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Local farmers make emotional connection to Super Bowl ad about their sacrifices By PAT LAWRENCE patlawrence@cinci.rr.com
I
See COMMERCIAL/8A
Shown is an image featured in the “God Made A Farmer” commercial. Visit www.acresmidwest.com to view the commercial.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
IS OHIO SAFE?
3
program in March
Rain projected to spare region from 4 long-ranging drought impact By MARK FAHEY
Ohio will continue to be spared the devastating drought conditions that have persisted since the summer in large parts of the country, according to a new Seasonal Drought Outlook release. Most of the western half of the United States is still experiencing a severe drought, but Ohio has been protected by bursts of moisture entering the Ohio Valley from the Gulf of Mexico, said Brian Coniglio, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Wilmington. “Right now we’re probably going to be okay until the spring,” said Coniglio. “Based on rainfall, we’ve been pretty close to normal the last couple months. By the end of the summer, something could develop, so we’re going to have to monitor it through the summer and see how it goes. If we get normal rainfall we should be okay.” The large-scale drought has been affecting the country’s western states since 2010, and is projected to continue into this summer. Ohio suffered similar water shortages in 2012, but has returned to normal precipitation levels. See DROUGHT/2A
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t was just two minutes. It was just a commercial. It was just … wonderful. Tucked calmly, almost casually, into the kinetic clamor of Super Bowl excess, between the beers and the beautiful bodies, there was a familiar voice with an unexpected message, a message so improbable, many couldn’t believe what they were hearing. It was a message so welcome, they won’t forget what it meant. On Super Bowl Sunday, when Paul Harvey began his distinctive intonation, “And on the eighth day…” many of the 111 million Americans watching recognized the voice. By the time Harvey had finished with “So God Made a Farmer” at least 2% of them, the number of Americans that claim farming as their livelihood, realized he was speaking directly to them. Even viewed through the lens of corporate sponsorship this ad wasn’t just business, it was personal.
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March 2013
ACRES of Southwest Ohio
DROUGHT Continued from page 1A
Although no improvements are expected for large parts of the West past the Mississippi River, parts of the Midwest and southeastern states struck by the drought may see some additional rainfall in the coming months. Increased rainfall and snowfall in those areas led to slightly better conditions last week, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The drought reduced agricultural yields across the country in 2012 and drove up prices for crops and other related commodities, such as beef. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the overall U.S. corn yield was stunted by 13 percent in 2012 compared to the year before, but Ohio received rain in the fall that reduced the damage to the state’s crops, said Erica Pitchford Hawkins, communication director for the Ohio Department of Agriculture. “If you had asked last July what kind of crop yield it was going to be, we were not optimistic at all,” said Hawkins. “We got
“Commodity pricing for this area remained strong as areas to the west and south suffered more severe effects of the drought.” — Adam Shepard lucky that we started getting some rain in October, that helped quite a bit.” The timing of rainfall in Ohio revived the soybean yield more than it helped corn crops, which need water in June and July when the state was facing the driest conditions, said Hawkins. Ohio’s soybean production was down about 5 percent from 2011 while corn production was down 12 percent, said Adam Shepard, extension educator for agriculture and natural resources at the Ohio State University Extension in Fayette County. Although there was some drought-related damage to local crops, the extreme drought conditions in other parts of the country increased the value of the crops that did survive. “Commodity pricing for this area remained strong as areas to the west
and south suffered more severe effects of the drought,” said Shepard. “Although crop yields in the area were lower than we would have liked, favorable prices at the grain elevators helped producers survive the effects of the drought.” The reduced impact of the drought in Ohio and the market changes caused by having widespread dry conditions helped many local farmers report a successful growing season despite some damage to crops, said Shepard. “Rain and snowfall over the winter periods helped to replenish soil moisture, but depending on the location soils may still be slightly below optimum moisture levels,” he said. Shepard said that technological advances could reduce the risk that droughts pose to crops in
the future, and several companies are working towards producing new seeds that operate more efficiently and function better in dry weather. The drought can also teach farmers how to prevent losing crops to dry weather in the future. “One thing we also noticed from harvest last year was the advantage to reducing risk by varying planting date,” said Shepard. “Corn planted earlier in the season had more exposure during critical growth stages than the corn planted later in the season. Spreading out planting dates, rotating crops, careful hybrid selection, and selecting multiple hybrids or varieties will help growers spread risk.” Hydrologist Jim Noel of the Wilmington National Weather Service center and Corn Growers Executive Director Tadd Nicholson will speak at the event, which will also give participants an update on how agriculture-related legislation is proceeding at the state and federal levels. A free meal will be provided and non-members are welcome to attend.
of Southwest Ohio March 2013 Publisher — Pamela Stricker Editor — Gary Brock Layout — Jayla Wallingford
Sales Adams County (937) 544-2391 Lee Huffman, Publisher lhuffman@peoplesdefender.com Brown County (937) 378-6161 Steve Triplett, Publisher striplett@newsdemocrat.com Clinton County (937) 382-2574 Sharon Kersey, Ad Director skersey@wnewsj.com Fayette County (740) 335-3611 Sherri Sattler, Ad Director ssattler@recordherald.com Highland County (937) 393-3456 Mickey Parrott, Ad Director mparrott@timesgazette.com Subscriptions Brenda Earley, Circulation Director (937) 393-3456, bearley@timesgazette.com Contact ACRES of Southwest Ohio: 761 S. Nelson Ave. | Wilmington, OH 45177 | (937) 382-2574
ACRES of Southwest Ohio is published monthly by Ohio Community Media, LLC and is available through the Georgetown News-Democrat, Hillsboro Times-Gazette, Ripley Bee, Washington CH Record-Herald, West Union People’s Defender and Wilmington News Journal. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any material from this issue in whole or in part is prohibited. ACRES of Southwest Ohio is available for purchase at each of the newspaper offices for $1/copy or contact us to subscribe. Subscriptions $19.95 per year.
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March 2013
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[From America to China - With Love]
N
o one is really sure how much Ohio corn, wheat, soybeans, dairy and meat products end up in China. But it is a safe bet that more will go there this year than went there in 2012. And more Ohio farm products will go to China in 2014 than this year. Every year, the need for food in the world’s largest country increases as quickly as the population. That fact isn’t lost on many American farmers. And while politicians may rail against the oppressive Chinese government, that doesn’t stop American businesses from doing what is in its best interest - to sell as much American products to China as they can. And that includes the most important American product of all - food. American agriculture experts, including many at Ohio State University, regularly travel to China to observe their farming methods and advise the Chinese
Gary Brock is Editor-In-Chief of Acres
on how we do what we do. In last month’s ACRES, one of the biggest topics covered was yield. How much of what crop was being produced per bushel per acre - and what can be done to increase that yield. The same holds true in China. But according to people like retired OSU agriculture professor Dr. Allan Lines, the Chinese are still well behind American farmers in productivity. They are just now beginning the agonizing transformation to a more corn and soybean-based agronomy.
In the past, you have to understand, economy of effort wasn’t such a big issue for a nation with an unlimited supply of cheap labor. Cheap and frequently involuntary labor. But the Chinese government is starting to face reality. Their endless supply of people also has an endless need for food. And China just isn’t producing enough of it to feed all its citizens. They are working to boost their yield, but they just aren’t producing more food fast enough. Perhaps the biggest little secret of all is an even greater reason for Chinese agriculture’s need to change - the Chinese peoples’ tastes are changing. Rice may still be the staple food in China, but the nation has increasingly been “Westernized” in its cultural desires. Did you know there are more than 3,200 KFC chicken fastfood restaurants in China today?
And more than 500 Pizza Huts? There are more that a thousand McDonald’s in China and that company hopes to hit 2,000 restaurants this year! The fact that images of “The Colonel” are more prominent in Beijing and Shanghai than the late Chairman Mao shouldn’t be lost on American farmers. The Chinese consumer’s tastes have changed for good, and there is no going back. Chinese consumers will no longer be satisfied with rice and tofu. So farmers in Ohio are exporting to China more and more corn, chicken, soybeans and other food to a nation not just hungry for more food, but hungry for OUR food. Animal protein. How much Ohio produce and meat makes its way to China each day? No one is sure. Dr. Lines tells me that it is very difficult to harness Ohio exports of agricultural products to China, since most of what moves out of
Ohio becomes combined with farm products from other states. But what we do know is that Ohioans are sending a lot of produce to the world’s largest nation. And that will only increase in coming years. The fact is the world’s largest nation, for a number of reasons, is limited in home much food it can produce, now and in the future. They can’t feed themselves, so we in Ohio and America will. NEXT MONTH: Acres looks at what Ohio farmers need to know about Chinese agriculture and what it will mean to them in the future. How can Ohio farmers capitalize on the growing Chinese-Ohio Connection? (Gary Brock is Editor of ACRES of Southwest Ohio and Editor-in-Chief of all five ACRES products in Ohio, circulating more than 55,000 throughout the state.)
Water quality program set for March 18 By DAVE DUGAN dugan.46@osu.edu
The OSU Extension Offices, Farm Bureau, and Soil and Water Districts in Adams, Brown, Clermont and Highland Counties will be sponsoring an upcoming program that will discuss some important issues for producers on March 18 at 10 a.m. The program will be held at the Banquet Center at the Ponderosa Steak House in Hillsboro. The concern with water quality continues to be an issue in Ohio. Different parts of the state have been dealing with algae issues in lakes, and some of this has been linked to phosphorus issues. Phosphorus could be from manure or commercial fertilizer. We will have two OSU Extension Field Specialists on the program. Glen Arnold will discuss manure application guidelines and other issues dealing with manure. Greg LaBarge will discuss strategies for raising soybeans and corn with manure and commercial fertilizer. The program is free for those who pre-register at the Adams County (544-
2339), Brown County (378-6716) or Highland County (393-1918) Extension Office prior to March 14. After March 14 you can still attend if space is available, but you will be responsible for buying your own lunch. Beekeeping Class on March 27 There are several active beekeepers in Adams, Brown and Highland Counties. There are meetings within each county on a regular basis, and there are annual events like the Bee School that is held in Loveland each March. The school fills up quickly each year, and is already full this year. On March 27 we will have the OSU Extension Specialist, Denise Ellsworth, Program Director, Honey Bee and Native Pollinator Education, here for the program. The program begins at 6 p.m. at the Appalachian Gateway Center at the Southern State Community College’s South Campus in Fincastle. There is no charge for the program, but please contact your local OSU Extension Office by March 25 so we have a count on how many peo-
ple to be prepared for. With the number of people that often attend bee keeper programs, you may want to register ASAP, as space is somewhat limited. Dates to Remember Pesticide License Testing: Private and commercial testing for applicator license will be offered on March 11, April 8 and May 13 at the Old Y Restaurant. You are required to pre-register by calling the Ohio Department of Agriculture at (800) 282-1955 or online at http://pested.osu.edu. Space is limited so register soon. Study materials are also available at the same address or phone number. Cattle Meeting: March 5 at the Union Stockyards. Meal will start at 6 p.m. and the program is at 7 p.m. Program will discuss a long term parasite control program. RSVP Janet at 393-1958. Southwest Corn Growers: Annual Southwest Corn Grower’s Meeting will be held on March 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the Fayette County Fairgrounds in the Mahan Building, in Washington Court House. Adams County Cattlemen: Adams County Cattlemen Annual Banquet Farm Bureau Discounts
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March 2013
ACRES of Southwest Ohio
O p e n in g D o o r s t o Su c c es s is th e m e o f W i l m i n g t o n fa r m c o n fe r e n c e
Are you an agriculturerelated blogger? Staff report
When ACRES was created, it was designed to inform the reader of what is going on in Ohio regarding topics that are Ag-rated. When we launched multiple editions of ACRES last year, we developed a website, www.acresmidwest.com, that was dedicated to hosting the best stories of the printed pages that are delivered to targeted homes across 40 Ohio counties. We now publish five separate ACRES editions across Ohio which focus on regions within the state. www.acresmidwest.com features the complete PDF versions of each print edition, viewable for one month on the website. The website also features links to many of the columnists that make ACRES worth reading. During the past year, we have discussed how to bring alive our digital coverage of Agrabusiness and Ag-related stories that directly affect and influence landowners. Do you have an Ag-related blog or focus on landrelated topics, such as farming, livestock and legislation at the local, state and national level? We would like to hear from you. If you are the right fit for the ACRES brand, we would like to feature your blog on our website. Our parent company, Civitas Media, operates dozens of websites and publications in Ohio and can provide the platform for growth for a start up blogger or additional reach and exposure for a more-established individual. Email your contact information and a link to your blog for consideration to Publisher Devin Hamilton at dhamilton @civitasmedia.com.
