackson Livestock Auction year as owner of the busiService’s weekly sale in DeGraff. ness, Chris Egbert was introduced in 1994 to the operation then owned by Howard and Jenean Jackson. Prior to 1987 it was known as DeGraff Livestock Auction. The Preble County native had gained experience managing hog production in southern and western Ohio farms for the Sheppard Grain Co. Working this territory proved an asset to running the auction business, as he made important contacts with producers and learned the ins and outs of livestock marketing. Besides the weekly Monday sales where 200 to 400 head of stock are sold, the first Saturday of each month caters to some of the smaller species such as waterfowl, game birds, poultry and rabbits. It may have upwards of 150 sellers. Occasionally some of the PDC Photo/CAROLINE MCCOLLOCH larger species are also at the Saturday auction, such CHRIS EGBERT, who operates the Jackson as alpacas, horses, and donkeys. Livestock Auction Service, works the In addition to livestock, this monthly event offers gates at a recent sale. many farm related items: firewood, hay, straw, mademands strategies and planning for uncontrollable chinery, vehicles, posts, tools, barrels, shrubs, fans factors that affect profitability. etc. Pigs, goats, and sheep are sometimes sold, deBuyers are sometimes known as dealers, dependpending on what consigners bring. ing on the volume of their typical purchases, and The buyers and sellers (consigners) can be a diverse group. The reasons for selling animals are sev- must be registered with the state of Ohio. About five regular dealers attend the Monday auctions; even eral – Some may be pets, some are raised for meat. though they are all acquainted, they still bid competFarm animals must on occasion be culled from the herd, whether because of impairments that interfere itively against each other. The dealers may have contracts with packing houses to fill, and will transport with production, or simply reducing a herd size. For the purchased livestock directly there. Other buyers example, the difficulty in finding or affording hay during a draught like the severe that gripped the na- bid on fewer animals for different reasons. Some will See Auction/page 3 tion in 2012, highlights how the farming profession
Ohio ‘city kids’ learn importance of agriculture gram is now under way in Ohio to address that SIDNEY - Agriculture issue by teaching agriand agriculture-related culture to students at businesses play an imboth the elementary and portant role in Ohio, high school levels. In with agriculture being Sidney recently, 600 the state’s leading inchildren in grades K-5 dustry. Yet how is it that took part in an interacthis fact can often be so tive showcase called “Adoverlooked or taken for ventures in Agriculture” granted? that helped their young An educational prominds comprehend the
SDN Photo/LUKE GRONNEBERG
A CALF commands the attention of several nonfarm youths at a recent Ag Day event. What farm folks take for granted is often new and exciting for kids who live in town.
significance of agriculture in their lives. The state program is designed to foster a greater understanding of the significance that farming plays in all levels of society. The curriculum strives to teach students how food is raised, from tomatoes and corn to cows and hogs. Also taught is information regarding soil and farming equipment, helping to illustrate how food gets on their tables and how clothing gets on their backs. The agriculture curriculum introduces students to basic scientific facts and offers guidance on how they can be applied to daily life. For example, students may learn how corn can be made into oil, how trees help trees produce nuts or fruits, how plants grow into the vegetables we eat, and how cows produce milk or beef for meat. The in-
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SDN Photo/LUKE GRONNEBERG
CHILDREN GET up close and personal with a donkey at a recent Ag Day celebration at Northwood Elementary School in Sidney, while other kids go for a hayride in the background. The event featured 12 learning stations that focused on various aspects of agriculture. struction also provides Virginia McLean, cureveryday applications for riculum director for the chemistry, physics and bi- Sidney City Schools in ology. Shelby County, explained
that the State Department of Education has standards calling for the See City Kids/page 3
VONDENHUEVEL NDENHUEVEL UEVEL AUC UCTIONEERS TIONEERS EERS 937-538-6231 231 WWW.VONDENHUEVELAUCTIONEERS.COM ELA AUCTIONEERS UCTIONEERS.COM
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BY LOLA E. BILLIEL