Event is one of state’s largest small farm gatherings WILMINGTON — Small farm owners who want to learn more about how to make their farms work better for them by increasing profits, increasing marketing efforts, expanding operations, or adding new educational or agritainment amenities can attend workshops and presentations on these and more issues during a small farm conference on March 8-9 in Wilmington. The “Opening Doors to Success” conference and trade show is designed to help producers learn more tips, techniques and methods and to increase their awareness to make their small farm operations more successful, which can lead to increased farm profits, said Tony Nye, an Ohio State University Extension educator. “This intensive conference will provide participants the op-
portunity to choose from a diverse variety of seminars that can help their farming operations be successful,” he said. “The conference is a great opportunity to network and learn from other producers, Extension experts and representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.” The conference kicks off with a panel discussion of Ohio producers who will talk about “Opportunities and Challenges to Running a Successful Small Farm Operation.” The group will address issues surrounding labor, financing, deciding on a farm specialty, dealing with customers, and whether or not to add agritainment or education components to a farm. The conference, which will be held at Wilmington College, Boyd Cultural Arts Center, 1870 Quaker Way in Wilmington, will feature 25 sessions
Management, Disease Management of Fruits and Vegetables. The conference is an outgrowth of the Ohio New and Small Farm College, an eightweek program created by OSU Extension that offers an introduction to the business of small farming for those who are new to the industry. The program offers information on budgeting, business planning and how to develop a farm structure, among other issues. The conference is co-sponsored by OSU Extension’s Small Farm Program; Wilmington College; Farm Credit MidAmerica; USDA’s Farm Service Agency; Natural Resources Conservation Service; and National Agriculture Statistic Service and Rural Development. The conference starts at 8:30 a.m. and runs until 4:15 p.m. Registration is $20 for the March 8 session and $50 for the March 9 session, or $60 for both days. The deadline to register is March 1. For more information or to register, go to http://clinton.osu.edu or contact Nye at 937-382-0901 or by email at nye.1@osu.edu.
from Ohio State and industry experts and a trade show for small farmers that will offer information that can benefit a variety of growers, Nye said. About 250 people are expected to attend the conference. The overall goal of the event is to teach farmers, producers and growers how to connect with buyers and to know the importance of marketing to make sure they understand what it takes to be successful in marketing their agricultural products, he said. Some of the topics to be addressed include: Beekeeping, Vermiculture, Vegetable Nutrient Management, Generating Energy for the Small Farm, Utilizing Maps and Apps Technology to Market Your Business, Christmas Tree Production, Cover Crops, Grafting of Trees, Lavender Production, Raised Bed Production, Pasture Management, Selecting a Livestock Enterprise for a Small Farm, Fertigation of Tomatoes, Greenhouse/Tunnel Production, Food Safety, Agricultural Law Considerations, Developing Water Systems for Pastures, Growing Hops, Marketing, Financial
Workshops to focus on safe growing practices WOOSTER — Ohio State University’s Fruit and Vegetable Safety Team will hold grower workshops in Zanesville and Newark on March 11. The topic of both programs is preventing microbial contamination on fruit and vegetable farms, including the use of Good Agricultural Practices, or GAPs. Speaking will be specialists from Ohio State University Extension, the outreach arm of Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. The times and locations: 1-4 p.m. in OSU University Extension’s Muskingum County of-
fice, 225 Underwood St., Zanesville.6-9 p.m. in Hopewell Hall, Room 53, on Ohio State’s Newark campus, 1189 University Drive, Newark. Participants will receive a resource workbook, paper handouts and a certificate of participation as verification for their customers that they have received GAPs training. The workshops don’t provide formal certification in GAPs, however. That instead requires a farm audit conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture or a third-party company. “Not all farms are required to be GAPs-certified by a third-
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party audit,” said Ashley Kulhanek, an OSU Extension educator in Medina County and a member of the team. “Many small farms will be exempt from federal regulations requiring audits, but customers of small farms or managers of farmers markets may have some expectations for farmers to have been trained in GAPs or to have some food safety measures in place, if not fully audited. “GAPS training in general can benefit growers by increasing their competitiveness in the marketplace by showing their efforts to cut the risk of foodborne illness.”
Pre-registration is encouraged but not required. Walk-ins are welcome. Registration is $10 per person, payable by cash or check, with checks made out to “Ohio State University.” Participants can reserve a spot in the Zanesville program by contacting mechling.1@osu.edu or 740-454-0144; and in the Newark program by contacting kneen.1@osu.edu or 740-9926696. Financial support for the programs is provided in part by a grant from the Ohio Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Program, which has helped reduce the registration cost.
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March 2013
5A
Can proper drainage boost yield by 35%? Researchers want to tell farmers how that can happen COLUMBUS – Ohio growers can increase yields by some 20 to 35 percent for rotation corn with proper subsurface drainage, according to research from Ohio State University’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center conducted at the Northwest Agricultural Research Station in Hoytville. And overall average yield can increase up to 6 percent for corn and 3.5 percent for soybeans with controlled drainage, according to research conducted on demonstration farms in northwest Ohio, said Larry Brown, an agricultural engineer with joint appointments with Ohio State University Extension and OARDC. OSU Extension and OARDC are the outreach and research arms, respectively, of Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES). “Improved drainage is quite beneficial on Ohio’s poorly drained soils for increased and sustained crop yields,” Brown said. “With improved corn and soybean prices the past five years, the potential for yield increases to cover the costs of new or improved subsurface drainage is much greater than, say, 10 to 20 years ago.” Farmers, land improvement contractors, soil and water conservation technicians and engineers can learn more about agricultural drainage as well as learn about construction and management of soil and water conservation systems during the annual Overholt Drainage School March 11-15, led by Ohio State and other industry experts. The program, held at the Agricultural Engineering Building, 590 Woody Hayes Drive, on Ohio State’s Columbus campus, is open to anyone interested in advancing their knowledge of basic concepts, principles, and skills related to the purpose, design, layout, construction and management of soil and water conservation systems, with emphasis on water management and water quality, said Brown, who is also a professor in Ohio State’s Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering (FABE). “The emphasis for this educational
program is proper water management on existing cropland, with a focus these past 10 years on balancing food production, economic and environmental goals,” he said. New this year, the surveying session will focus on GPS to conduct topographic mapping, system layout and installation, Brown said. The session previously focused on laser surveying, he said. And many of the sessions include fieldwork, classroom instruction and evening work sessions, he said. The conference topics include: Session 1: Topographic mapping with GPS, March 11-12. Session 2: Agricultural subsurface drainage design, layout and installation, March 12-14. Session 3: Drainage water management: controlled subsurface drainage design, layout and installation, March 15. The Overholt Drainage School is sponsored by OSU Extension, OARDC, Overholt Drainage Education and Research Program, FABE and CFAES; in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and the Ohio Land Improvement Contractors and Associates. The full schedule and registration information can be found at http://agcrops.osu.edu/specialists/soiland-water-management. Participants should mail the register form by March 7 to Brown at OSU Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 590 Woody Hayes Drive, Columbus, Ohio, 43210. Registration for the full conference is $637 (or $365 for session 1, $555 for session 2 and $145 for session 3). Registration includes tuition, lunches, refreshments, materials, supplies, manuals, guides, design notebooks and certificate of completion. Participants should bring a calculator, warm clothes and work boots for field work on March 11-12. More information on the program can be found at http://agcrops.osu.edu/specialists/soiland-water-management.
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ACRES of Southwest Ohio
4-H PROGRAM PROVES VALUE TO COMMUNITY, YOUTH By CARLY TAMBORSKI ctamborski@civitasmedia.com
W
hen you meet someone from Brown County, the first tidbit of information they tell you — and with great pride — is that Brown County is the home of Ohio’s best county fair: the Brown County Fair, also known as the Little State Fair. It is at this fair that years of accumulated knowledge, months of hard work, weeks of sitting in classrooms, and endless beads of sweat pay off when local FFA and 4H members are finally judged on their projects. Here, we catch up with three members of the 2012 Brown County Fair Court as they reflect on their experiences in the FFA and 4-H now that their time in the programs is almost up, and listen as they reminisce about why they joined and what they have learned through the process. “I got more involved my freshman year,” said Caty Fussnecker, a senior with the Georgetown FFA. FFA programs are usually divided by school, and interested students usually join their first year of high school. Justin Cluxton, senior at Ripley-Union-LewisHuntington High School joined the RULH FFA chapter as a freshman during the 2009-2010 school year. But the life experiences that lead someone to join the FFA usually begin long before high school. “I live on a farm so I’ve always been interested in agriculture,” Fussnecker said. “I’ve been in 4-H since I was tiny and I’ve been showing cows since I was nine. My sister was in FFA and I was just interested in the program.” Fussnecker plans to pursue a degree in agriculture. She currently studies agriculture economics and management. “With that, I can be a grain merchandiser, do loans, and anything related to the marketing and business side of agriculture,” Fussnecker said. Sydney Gibson, a junior with the Western Brown FFA who also joined as a freshman, had a similar upbringing. “I decided to join both the FFA and 4-H because I’ve always had a background in agriculture — I live on a small family farm,” Gibson said. “I love animals and everything that surrounds them. 4-H and FFA help me grow not only agriculturally, but also as a person through speaking skills and people skills — they both help me prepare for college and life.” Gibson also plans to stay in the agriculture industry after high school. “I most definitely do plan on having a career that is agriculturally-related,”
Gibson said. “I would like to pursue being a veterinarian once I graduate.” According to the FFA, 44 percent of members are female, making membership relatively even between male and female high school students. “I decided to join FFA because it appealed to me — I live on a big cattle farm and love being around agriculture,” Cluxton said. Cluxton said several students who participate in these programs go on to have careers in agriculture, but it depends on the interest of the student. Cluxton plans to attend the Ohio State University this fall and will major in Professional Golf Management, which is a major in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. Members participate in the program through their high schools and exit the program when they graduate, or they can submit projects through their place of employment. “You have to take an FFA class and have an S.A.E. — that means a supervised agricultural experience — and that’s the showing cows, or taking a grain to the fair every year,” Fussnecker said. Fussnecker shows cows and beings her fair project in June, but students have all year to work on their projects, depending on what they show at the fair. Students can choose to do the same or different projects every year, but not all projects are necessarily animal-related. Gibson says she has not done the typical projects like most people her do: she owns beef cattle, chickens, and dogs, but has never shown them. “I have done photography projects through 4-H,” Gibson said. “In FFA, my projects are my C.D.E.’s (career development events) and my S.A.E.’s. My C.D.E.’s are my public speaking contests, job interview contests, dairy cattle judging, and Parliamentary Procedure contests.” Gibson does the same contests every year, but may show chickens at this year’s Brown County Fair. Besides helping with her future career, Fussnecker said there are additional benefits she has received by participating in these programs. “You take the FFA class while you’re at school,” Fussnecker said. “It’s offered at our school as an elective, so it’s more fun — not your typical math or science. They have lots of good trips and it’s a good chance to meet new people and to get involved with agriculture — it teaches you good life skills, management, leadership.” Fussnecker is also a member of the Calves and Companions 4-H Club and says the program is quite
Junior Sydney Gibson grew up on a small family farm in Brown County and joined 4-H as a freshman. “I love animals and everything that surrounds them.,” said Gibson. She plans to stay in the agriculture world after school and would like to pursue becoming a veterinarian.
similar to the FFA in terms of what the students take away from it. “4-H teaches you all the same things — the record keeping — but it starts at a younger age and it’s not just your school, it’s more regional,” Fussnecker said. Gibson agreed. “There are many benefits of being in FFA and 4H,” Gibson said. “Not only do they help you grow close to agriculture and learn much more about it, they give you the opportunity to learn things you may never have learned without it. My public speaking skills have grown tremendously through both of these organizations — I know that this is something that will help me in my future.” She has even gone through practice job interviews through the FFA, which she says taught her what to expect when going in for a real one. “Parliamentary Procedure — which I have done in both organizations — has shown me how to properly run and hold an official meeting,” Gibson said. “Also, both of these groups give kids a chance to show off their hard work. Things like this would include kids showing their animals, photography, painting, crops, etc.” People can join 4-H as children since it’s more of a club and not run through local schools. Gibson joined the Trailblazers 4-H when she was in the fifth grade. “FFA is a school-based program and it’s taught in school, while 4-H is a group outside of school,” Gibson explained. “There aren’t many differences between them. Kids either show their projects through their FFA chapter or through their 4-H group. At Western Brown, quite a few kids participate in FFA — some start taking it because they think it
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Taught by Ken Cochran, Joe Cochran and Paul Snyder, all of the arboretum staff. Registration is $50. Pre-register by emailing cochran.7@osu.edu or download and mail the registration form available at http://go.osu.edu/R6w (pdf). April 13: Guided Bird Walk, 9-11 a.m., Seaman Orientation Plaza. Led by members of Greater Mohican Audubon Society. Free. April 24: Guided Spring Walk, 2-3:30 p.m., Seaman Orientation Plaza. Led by arboretum plant experts. Free. Also ahead are an Arbor
Day Celebration April 20 on the OARDC campus and the Plant Discovery Day plant and art sale May 11 in and around OARDC’s Fisher Auditorium. Most of the details are still to come. Check the arboretum’s website, http://secrest.osu.edu, for updates. The arboretum welcomes volunteers. Email cochran.58@osu.edu for details about this year’s opportunities. OARDC is the research arm of Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
is an easy grade, and end up falling in love with it. I would figure that more kids are involved in 4-H than in FFA just because the FFA classroom amounts are limited, so some kids do not get in. 4H groups are outside of school, which means any age can be involved, so a lot of families go to 4-H instead of FFA.” Other local school districts show trends of students beginning strongly in 4-H and ending strongly in the FFA. “I believe that more students participate through RULH’s FFA chapter simply because you can be involved through the school,” Cluxton said. “With 4-H you have outside clubs and meetings during times
when kids either don’t want to or don’t have the time outside of school.” “Most of the kids around here are in 4-H when they’re younger but when you’re in high school more kids just take their projects to the fair through FFA,” Fussnecker said. “I would say around 100 people at Georgetown are in FFA.” Fussnecker’s 4-H projects have been more diverse than those she submitted through the FFA. She has shown cooking projects, sewing projects, home-ec projects, soybeans, cows, and more while showing her 4-H projects at the fair. Cluxton has also shown cattle, one of the most common animals used in fair projects.
“Throughout my showing career through 4-H and FFA I have shown cattle for six years and marketed lambs for four years,” Cluxton said. All 4-H projects are shown at the fair, but FFA projects aren’t required to be shown at the fair. A project submitted for one organization cannot be submitted to the other while at the fair. Fussnecker said the time frame for projects also differs for 4-H, with project times usually lasting from April to fair time. “4-H is a lot of work, but it teaches you how to work with others,” Fussnecker said. It’s not only hard work, but very time-consuming, but some don’t consider that a drawback. “I feel that there are little to no drawbacks in participating in these,” Gibson said. “Many people will argue that they both are for only people who live on farms or own animals, which is not true. Anyone and everyone can participate, learn, and grow the same amount as the other.” “From being a member of my local FFA chapter, I have learned leadership qualities and responsibilities that I believe couldn’t have been learned in any other organization,” Cluxton said. Whether you’re a 4-H person or an FFA person, clearly both of these organizations are wildly popular in our rural region — and for good reason. Keep an eye out at this year’s Brown County Fair to see what Cluxton, Fussnecker and Gibson are up to now. (Carly Tamborski is a staff writer for the Georgetown News Democrat.)
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The Amish Cook he school will have Friday and Monday off for a midwinter break. Today is Valentine’s Day so the elementary classes are having their party. Last night Joseph 10, Lovina, 8, and Kevin, 7 signed all their cards to their classmates. This is Joseph’s last year in elementary school so this is last Valentine’s party. We headed out for the twohour trip to Berne, Indiana on Saturday at around 7:15 a.m. We have set our hired van driver to be here around 6:30 a.m. He got out of his van and somehow left his keys locked in side. His son brought a spare pair and we were on our way 45 minutes later.
T
Nine out of the 12 siblings were at Joe’s sisters house for the late family Christmas gathering. There was more than enough food for the 10:30 a.m. carry-in brunch. Snacks were served later on in the day. After we left the gathering on Saturday we drove in to the place we used to live before we moved to Michigan almost 9 years ago. From there we stopped in at the homeplace where I lived until after daughters Elizabeth and Susan were born. The family that lived there now was kind enough to offer us to go inside the house. We were running short on time so we decided not to. The three oldest daughters seem to remember the most of the place. It brought back a lot of memories but the saying proves true that
“home is where the heart is.” We stopped in for a short visit with sister Liz and Levi. From there we headed to brother Amos and Nancy’s house. Amos is recovering from bronchitis. In the van accident on January 9 he had badly bruised lungs That seems to make it harder to get rid of his cough. He hasn’t been back to work since the accident but wants to go soon. It is difficult for Amos not to be able to go to work. The results for the 23-year-old boy who was in the accident are better than they first thought. He does have some feeling in his feet and one of his thighs. He is doing better than the doctors thought he would. We hope and pray he continues to improve with therapy. After we left Amos house we stopped to see sister Leah and Paul. Paul
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had been in scheduled to have hernia surgery last week. The doctor didn’t do the surgery due to Paul’s blood pressure being high and signs of weakness in his heart. He will need to have some tests done on his heart. Hopefully everything will work out and good health will be restored. Last week daughter Susan made monster cookies to take along to the family gathering. Seeing the bag of M & Ms brought back a lot of memories from my Grandpa Coblentz. When we were little children every time he came to visit he would bring us a bag of M & Ms to share. We would be so excited and evenly count them into piles. We tried to make our pile last as long as we could savoring each morsel. Not once do I see or taste M & Ms without thinking of Grandpa Coblentz. We recently had Loretta to the children’s hospital where she had surgery on her feet last fall. The doctors were really pleased at how well she was doing. She can go six months without her braces to see how she does. Also she is doing all of her therapy here at home now. We pray her strength will keep getting stronger but we need to accept whatever God’s will is. I want to thank everyone for prayers and encouragement. It helps to know others care. God’s blessings to all. Daughter Verena made this pudding last night as a treat for us all. Sister Emma always prepared this pudding a lot and our family always enjoys it.
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COMMERCIAL Continued from page 1A
Ruth Edingfield of Belfast has been farming with her husband, Jack, for 54 years. She says, “Jack was born on a farm and I moved onto one when I was ten.” Today they raise beef cattle and hay though for years they raised tobacco and corn as well. Ruth was surprised when she recognized Paul Harvey’s voice and amazed as the fields and faces scrolled across the screen. “I loved it. It was so moving. I never expected something like that on television, much less during the Super Bowl. The commentary, the pictures, just made me feel good. And, it was such a wonderful message to people who don’t have any idea what farming is like.” Doug Barton of Clinton County was so impressed with the sentiment, he totally missed the sponsor. He doesn’t mind admitting wiping his eyes at the end, and he had plenty of company all across the country. At 58, he says, “It looked more like farming back when I first started farming. My dad raised hogs, my father-in-law raised beef cattle. The typical farm had a little livestock grain and hay.” After the game, Doug told his wife all about the ad, but, he says, “When she asked what it was for, I couldn’t
tell her. I didn’t know till days later it was a commercial for Dodge Ram.” Jim Carr is a fourth generation farmer with a degree in animal science. He raises corn, beans, wheat and has a small cow/calf operation near Mowrystown. Jim says, “The pictures might have been a little dated — we’re a lot more automated now — but they did a nice job and I really liked it. I recognized Paul Harvey’s voice right away.” The ad is part of a Dodge Ram partnership with the National FFA Organization aimed at “highlighting and underscoring the importance of farmers in America,” according to Chrysler. In a collaboration with the FFA, Dodge agreed to donate $100,000 for every 1,000,000 YouTube views the video of the ad received, up to $1,000,000. The goal was reached in less than five days. Harvey delivered the “So God Made a Farmer” speech at the Future Farmers of America convention in 1978 and in 2011, Farms.com made a YouTube video of the commentary with less polished production values. Though Paul Harvey generally wrote his own essays, he claimed credit only for embellishing this one, but his unique, structured delivery made it especially memorable. Beth Ellis is one of the
farmers who took “So, God Made a Farmer” personally. She and her husband, Matt, have been farming together for 18 years and Matt farms about 5000 acres near Wilmington with his father and brother. The week of Super Bowl XLVII, Beth was in Kansas City where the Paul Harvey essay was also printed as a full page in the next day’s newspaper. “It was such a positive feeling to be recognized. Actors and celebrities get recognized all the time but they don’t actually do anything. Farmers do so much and are never get recognized.” Shared, forwarded, played and replayed for friends, family and fellow farmers thousands of times since the game, for the men and women who make their living from the land, those two minutes of the Super Bowl were more compelling than any play. Most had trouble explaining why the ad brought tears to their eyes. It was, after all, just a commercial. But for farmers, past and present, the simple acknowledgement of what they contribute and how they live was more than fortuitous agricultural advocacy. It was a message that went straight to the heart. (Pat Lawrence is a contributor to ACRES of Southwest Ohio.)
Shown are images featured in the “God Made A Farmer” commercial. Visit www.acresmidwest.com to view the commercial.
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God Made a Farmer ish his 40-hour week by Tuesday noon and then, paining from tractor back, put in another 72 hours.’ So God made the farmer. “And on the eighth day, God said, ‘I need someGod looked down on his body strong enough to clear planned paradise and said, trees and heave bales, yet ‘I need a caretaker.’ So gentle enough to yean lambs God made a farmer. and wean pigs and tend the God said, ‘I need somebody willing to get up before pink-comb pullets, who will stop his mower for an hour dawn, milk cows, work all to splint the leg of a meadday in the field, milk cows again, eat supper, then go to owlark.’ It had to be somebody town and stay past midnight who’d plow deep and at a meeting of the school straight and not cut corners. board.’ So God made a Somebody to seed, weed, farmer. feed, breed, and brake, and God said, ‘I need somedisk, and plow, and plant, body willing to sit up all and tie the fleece and strain night with a newborn colt and watch it die, then dry his the milk. Somebody who’d bale a family together with eyes and say, ‘Maybe next the soft, strong bonds of year,’ I need somebody who can shape an ax handle from sharing, who would laugh, an ash tree, shoe a horse with and then sigh and then reply with smiling eyes when his hunk of car tire, who can make a harness out hay wire, son says that he wants to spend his life doing what feed sacks and shoe scraps. Dad does. ‘So God made a Who, during planting time farmer.’ and harvest season will finFollowing is the audio of the commercial narrated by Paul Harvey:
A recording of Paul Harvey was used in the Dodge commercial. He is remembered as a popular radio broadcaster for decades. Harvey died on Feb. 28, 2009, at the age of 90.
Shown are images featured in the “God Made A Farmer” commercial. Visit www.acresmidwest.com to view the commercial.
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March 2013
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Farmers: The value of partnering with your local schools explained
Small farm owners gather for training, workshops By TRACY TURNER OSU Extension
ZANESVILLE — Small farm owners who want to learn more about how to make their farms work better for them or expand their operations, or those new to agriculture who are looking for ways to utilize acreage, can attend workshops and presentations on these and more issues during a small farm conference March 23 in Zanesville. The “Living Your Small Farm Dream” conference and trade show is designed to help participants learn more tips, techniques and methods for diversifying their opportunities into successful new enterprises and new markets as a way to improve economic growth and development on their farms, said Mark Mechling, an Ohio State University Extension educator in agriculture and natural resources. “It may be a person who is new to agriculture, or someone that may have acreage that they aren’t using to the fullest, or even someone who has newly acquired land and may not know what to do with it,” he said. “What we try to do with this conference is to give participants a smorgasbord of ideas that may interest them by offering a wide variety of sessions in which they can learn more in-depth about an issue, gain resources and learn how to finance a new venture.” The conference, which will be held at the Muskingum County Convention and Welcome Center, 205 N. Fifth St. in Zanesville, kicks off with a keynote address on “Planning and Goal Setting,” presented by Mike Hogan, an OSU Extension educator. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. Following Hogan’s address, participants can choose from over 20 sessions from Ohio State and industry experts on issues related to small farms and a trade show for small farmers that will offer information that can benefit a variety of growers, Mechling said.
The overall goal of the event and the mission of the OSU Small Farms Program is to provide a greater understanding of production practices, economics of land-use choices, assessment of personal and natural resources, marketing alternatives, and the identification of sources of assistance, he said. “Participants will gain awareness and knowledge of different enterprises that they can venture into and how to begin the process of becoming an entrepreneur by exploring some of the different ideas that are out there,” Mechling said. “Participants will learn some of the basic information needed to get started and leave the conference with the knowledge of some of the resources of how to start a new venture and what other help or sources are available.” Some of the topics to be addressed include: Maple syrup Sheep production Goat health and production Forages Livestock nutrition Direct marketing of meat Social media Christmas trees Legal issues for small farms Soil basics Brambles High tunnels Beekeeping Vegetables Financing/loans Tax issues The conference is an outgrowth of the Ohio New and Small Farm College, an eight-week program created by OSU Extension that offers an introduction to the business of small farming for those who are new to the industry. The program offers information on budgeting, business planning and how to develop a farm structure, among other issues. The conference is co-sponsored by OSU Extension’s Small Farm Program, Farm Credit Mid-America, USDA’s Farm Service Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the National Agricultural Statistics Service and Rural Development. The conference starts at 8:30 a.m. and runs until 4:15 p.m. Registration is $50. The deadline to register is March 18. For more information or to register, go to http://muskingum.osu.edu or contact Mechling at 740-454-0144 or mechling.1@osu.edu.
By TRACY TURNER OSU Extension
COLUMBUS – Educators, farmers, food producers, businesses and anyone else interested in creating or expanding a Farm to School program can learn from the experts on how to do so during a Farm to School conference March 13. Ohio State University Extension, with the support of the Ohio departments of education, health and agriculture, will host the Farm to School conference as part of its goal to continue to expand the successful program, which works to increase students’ access to healthy foods and to help them learn more about food, health, nutrition and agriculture, said Julie Fox, director of the Ohio Farm to School program. Farm to School is a national program, which in Ohio is led by OSU Extension and is supported by numerous agencies, foundations and industry organizations. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. The conference theme is “Let’s Grow! Farm to School,” and will feature three keynote presentations, 10 panel sessions, a curriculum showcase, a salad bar showcase and other displays designed to illustrate opportunities farmers, schools and community leaders have to work together to increase students’ knowledge and access to healthy foods, she said. Keynote speakers in-
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clude Anupama Joshi, executive director, national Farm to School Network; Deborah Kane, national director of the US Department of Agriculture Farm to School Program; and Debra Eschmeyer, director of policy and partnerships, FoodCorps. OSU Extension Director Keith Smith and other leaders in Ohio will also join in the day of information sharing, networking and fun. “This event is going to be something special, thanks to so many dynamic speakers, generous sponsors and a strong statewide Extension network,” Fox said. “It’s inspiring when food providers, school personnel pre-K though college; and community leader join together to make a difference for Ohio’s youth and economy. Panel sessions will include: Local Food Procurement, Opportunities for Food Service Buyers and Ohio Farmers, Service Buyers and Farmers, Hands-on Farm to School Education, It Takes a Vil-
lage—Farm to School Partnerships, Finding Farm to School Funding and Resources, Students Grow: Classroom Containers, School Gardens, Student Farms, Food Safety is Everyone’s Business, Telling the Story, Farm to School Communications, World Café Roundtable: Student Health and Local Food Access. Registration for the Ohio Farm to School Conference, which will be held at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, 2201 Fred Taylor Drive, is now open to the first 250 registered participants, Fox said. The conference runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Registration is $50 and includes conference materials, jump drive with Farm to School resources, breakfast, lunch, free parking and more. Registration can be done online at http://go.osu.edu/F2SRegistration. For more information on Ohio’s Farm to School program, visit http://farmtoschool.osu.edu.
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March 2013
11A
Ohio’s oldest fish hatchery to get a $2 million makeover By JANE BEATHARD jbeathard@civitasmedia.com
LONDON – At more than 100 years old, the London State Fish Hatchery is thriving on a colorful past and looking to a bright future. The oldest of Ohio’s six state fish hatcheries is slated for an upgrade, beginning in the spring of 2014. A $2.1 million project to improve electrical service, install back-up generators and add alarm systems to monitor dissolved oxygen in the water is proposed in the state’s new biennial budget, according to Scott Hale of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. ODNR’s engineering division is working through pre-construction details, Hale said. Improvements are welcome at 83-acre London facility that currently produces both rainbow and brown trout, as well as muskellunge (muskies), for stocking in Ohio’s public waters. Historically, its natural cold springs and the presence of Oak Run Creek made it an attractive site for growing fish. But, the property had other uses in the early 1800s. It was once the site of a distillery and a grist mill. Settled in 1812 by John and George Sutherland, it was acquired by Jacob Garrard in 1823, according to a history compiled in 1978. ODNR’s predecessor, the Ohio Fish & Game Commission, obtained the hatchery’s original 7.8 acres in 1896 from a Garrard descendant. George Morcher was hired as the first superintendent in 1898
and held the job for the next 39 years. In those days, the “fish farm” (as it was called) produced large and smallmouth bass, crappies, rock bass, bluegills and marble catfish for stocking in central Ohio waters. A sanctuary for birds and a wildlife display drew visitors who often picnicked on the grounds. The neighboring Roberts family held annual reunions on the grounds. Widespread drought in the early 1930s reduced the hatchery’s natural water supply and forced the facility to close in 1940. ODNR reopened the facility 20 years later and began restoring drains, dikes and ponds in order to raise muskies on a limited basis. Inmate laborers from the ad-
jacent London Correctional Institution reconstructed ponds and installed a new drainage system in 1962. Abundant supplies of cold spring and sub-surface water made the hatchery ideal for growing coho salmon. In the late 1960s, ODNR drilled wells and constructed a raceway — a man-made canal with rapidly flowing water — for salmon production. In 1969, ODNR began an ambitious improvement project. New buildings, including a new home for the superintendent, went up. A new dam with flood gates spanned Oak Run Creek. In the years since, state biologists used the facility to experiment in raising a variety of fish species, including walleye, bass and saugeye.
Seven wells now pump 600 to 1,000 gallons of cold water per minute into nine indoor rearing troughs, 34 ponds and the outdoor earthen raceway. Until recently, the hatchery raised trout from its own brood stock. However, that proved financially unfeasible. London’s technicians now buy rainbow trout eggs from
The Ohio Fish & Game Commission obtained the hatchery in London in 1896.
hatcheries in the Pacific Northwest. Those eggs are hatched and grown to fingerling size, then transferred to state hatcheries at Kincaid in southern Ohio and Castalia near Lake Erie. It takes about a year for the teenage fish to reach a stockable length at those facilities. Brown trout eggs come from a federal hatchery in Wyoming and are grown to stockable size at London. Muskie eggs are collected from female fish in state reservoirs in April, hatched and reared at London, then stocked in public lakes and reservoirs in September. Forage minnows to feed the growing muskies are also grown at London. In the past, fish hatchery staff also cultivated hybrid striped bass. Efforts to expand this program will continue, Hale said. Doug Sweet, the current superintendent, said hatcheries like London improve outdoor recreation in Ohio and are financially self-sustaining. “All fish stocked — especially trout — return revenue to the state in the form of fishing license sales,” Sweet said. (Jane Beathard is a staff writer for The Madison Press.)
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March 2013
ACRES of Southwest Ohio
Muntjacs, emus and wallabies … oh my! Clarksville farm is home to unusual wildlife By AUDREY INGRAM aingram@civitasmedia.com
E
ncounters with these and many other unique animals are possible through a visit to Clinton County’s Horsefeathers Farm. Originally started by Bob and Julie Heyob in Warren County in 1978, the farm moved to its current 18-acre spread in Clarksville about six years ago. The farm boasts a pond stocked with fish, paddle boats and canoes, nature walks and trails, a creek bed full of fossils, thousands of wildflowers, bird watching, campfire programs, a shelter house for family events and group gatherings, a coy pond and wildlife plantings. However, Horsefeathers Farm is most known for its Australian wildlife. It is currently home to nine wallabies. “I’ve been fascinated my whole life with Australian animals,” said Bob Heyob. He adopted his first baby
wallaby, named Matilda, about 18 years ago. Heyob said that he is now about five generations deep in her gene pool. Wallabies live about 12 years, and the farm currently has three joeys (babies) in the pouches of the flyers (female wallabies). The Heyobs work to acclimate the baby wallabies to people so that they do not fear humans when they are grown. This is done primarily by bottle-feeding the baby wallabies when they are merely weeks old. The Heyobs also carry the baby wallabies in pouches that hang around their necks, enabling the wallabies to rest on their chests and become familiar with the human heart beat. “People don’t realize that a wallaby raised by its mother will be like a wild white-tailed deer. If you approach it, it will throw itself into something trying to get away,” said Heyob. Through bottle-feeding, the wallabies get used to human touch, enabling chil-
A wallaby mother is shown with her baby in her pouch.
dren and adult visitors to the farm to interact with the animals during their visit. In a “wallaby encounter,” visitors are able to pet and feed the larger wallabies, and even hold the small animals. In addition to the tame wallabies, Horsefeathers Farm is home to Abby the Muntjac deer, who likes to “mooch Teddy Grahams,” according to Heyob. Muntjac deer are native to southeast Asia. There are also several mules, rescue swans, and Mu the emu. “He’s a 6-foot-tall bird always looking to be hugged,” described Heyob with a laugh. Though the Heyobs primarily raise Bennett wallabies, a species native to the southern climates of Australia, they also care for a Parma wallaby named Parmageddon. The Parma wallaby is an endangered species. According to Heyob, he and his wife focus heavily on education. “Our goal is to bring kids back in touch with nature, whether it’s through holding a fossil that dates farther back than they can fathom, getting to pet a large animal that enjoys being touched, or taking a moment to sit on a beautiful, quiet path and listen to the creek,” he said. “We want to reconnect children and adults with the natural world. That’s what we do.” A retired school principal with a masters degree in curriculum, Heyob’s wife, Julie, designs most of the educational programs for the farm. These include a tree identification walk, in which the children learn to tell trees apart based on their bark, leaves and fruit; a creek exploration and fossil-
ing adventure, in which children learn what kind of animals lived in Clinton County when it was an ocean hundreds of millions of years ago; and the history of wallabies, including how Parmageddon’s ancestors became instinct when the fox and rabbit populations were introduced in Australia; and an investigation of plants, in which children see how Native Americans used bloodroot to make dyes. “As educators we’ve seen a total disconnect from the natural world,” said Heyob. “Parents think taking their kids to soccer practice is playing outside, and it is, but playing outside used to be climbing trees, hunting snakes, going fishing and catching frogs in the creek.” Heyob said that when he observes children on a soccer team, he witnesses interactions between several distinct cliques. However, when the same group of children are able to go to a creek and play and react and catch crawdads and minnows, the cliques disappear.
“We’re becoming more and more of an urban society, and these chances are not available,” he said. “This is our chance to let kids experience the wonder.” In addition to wallaby encounters and general fun in the sun, Horsefeathers Farm also offers a glimpse at a variety of local birds, including bluebirds, hummingbirds, Black Cat Chickadees, Tufted Titmouse birds, White Throat Song Sparrows, American Song Sparrows, woodpeckers, Purple and Gold Finches, Scarlet Tangers, Baltimore Orioles and a group of red-headed ducks. The area contains local fossils, including three unique to the region that actually have Clarksville in their names. If a child can wrap their hand around the fossil, they are allowed to take it home. Heyob said that school groups are the largest source of visitors to the farm, bringing thousands of children for educational outings each year. The farm is also available on weekends as a location for family reunions,
birthday parties, church picnics and other social gatherings. Heyob said they schedule only one group at a time so as to offer every group a the full experience, including time to have a picnic and explore the lake. When the baby wallabies are about nine months old and weigh about three pounds, they move to the Cincinnati Zoo for its Zoo Babies program. Though the zoo benefits from the Heyobs’ hobby, it does not offer any financial incentive for them to raise and care for the wallabies. Heyob said the farm is his and his wife’s retirement business and that the revenue they raise “pays the expenses to keep the passion going.” Horsefeathers Farm is currently booking appointments for the 2013 season. The average cost is $5 per person for a wallaby encounter. For more information, and to see photos of the farm, visit www.horsefeathersfarmonline.com. (Audrey Ingram is a staff writer for the Wilmington News Journal.)
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March 2013
13A
Donald Rothwell is shown with one of his many tree peonies.
Heavenly Gardens await Highland County man filling garden with peonies By ANGELA SHEPHERD ashepherd@civitasmedia.com
A
top a hill on Buckley Road in Highland County lies “Heavenly Gardens,” which in a couple of months’ time will likely look just as the name implies. In mid-February, the landscape all blends together. Everything is brown, along with last year’s leaves that blanket the ground, and broken only by little rectangular signs scattered about across the grounds that tell of the plant that lives nearby. But, if you look closely at the seeming sticks poking out of the ground, surrounded by a mound of oak leaf mulch and micro-nutrients, you can begin to see the shape of a tree peony and if you look closer you can see the buds that have already formed on parts of the core structure, on one
plant nearly twenty. A tree peony, distinguished from its herbaceous counterpart by the fact that it retains a woody “habit” above ground, essentially a trunk, can live to extend more than one generation, with some reports saying that tree peonies have lived past the century mark and more. Donald Rothwell has marked most of his plants with signs in his gardens that range from tulips, lilies, and daffodils to his beloved tree peonies. Rothwell really began his gardening with tulips, of which he has about 700 bulbs planted that will likely be on display by mid-April, and some of them waist high. About 15 years ago, Rothwell bought a tree peony bush out of a catalogue because he liked how it looked and “just wanted to see what it was like.” He
When the tree peonies are in bloom, Rothwell covers them with umbrellas to protect them from sun and weather which extends the life of the blooms.
said he wanted to try something different, something not common in Highland County and that helped his choice along too. After purchasing the bush, his research has carried him to the variety of tree peonies he has today, which includes the Imperial, Chinese and Japanese varieties, that bloom in a range of colors. Within the last five years, Rothwell has begun to raise his own from the seeds of his existing plants. It is the plants that he has raised that he has sold in the last few years. The first he raised was planted about four years ago and last spring had nine blooms, he said. About 100 tree peonies are planted on Rothwell’s property. What are now but woody stems shooting up from the earth and a generous layer of oak leaf mulch and micro-nutrients, by the first weekend in May will be full of green leaves and, hopefully, big and full peony blooms. Rothwell planted that first bush in 1999, a Seidi and light pink in color. Nearly a decade later, Rothwell began pollinating the flower heads in an effort to get more seeds. He also began raising his own from these seeds. In January, after soaking the seeds in a special solution containing aspirin, he planted 25 seeds from China, where the tree peonies originated centuries ago, and said these are a
solid blue. Now, he is waiting to see if any of them spring forth from the pot they share. This pot of hopeful seedlings sits next to two bags of already spouted seedlings, nestled securely in a cut out bag of top soil awaiting their turn to be planted in the earth. Two years ago, Rothwell put together a book, “The History and Growth of Tree Peonies,” that details the plant and includes many colorful photographs of his own plants. “I really baby them,” Rothwell said. When the tree peonies are in bloom, Rothwell covers each with an umbrella to protect them from the direct sun and any rain that may fall. The blooms, which can be several inches in diameter, will only last a short time and by protecting them, the life of the blooms is extended a bit, he said. Also, every two years he adds lime to the soil to help keep the pH balanced. In August, the bushes start to build buds which lay dormant until the spring. Also in August, Rothwell will strip the bushes of their foliage but he does not prune any of the woody growth of the main trunk but cuts the shoots near to the main trunk. The buds, which appear in August, remain and are the signs of a healthy plant and an indication of where new growth will be occurring. The main thing, Rothwell said, is to be patient.
Some of the bushes have bloomed a year after planting. Others, he said, have taken up to five years to give their first bloom and sometimes those blooms may not be numerous, but he said it is worth it. In the warmer months, Rothwell said he will spend an average of five hours a day outside tending his plants. He loves to talk to people and his gardens have attracted numerous garden clubs within the state as well as some out-of-state visitors. He welcomes all who just want to have a look. A path of pavers winds down a gentle slope towards a small creek, over which a wooden bridge is perched. While the tree peonies are nearer the front of the property, along the path are tulips and daffodils and lilies that come spring will likely provide the observer with a
plethora of flora to enjoy. This year, Rothwell anticipates the flowers to be in full bloom by mid-April and the tree peonies in the first week of May. Visitors are welcome to take a stroll through the gardens or to pull up and look out over the colorful bounty. The best idea for those planning a visit is to call ahead and see what is blooming. “I enjoy talking to people,” Rothwell said adding that he welcomes anyone interested to visit his gardens. Rothwell’s “Heavenly Gardens” are located at his home at 7966 Buckley Road, just off SR 247 outside Hillsboro, in Highland County. He can be reached by calling 937-509-2606. (Angela Shepherd is a staff writer for the Hillsboro Times Gazette.)
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14A
March 2013
ACRES of Southwest Ohio
Giving back … Local farmer supports Clinton County non-profit organizations MARTINSVILLE – Operation: Thank You and Your Father’s Soup Kitchen will now be able to better serve the community thanks to the support of local farmer Corey Brock and America’s Farmers Grow Communities. Sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of Monsanto Company, Grow Communities provides farmers in eligible counties the chance to win a $2,500 donation for a local nonprofit organization of their choice. To further support counties declared natural disaster areas by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) due to drought this year, winning farmers in these counties are able to direct double donations, a total of $5,000. Clinton County was declared a disaster area by the USDA, giving Brock the opportunity to choose two organizations to receive $2,500 donations. He selected Operation: Thank You and Your Father’s Soup Kitchen. Operation: Thank You will use the funds to purchase and ship special-requested items for troops serving overseas, such as microwaves, coffee pots, blankets and pillows. Your Father’s Soup Kitchen will use the funds to continue the
food service it runs for the community by allowing them to purchase more products to feed the needy. “I’m a big supporter of troops overseas,” said Brock. “They need all the help we can give them and really appreciate our efforts. As for the soup kitchen, we have many people struggling in our community, and they too, could use all the help they can get.” Brock made the check presentation to the two organizations recently. This year, the Monsanto Fund will invest nearly $6 million in rural America through Grow Communities, which includes double donations for counties impacted by the historic drought. In Ohio $160,000 is being given across 64 counties. America’s Farmers Grow Communities is sponsored by the Monsanto Fund to partner with farmers in helping them positively impact their communities. This program is part of the Monsanto Fund’s overall effort to strengthen rural America. For a complete list of Grow Communities winners and more program information, visit growcommunities.com. Learn more about the Monsanto Fund at www.monsantofund.org.
A project for the birds Create orange suet cups for feathered friends By MARCHETA GIBSON
O
ur feathered friends can use all the help we can give them during the cold months. Suet is especially important because the energy from fats helps birds sustain activity levels longer. Suet is usually made with animal fat, but fats like peanut butter can be also used. There are many recipes for homemade suet, but I like my recipe for orange suet bowls best because it is quick and could not be easier. A big plus is that by putting the suet in the hollowed out orange bowls the whole feeder is completely biodegradable. Making orangebowl suet cups is a nice activity to do with children, just be sure to keep the knife out of their reach and do the cutting yourself, for safety. What you need: One large orange 1/2 cup lard 2 1/2 cups birdseed (a general mix) Jute twine or baler twine Paring or steak knife 2 small bowls or ramekins (to support the orange shells) Saucepan Cut the orange in half and remove the fruit with
a steak knife (or grapefruit spoon if you have one), leaving two orange shells or ‘bowls’. Don’t discard the fruit, of course; have it for a snack while you work or save it for later. Using the tip of the same knife, make two holes across from each other in each ‘bowl’. Then thread the twine through the holes and tie, making handles. Set aside in small ramekins or cereal bowls, ready to fill. Melt lard in a saucepan on low heat until it is liquid. Turn off heat and add birdseed. Fill each orange half with mixture, return them to the bowls and set them a cool place until the lard becomes solid again. You may need to put them in the refrigerator. This recipe made more than the two orange halves could hold. I simply put the extra in a plastic container and stored it in the refrigerator to use later. When the lard is solid again, you are ready to
place the finished suet cups in your favorite bird feeding area, and enjoy watching winter birds scarfing down their treat. How much do birds like these orange suet cups? I suppose that it depends on what other goodies are available. When I placed mine in the small crabapple tree in our feeder area, a chickadee watched from a lofty perch in the nearby River Birch, checking out what was being added to its country diner. It did not take long for the tiny black bird, and other birds, to begin feasting. No problem, as the recipe made enough suet for a couple of re-fills. The neat thing about using jute or baler twine for the handles is that, come spring, birds can use it for their nests. If you don’t have twine but you have a piece of wire, pipe cleaner, or chenille stem, by all means use it instead. See? Quick and
easy! In true ‘bowl’ tradition, having 2 orange suet cups at the feeder gives home space for two teams. Who will win, the Cardinals or the Blue Jays? Oh, wait…that’s baseball, isn’t it? In that case, batter up! (Marcheta Gibson is a photographer, writer, and blogger who lives on 30 acres in rural Galion with her husband, Jim. The Gibson’s have owned and operated Gibson Landscaping since 1973 and also have a small orchard. They have three grown children, two sonsin-law, 2 3/4 grandchildren, and a boatload of barn cats. Marcheta writes about daily country life, shares recipes and craft ideas, writes essays, and profiles country women on her blog Ohio Country Journal www.ohiocountryjournal.blogspot.com.)
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March 2013
15A
RESTORING VINTAGE TRACTORS FROM YESTERYEAR By MARIBETH URALRITH maribeth2@hotmail.com
In 1880, John Charter invented the first liquid fuel tractor and changed rural farming in America forever. Although tractors were introduced to the American farmer at the turn of the twentieth century, they never really made a huge impact until the 1930s when farmers began replacing their horses with tractors. In the 1930s tractors in the United States average around 1,000 but by the mid 1970s, the total jumped up to an impressive five million. With so many tractors inundated into our farming culture, the likelihood of a restorer finding the perfect tractor to restore is a dream that can come true. Today, vintage tractor restoration is an up and coming pastime many southern Ohio farmers and restoration enthusiast alike enjoy as a hobby and pastime. The reasons for taking on such a project vary - sometimes restorers see it as a challenge, some see it has a thrill of the hunt, and some see it as a great way to bring families closer together as a family project. Many restores see it as a way to teach themselves the basics of machines from long ago often realizing they have required skills they never knew they had when they completed their restoration, others may be retired farmers which put aside an old tractor they used years ago and want to restore it back to its formal glory, whatever the reason for dabbling is this hobby, those who have been bitten by the vintage restoration bug find it a passion and satisfying hobby that they have no intention to giving up – one that develops a pride in a project that challenges them to develop their skills and solve problems. So, why restore an old tractor? Put a lover of anything mechanical in the seat of a machine and magic happens and this holds true for the vintage tractor restoration enthusiast. Antique or vintage tractors are like a time machine opening doors to the past – a door into history of how far the agricultural heritage of this country has come about. Restoration allows the re-
storer to travel back to a completely different day in farming. Charlie Ledford, member of the Antique Power Club of Clinton County has a passion for vintage tractor restoration and has since 1967 when he restored his first tractor – a Allis Chalmers and has been doing it ever since. Ledford who lives in Clinton County has restored between 25 and 30 vintage tractors over the years. “It is more of a hobby with me,” comments Ledford. The nicest part to vintage tractor restoration is the satisfaction and connecting to the history of what farming was years ago in the United States - where we came from and how framing help not only with the agricultural heritage of the United States but how farming has help formed the historical identity of the United States and who we are today.” Many restorers find the history of the tractor fascinating like Charlie Ledford, others like the challenge of the hunt like Marty Quigley also a member of the Antique Power Club of Clinton County. Quigley first started restoring vintage tractors in 1984 and has completed a total of 30 to 35 tractors since then. “I would say what I like best about restoring an old tractor is the finished product. To take something that is old, dirty and nasty and make a total transformation of it is very satisfying. The challenge of completing this type of project along with the hunt of finding a tractor to restore is what I like most.” Quigley continues to farm but each winter tries to restore a tractor or two and offers advice to the novice restorer. “Like with anything, trial by error is how a person new to tractor restoration learns to become an expert. If you like doing something, you do it over and over again- it is the same with tractor restoration. The advice I would give to someone wanted to start vintage tractor restoration would be start with something small, and half way easy. Talk to people and get advice. I spent a week with a friend in his body shop and I learned so much in that one week. I always take pictures before I take
Shown above is a fully restored Allis-Chambers One-Seventy tractor.
An restored Oliver Row Crop 66 takes part in the Clinton County Corn Festival in 2005.
anything apart also so that if I am working on a particular item that may take a few weeks, I can refer back to the photographs and make sure I am putting it back together correctly. Doug Darkin, another member of the Antique Power Club of Clinton County also restores vintage tractors. As a farmer now, Darkin began his love for tractors and machinery when he worked in a body shop 30 years ago. “Restoring vintage tractors is a passion of mine and a stress reliever. I also have found that restoring vintage tractors is a good family project – with most restorations taking anywhere from 300 to 400 hours of work – restoration of a trac-
tor can bring families closer together while sharing a bit of the family’s past. Many times farmers have granddad’s old tractor sitting in the barn collecting dust – restoring an old family tractor is a great way for families to come together and complete a project. Advice I would give to anyone thinking about starting a project like this is take every precaution for safety especially purchasing a good respirators. When it comes to painting and primers, they are toxic and you don’t what those sprays getting into your lungs.” For novice restorers who are consideration beginning a project in restoring a vintage tractor, first you must ask yourself a few questions:
• Do I have the mechanical aptitude? – If you aren’t up to par in mechanics, find a friend you can study under for a few weeks of a body shop that will let you practice. • Is the tractor worthy of restoration? Many restorers like the challenge of really broken down tractors • Can I dedicate space for the restoration? The size of the tractor being restored will determine the size of the facility. • Am I willing to invest in the money required? Vintage tractor restoration can become expensive. “Nowadays,” comments Marty Quigley, “vintage tractor restoration has become very expensive, parts are high and so is paint, many times
you’re not making very much off of it.” • Can I invest in the time required? “Working on a restoration can easily take between 300 and 400 hours,” comments Doug Darkin, “ and depends on how nice you want your restoration to look.” • Do I want to buy reproduction parts of salvage yard parts? Original parts are best because they will fit perfectly • Can I obtain the correct manuals? Marty Quigley advises to make sure you can get a copy of the tractor’s manual. “A manual will tell you how to put every nut and bolt back into the tractor and are very helpful with the restoration process.” • Do I have the necessary tools? “Tools for restoration are very expensive,” comments Doug Darkin, “sometimes the tools could cost thousands of dollars, however, many times you can find a body shop who will do the sheet metal prep – to remove the dents and imperfections out of the sheet metal for anywhere around $300 to $400 which may be the best answer if you are lacking the correct tools.” • What paint should I use? Paint can run from $30 to $40 a gallon from farm supply stores which may lack UV protection and will crack and fade. Some automotive paints can run up to $400 a gallon. Do some research before you decide to tackle a restoration project. • Can I find a mentor? Joining the Antique Power Club of Clinton County is a place to start or other Antique Restoration clubs will help guide you through your restoration. They can be a resourceful and helpful resource and help you deal with problems you may come across during your restoration. The allure of this satisfying hobby for some is undeniable but be sure to keep in mind vintage tractor restoration is more than a one weekend commitment. Taking your time will not only produce a higher quality restoration, but also provide you with many hours of satisfaction. (Maribeth Ulalrith is a contributor to ACRES of Southwest Ohio.)
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March 2013
ACRES of Southwest Ohio
ACRES - One year and growing strong Ohio ag publication grows statewide as farmers, suppliers express need for more news about THEM By GARY BROCK gbrock@civitasmedia.com
I
t began as an idea more than two years ago as a special publication serving the needs of Ohio farmers, agriculture companies and those working with farmers and agriculture businesses. Civitas Media Group Publisher Pam Stricker, publisher of the Wilmington News-Journal, had believed for many years that a monthly newspaper or magazine publication was badly needed for Ohio’s farmers. Newspapers in the then-Ohio Community Media Southwest Group were already publishing successful a quarterly lifestyle-living magazine, “SALT”, a travel magazine, “TRIP”, and many other socalled “niche” publications aimed at specific segments of the community. That is how the idea of ACRES of Southwest Ohio started, to serve Ohio farmers, and last month ACRES of Southwest Ohio published its 12th monthly successful issue. This March edition begins our second year. In a December, 2011 meeting of publishers and Advertising Directors at Wilmington, Washington Court House, Hillsboro, West Union and Georgetown, the decision was made to launch “ACRES” in March of 2012. What then grew from a direct mail that first 2012 issue of about 10,000 copies has grown to what is now - a year later - more than 55,000 issues distributed across more than 44 Ohio counties, along with counties in Indiana and Kentucky. Each month, ACRES has focused on issues important to Ohio farmers, plus lots of fun features about Ohio farmers, suppliers, upcoming events and conferences and the latest on the “high tech” advances in agriculture. So far, reaction to ACRES has been very positive. “I think this is a great product,” said Wilma Coulter, Vice-President of Merchant’s National Bank and Chairman of Bank Marketing. “It reaches a target audience that we at Merchant’s National Bank value and find very important to us.” When asked about ACRES, she said it is very informative. “This is agriculture country,” she pointed out, adding that ACRES reaches people in all the markets
they serve, including Clark, Madison, Fayette, Highland, Brown and Clermont Counties. “We are very pleased with it.” “We received a copy of the new Acres and loved it. My husband was very upset when he found out RFD (a former rural farm publication) was no longer printing, but you sure surprised us. Keep up the good stories,” said David Gompf, of Mt. Gilead. After ACRES of Southwest Ohio started a year ago - in 11 Ohio and one Kentucky County with about 10,000 households - other newspapers in the thenOhio Community Media family joined in the successful monthly product. There are now a total of five unique “ACRES” monthly farming publications, with a total distribution of just over 55,000 mailed directly of farmers and agriculture providers. There is ACRES of Northwestern Ohio, in 10 Ohio counties serving 12,006 households. There is ACRES of North Central Ohio, in nine Ohio counties serving 12,215 households. These were followed by ACRES of Western Ohio, covering four Ohio and three Indiana counties, serving 10,612 households. The newest addition, started last summer, is ACRES of West Central Ohio, covering six Ohio counties serving 10,603 households. ACRES also launched a website featuring the articles and editions from all five ACRES publications. Readers can go to www.acresmidwest.com to read all the articles and features from all the editions. Jay Harmount, District Sales manager for Brodbeck Seeds, said: “What I really like about ACRES is the local touch. It is different than the other Ohio agriculture publications that have a statewide focus.” For his business that advertises in ACRES, he said he likes that it gets his business in front of the audience that he targets. “It gives us the opportunity to get our name out there so people can get to know us.” He said there is “definitely a need for what you are doing, focusing on the local communities.” Fayette County farmer Jeff Fetters says that what he likes about ACRES is the fact that ACRES is all agriculture-oriented. “That grabs my attention. I also enjoy looking at all the ads,” he said. One of the factors that has entered into
the success of the ACRES publications has been the growth and “good times” for agriculture here in Ohio over the last few years. Farming is booming in Ohio. Fetters agrees. “These are the best times in all my years of farming,” he pointed out. Fetters has been farming since he graduated from Ohio State in 1975, growing corn and soybeans on his 800-acre farm. His advice for ACRES in the future? “Just keep focusing on the local farm features,” he said. Civitas Media Group Publisher Frank Beeson, who is in charge of two of the ACRES products in the West and West Central areas, said that reaction to ACRES has been very positive. “This past summer, while working at The Daily Advocate booth at the Darke County fair, many visitors came up to our booth to express personally express their appreciation for such an outstanding agricultural publication. People would say: ‘We are Ohio’s largest economic resource and it’s great to see a publication that specifically addresses the ag industry.’” Here is what one agriculture educator said not long after ACRES started last year: “Mr. Brock: I want to express my thanks for the ACRES newspaper I received today. As a retired Agricultural Educator and parttime farmer, it is good to see articles about people and businesses located in the immediate area. Also, I notice a number of advertisers that are familiar, and hope they continue their support. …..Keep up the good work, I will be subscribing to get ACRES on a regular basis….” said Dennis Swartz, retired Vo-Ag teacher and Vocational Administrator, in Marion County. What are the plans for the second year of “ACRES of Southwest Ohio?” There will be a number of features to help local farmers deal with their finances, ways to save money on equipment, and trends in yield and productivity over the next 10 years and beyond. In other words, we will continue to focus on what farmers need to know and to grow their business. (Gary Brock, publisher-editor of the Record-Herald in Washington CH, is Editor of ACRES of Southwest Ohio and Editor-in-Chief of all five ACRES publications statewide.)
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1B
WOMEN ON THE FARM
I DIG THE PIG! By PAT LAWRENCE
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Connie Surber (center at left) has inspired a workforce of women on her Clinton County pig farm. Shown with her is her daughter Traci, left; her daughter-in-law, Rebecca, right; and her granddaughter, Brooklinn, at top. Rebecca, also shown below working in the barn, had never even seen a pig upclose until she joined this bacon-farming family.
Spring is coming! By CARLETA WEYRICH cweyrich@civitasmedia.com
T
he race is on to get the new U.S. crop in the ground. Seed companies are geared up to serve farmers in Southwestern Ohio with the latest in seed varieties and technologies. Roger Rhonemus has his inputs ready and is poised to start planting come April 1. Rhonemus and his sons, Luke and Jacob, plant 1,500 acres of grain and harvest 400 to 500 acres of hay, primarily on Adams County farmland. Rhonemus had bought 90 percent of his fertilizer by the end of January, and most of his chemicals were purchased in December. “That was a savings - the cost of glyphosate (a herbicide) went up 30 percent since then,” Rhonemus said. “The price of fertilizer went up, too.” In mid-February, Rhonemus was fine-tuning his 2013 seed order with Client Success Partner Jerrode Jones with Bio Gene Seeds.
onnie Surber takes her pork seriously. She takes your pork seriously, too, because she’s not only a pig farmer, “I’m a bacon farmer!” It’s a big job. The average American consumes over 50 pounds of pork each year. Connie says, “Pork from our pigs is served in homes and restaurants all across the country, and we’ve exported our pigs to countries including Mexico, Russia and China.” She reconciles the dual nature of raising pigs with a full commitment to both sides of it. “This is a business, an increasingly sophisticated one based on genetics and biotechnology. Improving feed efficiency and , increasing market weight are parts of the business but not all of it. We’re also caretakers of animals that depend on us for their every need; we’re responsible for their wellbeing. And as long as they’re with us, they get our best efforts to keep them safe, healthy and content.” Working with PIC, an international supplier of genetically superior pig breeding stock, Connie says they’re always improving. “Our pigs are a blend of about five breeds. We want the best mothers with the best milk.” Most importantly, they implement PIC’s multifaceted programs and protocols to ensure healthy herds. “Our two ‘mother’ barns, two isolation barns and six finishing barns, were all established in bio-secure locations with the healthi-
est pigs available. Bio-secure sites must be constructed acres away from any other pig facility, so we have barns in Highland, Fayette, Clinton, and Brown counties. Every person who enters a pig barn, worker or visitor, must register, shower completely and change clothes, inside and out, every time. Towels, socks and boxers are used once, overalls are washed daily, rubber boots are kept outside the control room. We don’t even go to fairs where there are other pigs. The protocols are essential bio-security measures to keep pigs healthy.” Connie and her husband John both grew up on Highland County farms. High school sweethearts, she was head majorette, he was in the marching band. They married in 1975 and John began selling for a local feed business. They raised four children and in 1999, bought the feed business. Connie says, “When Airborne came to Clinton County, farmers sold their pigs and raised grain and beans instead, opting for steady employment and health insurance. We scrambled for customers, going farther and farther away. John heard about this program for raising pigs inside and presented it to the farmers he knew. Finally, one said, ‘If it’s such a good idea, why don’t you do it?’ So, we did. We built the first barn in Highland County in 2001.” Connie admits her first day was a little overwhelming. “We took in about 300 baby pigs, but we learned everything See SURBERS/3B
Farmers make preparations for the planting season
Rhonemus has used Bio Gene’s seed for 15 years and has been a loyal customer for the past dozen years. He has been a client of Jones for six years. “Their seed has done well here,” said Rhonemus. “We have a different type of soil it’s a shallow soil. Typically our corn yields about 150 bushels per acre. With the drought and high temperatures, we had 55 to 200 bushels an acre in various fields last year. Including double cropped, the beans ranged from the low 20s to 60 bushels an acre, depending on when it was planted. We usually average 50.” Some characteristics Rhonemus looks for in seed are rate of maturity, disease resistance, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, and he plants GMO (genetically modified) seed. He plants mostly full season corn and beans as long as there is moisture in the soil, but about 20 percent of his beans are mid-season so the wheat
Photo by Carleta Weyrich/The People’s Defender
In February Adams County farmer Roger Rhonemus looks over seed choices for the 2013 crop year with Jerrode See SPRING/2B Jones of Bio Gene Seeds.
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SPRING Continued from page 1B
can go in early. Rhonemus likes to rotate his crops and will generally plant 50-50 soybeans and corn. What crop goes into each field depends on the rotation. “Definitely no beans after beans to prevent washes,” he said. “Corn after corn is o.k., but it can lead to disease problems.” This year he will be adding to his crop ground a farm that has been down in grass for 40 years. He plans to no-till plant. “I don’t like to use diesel fuel any more than I have to with the price over $4 a gallon,” Rhonemus said. He also has the practice of putting other ground down in hay when fields come out of grass and are cropped. “One thing I’ve learned is don’t do what everybody else does. I do what works for me.” Hay is a favorite crop for Rhonemus. He likes to make square bales, although sometimes round bales are better when he needs to get in and get out of the field more quickly. About 40 percent of his hay is timothyclover, 40 percent an alfalfa mix, and the rest mixed grass. He doesn’t like straight alfalfa because the leaves so easily drop off. To make a nice, softer hay, he mixes the alfalfa with orchard grass. He also custom bales at neighboring farms. “If my barn is full of hay in the fall, I know I will have enough money to get through the winter,” he said.
Overall Rhonemus was looking at seed varieties that are tolerant to drought and high temperatures. In the 2012 growing season, he and Jones agreed that the high temperatures were more destructive to the growing crop than the drought. The temperatures soared when many plants were pollinating and developing their “fruit,” which died in the heat. “I had one field of corn, the foliage looked great, but there was nothing there,” said Rhonemus. The 2010 growing season was a wet year, but the shortage of rainfall in the area has been an issue for two years, according to Jones, so seed buyers have steered toward the drought tolerant varieties. “Some of the current hot hybrids for 2013 are BG 850V3 RIB, BG 831V2 RIB, BG 80W10 RIB, and BG 79W10 RIB,” Jones said. “Hot soybean varieties are BG 7384, BG 7421, and BG 7441. They are just some of the top performing varieties from the new class of Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans.” Bio Gene Seeds is a family owned business based out of Sardinia in Brown County, Ohio. BioGene currently sells seed in 18 states; with a large focus on Southwest and South Central Ohio. Bio Gene’s main goal is to partner with their customers in order to yield for their customers the highest net profit possible. Another goal is to place the best performing product for each specific field for all of their customers.
Other seed companies are also geared up for 2013 with the dry conditions of the past two years weighing heavily on their minds. Matt Cosler works for Master Feed Mill in Wilmington, Ohio, which is an independent sales representative for DuPont Pioneer. They also sell chemicals, fertilizer and agricultural services, making them a full service agricultural inputs supplier. Master Feed Mill, based in Wilmington, services Clinton, Warren, Greene, Fayette and Highland counties in southwest Ohio. “Recently, DuPont Pioneer has brought Optimum AQUAmax products to market,” Cosler said. “These corn hybrids are drought tolerant - and considering the growing conditions we faced last year, drought tolerance is on everyone’s mind. Also new insect and herbicide traits, as well as refuge management tools, are changing the way growers make seed purchasing decisions. DuPont Pioneer’s Optimum AcreMax integrated refuge allows growers to plant traited corn and protect against insect pressure without the worry and added management of planting separate refuge.” According to Ric Bessin, Extension Entomologist, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, the EPA regulates resistance management policies to be used by commercial corn producers when using Bt (Bio-tech) corn seed. Initially, Bt-corn technologies required the use of a structured refuge (planted in non-Bt corn) to
Photo by Carleta Weyrich/The People’s Defender Roger Rhonemus of Adams County shows a handful of his 2012 corn crop with many small, rounded and flinty kernels as a result of the year’s drought conditions.
delay the development of pest resistance to the Bt toxins. However, some newly approved Bt-corn technologies offer other resistance management strategies. These include the standard 20 percent structured refuge, a reduced five percent structured refuge, and refuge in the bag (a blend of Bt and non-Bt corn). “Popular soybean varieties will continue to be those that consistently yield well without sacrificing agronomic traits such as disease and other stress resistance,” Cosler added. “New management tactics, such as applying seed treatment where it was previously thought to be unnecessary has allowed growers to push soybeans to the next level. Again, drought tolerance and moisture management will be popular with growers in 2013. “Volatile markets will
weigh heavily on the minds of growers in 2013,” said Cosler. “Everyone seems to be hanging in limbo about the direction of commodity markets today, and the weather will be a major player in what happens. If the United States plants a large corn crop and has a great production year, markets seem to be likely to fall. But, if weather causes planting delays, and if the drought from 2012 continues into 2013, growers may see the highest markets in history.” Jay Harmount represents Brodbeck Seeds, headquartered in Wabash, Ind. The company’s sales area is focused on Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. They are a seed affiliate of Dow AgroSciences. Harmount has customers all over Ohio, but his primary focus is southern Ohio. “In corn, I have 2 varieties that are extremely pop-
ACRES of Southwest Ohio ular,” he said. “Both are Refuge Advanced, powered by SmartStax. The varieties 53RA09 and 52RA11 have proven themselves the past couple of years. Their performance has been very good, with both finishing well above average this past year in the Southwest Ohio Corn Growers Trials. 52RA11 has a two-year average of 105 percent above the trial average. “I find the Refuge In A Bag varieties (Refuge Advanced, Powered by SmartStax in our product lineup) being very popular,” said Harmount. “Since they contain the required refuge, they are easy to use, and the grower is in compliance with Refuge requirements. In Soybeans we have seen the Roundup Ready 2 varieties becoming popular as they have out preformed the Roundup Ready 1 varieties by about 3.5 bu/ac in our testing.” Beyond the spring planting season, some farmers already are planning ahead to this fall. Rhonemus is looking forward to trying out a cover crop for over the winter. It will really aid in conserving soil moisture in his fields for the following year, he said. As part of his marketing strategy, he has forward contracted some beans. After he did, the fall price dropped 45 cents because the crop in Brazil looks good. He plans to sell his crops locally at Winchester Ag Service and Trupointe in Georgetown. (Carleta Weyrich is a staff writer for The People’s Defender in West Union.)
2012 drought could impact seed quality, availability in 2013 By CARLETA WEYRICH cweyrich@civitasmedia.com
Germination and quality of seed, as well as the supply of certain varieties, could be issues as growers go into the 2013 planting season, among other concerns. “Seed availability is a big topic in the seed industry for 2013,” said Matt Cosler of Master Feed Mill,
Inc., based in Wilmington, Ohio. “The drought of 2012 was not only hard on growers, but also on the seed industry. Certain varieties that were grown in drought stricken areas could potentially come up a little short on supply, and I think that will be found not just with one company or another, but across the industry. DuPont Pioneer has done a great job of managing pro-
duction and inventory so that we do not anticipate supply challenges this spring. “Product availability may be at the forefront of the many challenges growers will face this season,” Cosler continued. “The bulk of the concerns this spring will lie within the chemical and fertilizer markets, as well as varietal shortages in the seed mar-
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ket. International growth and modernization in agriculture have taxed the production capabilities of companies industry wide. I think that it will be up to the producers of agricultural inputs and their logistical teams to make sure that products make it to the field on time. As always, but especially this year, communication is key in making sure the 2013 planting season goes as smooth as is possible.” “Availability has been somewhat of an issue, but we have handled it very well,” said Jay Harmount, of Brodbeck Seeds, headquartered in Wabash, Ind. “Since we are a part of DowAgrosciences, we have the ability to go to South
America to help fill in the holes that were created with the poor growing conditions here in the States last year. Even though a majority of our seed crop is grown under irrigation, it did not make up for the extreme heat we experienced which hurt the crop. “As a whole, I have had very few changes in seed orders,” Harmount said. “Most of my changes have been in the earlier varieties of 104 and 105 day maturities used by my Northern Ohio accounts. We have had some of our Refuge Advanced products changed to SmartStax varieties due to reduced germ in the surrogate used for refuge in those products. “Soybean varieties have
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been readily available as our seed production area for beans experienced late rains, which enhanced yields and seed size,” he said. “I think growers need to be aware of what they have ordered and confirm what they are going to receive,” Harmount continued. “Seed sizes for corn are going to be smaller, and soybeans much larger, than normal. I believe farmers should be aware of soil conditions at the time of planting. Last year’s early planting into cool soils created some replant issues with seedling blights in corn. I’m sure the planters will roll when it’s dry enough to plant, but many may wait for temperatures to be acceptable as well. Especially those who had to replant their corn.” “Availability on soybeans for Bio Gene has been great,” said Jerrode Jones, client success partner for Bio Gene Seed. “We have some very good local growers/producers for us that have done a great job. On the other hand, corn has taken a hit with the last two years of hot and dry weather. Availability is limited and early ordering is a must to insure the proper product for the specific fields of the farmer. “Much of the U.S. soybean seed production areas were devastated this year and resulted in very poor germinating and appearing soybean seed,” Jones said. “It is important that farmers question their seed supplier on the germination and quality of their seed. Bio Gene’s soybean seed supply is excellent in appearance, and more importantly, excellent in quality. “Most all of Bio Gene’s soybean seed is higher than 95 percent warm germination, and cold germination scores are in the 90-plus percent level as well,” he added. “We supply the germination report from Indiana Crop Improvement’s laboratory, as an unbiased test, to support the germination score on the seed tag.” An additional issue is weed control, especially in soybeans. A residual herbicide should be used on every acre of soybeans; regardless of whether the farmer is planting Roundup or Liberty resistant soybeans, according to Jones.
ACRES of Southwest Ohio
March 2013
SURBERS Continued from page 1B
we needed to know, and we could always call for help. I did most of the daily care; Shawn, our oldest son, helped, too. It was a great fit. So we decided to do another one.” Within a year, Connie’s daughter, daughter in law and future granddaughter had joined her in the barns. Traci Surber, the youngest daughter, is working on her doctorate in clinical psychology at Wright State University, but she worked her way through college, and a masters degree, as a pig farmer. “Even when I took night classes, I took care of the pigs in the morning. I always liked it. Pigs are smart and clean. And, boys and girls are so different. The girls are survivors! Other students are amazed that I actually worked with pigs and that I found it rewarding. I’m never sure they make the connection between pigs in the barn and dinner on the table.” Shawn’s wife Rebecca was starting a family and wanted to stay close to home. When the second barn was built, Connie sug-
gested she try taking care of the pigs. Rebecca says, “I’d never even seen a pig up close before I startedand I was pregnant. The first day was a little intimidating; adult pigs are big and can be aggressive. They have to get to know you and know what you’re going to do. That’s why we walk each pen every day. Plus, we can check for injury or illness, see who needs extra attention or feed.” Over the past 11 years, in the finishing barns that house up to 2400 animals, Rebecca has learned plenty about pigs. “They hate having their tummies touched and don’t like strange pigs in their pen. Pigs have a morning routine just like people. ” With more than a decade of successfully managing not just pigs but also the meticulous testing, record keeping and reporting involved, Rebecca has been selected by PIC to administer a pilot boar program. Since she oversees multiple barns, Rebecca has been accustomed to showering in and out several times a day. She says, “I’m the cleanest girl in the county!” Under the stringent protocols of her new
“A lot of our pigs become mommas, but many become ham sandwiches. That’s how it is. But under our care, they’re relaxed and comfortable.” – Connie Surber
3B
Connie offers a handful of feed to some pigs that are marked for customers with Xs on their backs. Every pig that comes in to the farm, will eventually go out again.
barn, however, other pig sites are off limits. “I’ll just have to keep up by phoneand over family dinners.” As a baby, Rebecca’s daughter, Brooklinn had special permission to be in the barn. She showers in and out just like the adults, changing into kid-sized overalls and boots kept on site. She helps baby pigs adapt to their new surroundings and to being around people. “It makes them better mommas,” she says. Her job is to help them find the water, and make sure everyone gets plenty of the special feed they call gruel. “They love it, it’s a big treat for them. It’s the only time they act ‘piggy’!” Pigs deliver 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days after they’re bred. “So,” Connie says, “we know how many babies we’ll be getting and when. We receive about 600 pigs a week. Baby pigs come in weighing about 14 pounds. They go to 260-265 in six months.
As they age, they’re separated and the number of pigs in each pen is reduced. Pigs go through nine stages of digestion and feed is formulated especially for their age group. At different growth stages, pigs have different temperature requirements, so barns are partitioned. Older pigs need cooler temperatures; young ones need to stay warm. They all have 24 hour access to food and fresh water-adult pigs drink up to 14 gallons of water a day. The barns have slotted floors and waste is collected for manure management. ” Despite the size of their enterprise, Connie says they own little property. “Farmers let us use their land to put up a building and they also benefit from the manure management program. As farmers, we want the land to be better tomorrow than it was today. People unfamiliar with pig farming expect the worst. One neighbor
Connie’s daughter worked her way through college and a master’s degree working on the family farm.
put up a ‘For Sale’ sign when we started construction, but took it down when they realized there was no smell, no noise, just a plain building with feed bins.” She says, “Since they don’t have sweat glands, years ago wallowing in mud was how pigs stayed cool, but it also exposed them to worms and parasites. Delivering babies in the cold, they often lost
half their litter. Here, their environment is monitored and electronically sensored, temperature-controlled, ventilated and cleaned and disinfected regularly. We mist them in the summer or add fans, or drop the exterior curtains for more air movement. We lose very few. Before pigs are transported, every truck is washed, disinfected and See SOYBEAN/A2
UNION STOCK YARDS Hillsboro, Ohio 2013 SALES SPECIAL - MONDAY SALES 10:00AM Mon., March 18 - All Breed Feeders Brood Cows Bulls Cows 10am Mon., March 25 - All Breed Feeders Brood Cows Bulls Cows 10am
SATURDAY MARCH 30 ANNUAL CONSIGNMENT SALE AT 9AM
Highland County Water Company, Inc. Main Office
Mon., April 15 - All Breed Feeders Cows and Bulls at 10am Mon., May 20 - All Breed Feeders Cows and Bulls at 10am Mon., June 17 - All Breed Feeders Cows and Bulls at 10am Mon., July 15 - All Breed Feeders Cows and Bulls at 10am Mon., August 5 - All Breed Feeders Cows and Bulls at 10am Mon., August 19 - All Breed Feeders Cows and Bulls at 10am
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4B
March 2013
ACRES of Southwest Ohio speaks publicly. “I get to share recipes and tell everyone they don’t have to overcook pork anymore!” The Surbers oldest daughter, Shannon lives in Oregon and works in medical administration, but she wears her ‘I Dig the Pig’ tshirts with pride. Everyone else in the family is or has been involved in the management or transportation of pigs, including Traci’s husband, James, of Ag Haulers. For fun, Connie says, “We all get together for dinner. I have an outdoor kitchen and we love, love, love to cook. Rebecca and Shawn are certified Kansas City Barbecue Contest judges and Shawn has a catering business, High on the Hog. Our son Todd used to truck pigs, now he handles maintenance-and he plays with a bluegrass group. We love helping with the barbecue competitions or listening to the band or watching James in a truck pull. Taking care of pigs has been the best thing for our family.”
SURBERS Continued from page 1B
dried. Drivers wear clean clothes and boots and are trained in stress-free handling and to minimize transit time. A lot of our pigs become mommas, but many become ham sandwiches. That’s how it is. But under our care, they’re relaxed and comfortable.” Every pig that comes in, eventually goes out. “Customers may want a 50 pound girl or a 250 pound mother. Some request specific genetic strains. And, we’re our own best customer!” The Surber enterprise continues to grow and change constantly, with new buildings and programs, new biotechnology and genetic lines and new markets and customers. Connie is on the board of the Ohio Pork producers, the only woman, and actively supports the Feed the World program, attends pork producer conferences and was featured in a television commercial promoting pork farmers. An enthusiastic spokesman for the pork industry, she often
Swine Stats • Pork is the most popular meat in the world. Each market hog represents 370 servings of pork The US hog herd consists of about 65 million animals. • Nearly 21 billion pounds of pork were processed from about 110 million hogs in 2011. A total of 2.3 million metric tons of pork valued at more than $6.1 billion was exported in 2011. • Ohio has more than 4,100 hog farms, ranking third in the nation for the number of farms. The state ranks 10th in overall pork production. The pork industry provides more than 10,000 jobs in Ohio. • According to the National Pork Producers Council, in the 1950s, there were 3 million pork operations in the US. In 1967, there were one million pig farms in America. In 2002, there were 114,000. Today there are more than 67,000 pork operations. • Farms have grown in size; 53% of them now produce 5,000 or more pigs per year. About 20% of farms account for about 90% of revenue.
(Pat Lawrence is a contributor to ACRES of Southwest Ohio.)
• Pork production a vital part of the US economy. In 2011, there were nearly 35,000 direct, full-time equivalent pork producing jobs, which helped generate an additional 515,000 indirect jobs. The industry produced nearly $21.8 billion in personal income from total sales of more than $97 billion and added $34.5 billion to the country’s gross national product. • Top Destinations for US pork are: Japan, 493,315 metric tons; Mexico, 537,531 metric tons; China/Hong Kong, 483,323 metric tons; Canada, 206,278 metric tons and South Korea, 188,307 metric tons. China is still the world’s largest producer of pigs. • A 220 lb live hog produces about 143 lbs of marketable pork, including ham, pork chops and sausages, bacon, ribs, ground pork, hocks and stewing meat. There are about 33 lbs of by-products that are used whole or rendered for products like leather, soap and cosmetics, or medicines and medical treatments like heart valves and insulin.
Connie’s granddaughter Brooklinn holds a piglet.
PHONE (937) 393-0070 TOLL FREE 1-888-788-1895 FAX (937) 393-3490 401 US 62 South, Hillsboro, OH 45133 FULL TIME AGENTS Sue C. Boone,
Patricia a. Rand
Broker, ABR
ABR
Home: 937-393-9363 Cell: 937-763-9363 sueboonerealtyinc@yahoo.com
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Cheryl a. Mullins
Charles N. McDaniel
Cell: 937-402-7759
Home: 937-588-2353 Cell: 937-725-1156 mcdsell@yahoo.com
chermullins@yahoo.com
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Robin C. Geier
Lynne Spaeth
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Please call to speak to any of our agents today!
Krista Thompson Home: 937-981-3368 Cell: 740-606-6886 kick153@roadrunner.com
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LAND
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MLS#1311343
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$239,000
*3BR/1BA *Nature Enthusiasts *Rustic Cabin *Distant View of Ohio River *146 Acres
$78,000 STOUT $112,000 $79,000 HILLSBORO $17,900 ROME $42,900 PEEBLES *20 Acres *Rolling, Tillable Acreage *37.56 Acres *9.6 Acres *355 Ft. of River Frontage NEW LISTING NEW LISTING *16 Adjoining Acreage Incudes *Access to the Ohio River *472 Ft. of Highway Frontage *6.43 Acres *Great Whitetail Hunting *16.8 Acres *Older Barn on Proprety Custom Built Home *6 Acres of woods on North *Great Location! *Can be subdivided *Located on Dead End Rd. *Privacy *Located on Dead End Rd. Available for Purchase Side of US RTE 52 *Older 36x96 Barn *Water Tap & Septic *Owner Financing Available *Excellent for Weekened Retreat MLS#1313589 *Possible LandContract/OwnerFinancing Approved MLS#1344427 *Whitetail Hunting*OwnerFinancingAvailable MLS#1335557 MLS#1259153 MLS#1344429 2368854 PEEBLES
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OTWAY
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ACRES of Southwest Ohio
March 2013
Spring not far away, but don’t jump the gun By ADAM SHEPARD shepard.95@osu.edu
The calendar on the wall says that spring is drawing near but depending on the day the weather outside may give a different impression. My first season of winter meetings is rapidly concluding which means it is about time to focus and plan for field operations at the county farm. If you have been by the farm lately you will notice that we are conducting some trials on cover crops and tillage methods. The first year at the county farm has proven very informative for me: I’ve learned that even with an early harvest I was not able to complete cover crop seeding at an early enough date to get stand establishment before winter. That is the great thing about the demonstration farm, we have ideas and we try them out. I’m quickly learning that rarely will things go just as we plan but no matter the end result there is always something we can take away. For the first year in a while we have planted wheat at the farm and it isn’t looking too bad. Similar to the rest of the wheat in the area when the snow cover melted it revealed a dull brown wheat crop that is getting ready for the spring topdress. Producers may be tempted to get out early before greenup but studies on the subject have seen little to no advantage over wheat that was not topdressed. Producers opting for a single pass approach to spring nitrogen should wait until plants begin to greenup before making the application. If we make our application too soon before the plant comes out of dormancy the plant will not have the ability to absorb the nitrogen and we are subject to loss from leaching and volatilization. Some producers may opt to implement a more intensive management plan that could call for two or even three applications of spring nitrogen. In this case the
small quantities of nitrogen spread over multiple applications will help to reduce the salt burn on the plant tissues and also allow for feeding when the plant will get the biggest benefit. Herbicide applications may be necessary and producers should be sure to scout before application to make sure the correct product is selected to treat the weeds that are identified in the field. Some herbicide can be applied with the nitrogen application but you should always consult the label of the product you wish to apply for complete instructions. The Southwest Ohio Corn Growers will have their annual banquet on March 6 also at the Mahan Building at the Fayette County Fairgrounds. The speaker for this year’s annual meeting will be Jim Noel from the National Weather Service in Wilmington. There is no cost to attend this event and a Hamloaf dinner will be served to those in attendance. Private Pesticide Applicators that have not received recertification can register March 18, 9 a.m. - noon recertification that will take place at the Clinton County Extension Office. For more information and to register please visit www.pested.osu.edu. As we move into March some 4H dates that are rapidly approaching are the Small Animal Quality Assurance set for March 7 at 7 p.m. at the Mahan Building. Large Animal Quality Assurance at the Sales Arena on Saturday, March 23 from 9 a.m. noon and the last Quality Assurance in Fayette County will be offered will be April 25 at the Mahan Building. You must register for the Quality Assurance you plan on attending. For more information about any of the above mentioned activities please give us a call at 740-335-1150.
New rules placed on moving livestock across state lines By TONY NYE nye.1@osu.edu
A new rule establishing general regulations for improving the traceability of U.S. livestock moving between states became final on Dec. 20 and will become effective on March 11. The USDA has established the animal disease traceability rule to help target when and where animal disease occurs and to facilitate a rapid response that should reduce the number of animals involved in a disease investigation. According to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, “The United States now has a flexible, effective animal disease traceability system for livestock moving interstate, without undue burdens for ranchers and U.S. livestock businesses. The final rule meets the diverse needs of the countryside where states and tribes can develop systems for tracking animals that work best for them and their producers, while addressing any gaps in our overall disease response efforts.” The animal disease traceability rule differs from the National Animal Identification
System launched by the USDA in 2006 and later discontinued for lack of voluntary participation by producers. An important guiding principle for the new rule is that it is state-driven. The traceability framework will be owned, led and administered by the States and Tribal Nations with federal support. The rule proposes to provide maximum flexibility for the States, Tribal Nations and producers to work together to find identification solutions that meet their local needs and to maintain traceability data at their discretion. The intent of the rule is to address only those animals moving interstate and to encourage the use of low-cost technology. We will take a closer look at the rule in the next few months, but for now will share a few important notes about the rule: • Unless specifically exempted, livestock moved interstate must be officially identified and accompanied by an interstate certificate of veterinary inspection or other documentation, such as ownershipper statements or brand certificates.
AGENT NAME
AFTER HOURS PHONE #
KIM ABBOTT 937-403-2425 KIM BOYER 937-205-7230 RANDY A. BUTLER 937-780-9306 JENNY M. CAMERON 937-840-9699 C. DALE CAMPBELL 937-393-9715 ROBYN G. COOMER 937-763-9719 STEVEN C. COWDREY 937-403-2824 TOY G. FENDER 937-840-0822 WESLEY G. FENDER 937-840-0822 GREG MAGEE 937-763-4947 MELISSA J. RIFFEE 937-403-0104 R. RUTH ROBBINS 937-763-8013 ANDREA M. TIPTON 937-763-8095 BRIGETTE WAGGONER937-393-8150 RICK A. WILLIAMS 937-393-9447 CHAROLETTE WILLS 937-661-0168 6159 DUNLAP ROAD, HILLSBORO
9826 E. DEADFALL ROAD, HILLSBORO
(Tony Nye is OSU Extension Educator, Clinton County Agriculture & Natural Resources.)
3 BEDROOMS, 2 BATHS 31.806 PRIVATE ACRES LARGE POLE BARN; DETACHED 2 CAR GARAGE W/200 AMP SERVICE, POOL W/LARGE PARTY DECK, 10 ACRES ARE LEASED; PLENTY OF TIMBER
$167,000
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CROSS ROAD, WEST UNION
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www.ClassicSells.com 1649 BROWN HILL RD., MANCHESTER
$650,000
$194,500
$52,000
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2731 S. SANDERS RD., HILLSBORO
$150,000
2 BEDROOMS, 2 BATHS 23.142 ACRES GREAT ROOM; FULL, WALKOUT BASEMENT, NATURAL WOODWORK; 6 PANEL DOORS; SOLID SURFACE COUNTERS 20 TILLABLE ACS. – BALANCE IN PASTURE, CREEK & WOODS
3111 PLEASANT ROAD, HILLSBORO
NEW PRICE 19.109 SECLUDED ACRES GREAT BUILDING LOT FOR YOUR DREAM HOME! IDEAL FOR A WEEKEND RETREAT PARTLY WOODED MAY LAND CONTRACT TO QUALIFIED BUYER
18 HOLE PUBLIC GOLF COURSE 136.5 ACRES 3 WATER HAZARDS, 6 BUILDINGS, & EQUIPMENT AMID HUNTING PRESERVES, HIKING TRAILS, WINERIES & AMISH COMMUNITY JUST OVER 1 HOUR FROM CINCINNATI
515 J JLANE, SEAMAN
NEW LISTING
NEW PRICE
$159,900
• The use of brands, tattoos and brand registration will be accepted as official identification when accepted by the shipping and receiving States or Tribes. • Backtags remain an alternative to official eartags for cattle and bison moving directly to slaughter. • All livestock moved interstate to a custom slaughter facility are exempt from the regulations. • Chicks moved interstate from a hatchery are exempt from the official identification requirements. • Unless moved interstate for shows, exhibitions, rodeos, or recreational events, beef cattle under 18 months of age are exempt from the official identification requirement (traceability requirements for this group will be addressed in separate rulemaking) USDA will work with states to implement the rule in the coming months. For more information on the new rule, visit http://www.aphis.usda.gov/trac eability/
(Adam Shepard is OSU Extension Educator for Fayette County.)
(937) 393-3416
$205,000
5B
$188,500
2 BEDROOM LOG HOME 18.37 SECLUDED ACRES 24X24 POLE BUILDING WITH CONCRETE FLOOR COVERED FRONT PORCH; LARGE BACK DECK IDEAL GET-AWAY OR PRIVATE RESIDENCE
STATE ROUTE 133, WILLIAMSBURG
NEW PRICE
$350,000
4724 BENNINGTON RD., HILLSBORO
6340 ST. RT. 28, NEW VIENNA
$65,000
11409 CATHY COURT, ROCKY FORK LAKE
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$159,900
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10 VERY PRIVATE ACRES VERY QUIET AREA AT END OF PRIVATE LANE, GREAT LOCATION FOR YOUR DREAM HOME! HEAVILY WOODED CLERMONT NORTHEASTERN SCHOOLS
NEW LISTING
$159,900
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$40,000
5 ACRES IN A PARK-LIKE SETTING MATURE TREES PUBLIC WATER & SEWER GRAVELED DRIVEWAY & CONCRETE FRONT PORCH PAD NEAR NORTH BEACH & MARINA
2368408
$339,000
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3 BEDROOMS, 2.5 BATHS 13.035 ACRES WITH STOCKED POND, QUALITY HOME WITH MANY AMENITIES FULL WALK-OUT BASEMENT; WORKSHOP; GARDEN HOUSE TRAILS THRU WOODS AND BRIDGES OVER CREEKS
6B
March 2013
ACRES of Southwest Ohio
Upcoming Events Register online at http://ohiofarmersmarkets.osu.edu. Information: carter.1094@osu.edu or 740-289-2071, ext. 222. March 11: Registration deadline for Organic Animal Health Symposium March 18 in Columbus. Free, lunch included, but space is limited. Register online at http://go.osu.edu/RdJ. Information: schuenemann.5@osu.edu or 614-292-6924; workman.45@osu.edu or 614292-9453. March 11: Produce Safety Training, 1-4 p.m., Ohio State University Extension’s Muskingum County office, 225 Underwood St., Zanesville. Workshop on preventing microbial contamination on fruit and vegetable farms, including the use of Good Agricultural Practices. Registration $10. Pre-registration encouraged but not required. Information:mechling.1@osu.edu or 740-454-0144. March 11: Produce Safety Training, 6-9 p.m., Ohio State UniversityNewark, Hopewell Hall, Room 53, 1189 University Drive, Newark. Workshop on preventing microbial contamination on fruit and vegetable farms, including the use of Good Agricultural Practices. Registration $10. Pre-registration encouraged but not required. Information: kneen.1@osu.edu or 740992-6696. March 13: Farm to School Conference, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, 2201 Fred Taylor Drive, Ohio State University, Columbus. Theme is “Let’s Grow! Farm to School.” Features three keynote presentations, 10 panel sessions, displays. Registration $50, which includes conference mate-
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rials, jump drive with Farm to School resources, breakfast, lunch, free parking, more. Register online at http://go.osu. edu/F2SRegistration. Information: http://farmtoschool.osu.edu. March 13: Discount registration deadline for Ohio River Valley Woodland and Wildlife Workshop March 23 at Clifty Falls State Park, 2221 Clifty Drive, Madison, Ind. Educational sessions for landowners from Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Registration $45 before March 13, $50 after March 13. Information: http://go.osu.edu/Q8Q or 812-265-8919. March 14-15: Power of Pollinators Short Course, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 14, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 15, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster. Workshop on the biology, identification and conservation of native bees. Features Ohio State and national experts. $20. Register at http://go.osu.edu/R8k. Information: ellsworth.2@osu.edu or 330-263-3723. March 18: Organic Animal Health Symposium, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Blackwell Inn and Conference Center, 2110 Tuttle Park Place, Columbus. Sessions on health of livestock in organic farming systems and discussion of future research and education needs. Free, lunch included, but space is limited; registration required by March 11. Register at http://go.osu.edu/RdJ. Information: schuenemann.5@osu.edu or 614-292-6924 or workman.45@osu.edu or 614292-9453. March 18: Registration deadline for “Living Your Small Farm Dream” Conference and Trade Show March 23 in Zanesville. $50. Information: mechling.1@osu.edu or 740454-0144. March 19: Beef Cattle School, 7 p.m. at multiple
locations around Ohio; also can be viewed on Internet. Final program in three-part series. Topic is “Enterprises to Remain Competitive in the Beef Industry” (production options such as backgrounding, stockering, targeting branded programs, raising replacement heifers, and raising embryo calves). Registration fee may vary by location; $25 advance registration fee for Internet viewing. Information: http://go.osu.edu/RXv. Registration: grimes.1@osu.edu or 740289-2071. March 19: Registration deadline for Ohio Compost Operator Education Course March 26-27 in Wooster. Registration $175 for members of Organics Recycling Association of Ohio, $225 for non-members. Information: http://go.osu.edu/Q8R (pdf) or 330-202-3533. March 20: Registration deadline for Produce Safety Training workshop March 22 in Massillon. $10. Information: neikirk.2@osu.edu or 330296-6432. Updated: March 20: Dormant Pruning Workshop, 8 a.m. to noon, Secrest Arboretum, Seaman Orientation Plaza, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster. Expert instruction on how to prune young trees and shrubs, including hands-on practice in the field. For anyone who takes care of outdoor plants, from homeowners to commercial landscapers. Registration $50. Pre-register by emailing cochran.7@osu.edu or download and mail registration form available at http://go.osu.edu/R6w (pdf). March 22: Produce Safety Training, 1-4 p.m., Ohio State University Extension’s Stark County office, USDA Service Center meeting room, 2650 Richville Drive SE, Massillon. Workshop on
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preventing microbial contamination on fruit and vegetable farms, including the use of Good Agricultural Practices. $10. Registration deadline March 20. Information: neikirk.2@osu.edu or 330-296-6432. March 23: “Living Your Small Farm Dream” Conference and Trade Show, 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., Muskingum County Convention and Welcome Center, 205 N. Fifth St., Zanesville. For small-farm owners who want to improve or expand their operations, and for those new to agriculture who are looking for ways to utilize their acreage. Registration $50. Registration deadline March 18. Information: mechling.1@osu.edu or 740-454-0144. March 23: Ohio River Valley Woodland and Wildlife Workshop, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Clifty Falls State Park, 2221 Clifty Drive, Madison, Ind. Educational sessions for landowners from Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Registration $45 before March 13, $50 after March 13. Information: http://go.osu.edu/Q8Q or 812-265-8919. March 26-27: Ohio Compost Operator Education Course, Shisler Conference Center, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster. Focuses on commercial-scale facilities; covers compost principles, site design and operation, regulations, marketing, more. Registration $175 for members of Organics Recycling Association of Ohio, $225 for non-members. Registration deadline March 19. Information: http://go.osu.edu/Q8R (pdf) or 330-202-3533. April April 5: Registration deadline for Landscaping for Wildlife April 10 in Sharon Center. Workshop by Ohio State University Extension’s Ohio Woodland Stewards Program. Registration $15. Register online at http://woodlandstewards.osu.edu/. Information: ohiowoods@osu.edu or 614-688-3421. April 9: Produce
Safety Training, 6-9 p.m., Ohio State University Extension’s Cuyahoga County office training room, 5320 Stanard Ave., Cleveland. Workshop on preventing microbial contamination on fruit and vegetable farms, including the use of Good Agricultural Practices. $10. Preregistration required; space limited; no registration at the door. Send name, contact information and registration payment (make checks payable to “OSU Extension”) to OSU Extension, Cuyahoga County, Attn: Jacqueline Kowalski, 9127 Miles Ave., Cleveland, OH 44105. Information: 216-429-8200, ext. 217. April 10: Landscaping for Wildlife, 6-9 p.m., Wolf Creek Environmental Center, 6100 Ridge Road, Sharon Center. Workshop by Ohio State University Extension’s Ohio Woodland Stewards Program. Registration $15; includes information packet. Registration deadline April 5. Register online at http://woodlandstewards.o su.edu/. Information: ohiowoods@osu.edu or 614-688-3421. April 13: Guided Bird Walk, 9-11 a.m., Secrest Arboretum, Seaman Orientation Plaza, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster. Led by members of Greater Mohican Audubon Society. Free. Information: cochran.7@osu.edu or 330-464-2148. April 24: Guided Spring Walk, 2-3:30 p.m., Secrest Arboretum, Seaman Orientation Plaza, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster. Free. Information: cochran.7@osu.edu or 330-464-2148. April 30: Master Gardener Pollinator Training, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Secrest Arboretum, Jack and Deb Miller Pavilion, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster. Information: ellsworth.2@osu.edu or 330-263-3723.
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March 5-6: Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference, McIntosh Center, Ohio Northern University, Ada. Speakers include Ohio State University Extension specialists and Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center scientists. Registration is $85 for full conference, $65 for one day, for online registration by Feb. 27 and for mail-in registration postmarked by Feb. 22. After those dates, registration is $105 for full conference, $80 for one day. Information: http://ctc.osu.edu or 614292-6648. March 6: Ohio Woodland Water and Wildlife Conference, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mid-Ohio Conference Center, 890 West 4th St., Mansfield. Annual conference for Ohio natural resources professionals and land managers; features up-to-date information on timely issues. Continuing education credit available. Information: http://go.osu.edu/Q8P or 614-688-3421. March 8-9: “Opening Doors to Success” Small Farm Owners Conference and Trade Show, Wilmington College, Boyd Cultural Arts Center, 1879 Quaker Way, Wilmington. Registration is $20 for March 8, $50 for March 9, or $60 for both days. Registration deadline March 1. Information: http://clinton.osu.edu or 937-382-0901. March 11-12: Farmers Market Conference, Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, 2201 Fred Taylor Drive, Ohio State University, Columbus. Registration for members of Farmers Market Management Network is $70 per day or $95 for both days. Non-member registration is $80 per day or $120 for both days.
ACRES ofFebruary Southwest Ohio 6B 2013
March 2013 7B ACRES of Southwest Ohio
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PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIED AD ONLINE-24/7 wnewsj.com timesgazette.com
peoplesdefender.com
recordherald.com newsdemocrat.com
DEADLINES/CORRECTIONS: Liner deadline 3rd Thurdsay of each month: Display Deadlines: Aug. Edition: July 31 Mar. Edition: March 6 Sept. Edition: Sept.5 Apr. Edition: April 3 Oct. Edition: Oct 2 May Edition: May 1 Nov. Edition: Oct. 23 Jun. Edition: June 5 Dec. Edition: Dec. 4 Jul. Edition: July 3
GENERAL INFORMATION Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8-5 POLICY: Please Check Your Ad The 1st Day. It Is The Advertiser’s Responsibility To Report Errors Immediately. Publisher Will Not Be Responsible for More Than One Incorrect Insertion. We Reserve The Right To Correctly Classify, Edit, Cancel Or Decline Any Advertisement Without Notice.
Wilmington News Journal 937-382-2574 We Accept
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SNOW PUSHER boxes for skid steers and backhoes, made in Findlay, Ohio. Call 419-348-0240.
T Adv
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Corvettes Wanted
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Just off Rt. 30 West By Pass, on Rt. 3 South Exit 3 Auctioneers starting at 9:00am Plus 2 auction trucks all day. All Types of Farm & Construction Equipment Consignment accepted Last year we had over 600 major pieces, with over 1000 in attendance. This is the 62nd auction. One of the oldest and largest auctions where buyers and sellers meet. Consignments welcomed on Thurs. Feb 7th 1-5. Fri. Feb 8th, 8am til dark. 2 loader tractors Thurs. pm, all day Fri. Loader tractors auction day and Mon. All items sell as is, no guarantees of fitness or usability. Free adv. if called in early. Not responsible for accidents.
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Buy, Sell, Trade ...in the Classifieds! Reach Over 10,000 Landowners In 11 Counties! Also...
Posted each month on these highly visited websites: newsdemocrat.com, peoplesdefender.com, timesgazette.com, recordherald.com and wnewsj.com To place an ad Call: 937-544-2391, 937-368-6161 937-382-2574, 740-335-3611 or 937-393-3456
Reaching Eleven Counties!
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8B
March 2013
ACRES of Southwest Ohio
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