THE PRESS
JUNE 25, 2018
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Agriculture Ag-Venture tour features farms and agri-businesses Area farms and agri-businesses are featured in the Wood County Ag-Venture Self-Driving Tour and the Changing the Landscape of Urban Agricultural Tour. The 2018 Wood County Ag-Venture is being sponsored by the Wood Soil and Water Conservation District in conjunction with other county organizations and businesses. It will be held Sept. 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Local agriculture industry leaders are opening their homes and businesses throughout the county to highlight Ohio agriculture. Participants are invited to visit the stops throughout the day at their own pace to sit in farm equipment, pet farm animals, talk to farmers, and learn about agriculture.
The tour includes: Vetter Family Farms, Bowling Green Luckey Farmers, Inc., Perrysburg Hirzel Canning, Northwood Pioneer Seed, Grand Rapids Moser Farms, Perrysburg Schooner Farms, Weston Black Swamp Ag., Inc., Bowling Green Hirzel Canning Company, producers of Dei Fratelli products, was founded in 1923 by Carl R. Hirzel, according to the company website. With the excess cabbage from the harvest, he produced his first product – sauerkraut, packed and sold in wooden kegs and barrels. By the third year in business, with the help of his wife, Lena, and son,
CAUV savings offered for conservation practices In Wood County, 1,557 parcels of land enrolled in the Current Agricultural Use Valuation program that are used for conservation practices are now being valued at $230 an acre – the lowest value in the program’s soil valuation table, Matthew Oestreich, county auditor, said. “Last year the Ohio legislature made a significant change in how land used exclusively for ‘conservation practices’ is valued under the Current Agriculture Use Valuation program,” he said. “Thus far, a total of 5,873 acres in Wood County have been reduced to this minimum value based upon qualifying conservation practices. This acreage, comprising 1,557 parcels, represents 1.6 percent of all acres enrolled in the CAUV program. This reduction in value equates to a tax savings of approximately $40 per acre to qualifying landowners. Landowners enrolled in this conservation program have accrued nearly a quarter of a million dollars in combined tax savings.” Property owners enrolled in the CAUV program, with land used for qualifying conservation practices, are encouraged to submit the required documentation as soon as possible in order to receive an adjustment of their 2017 tax year taxes, payable in 2018. In order to qualify, each landowner must provide all of the following: - A copy of conservation contract with a government agency. - A detailed map that shows the exact areas of each parcel that are used exclusively for conservation practices. - Beginning on the 2018 CAUV renewal application and every year thereafter, include and verify the number of conservation acres for each parcel. - Maintain the conservation practice for a minimum of three years. For more information contact Brian
Jones, CAUV specialist, in the auditor’s office by phone at 419-354-9174 or by email at bjones@co.wood.oh.us. In Sandusky County, a triennial update of property valuations is being conducted, Jerri Miller, county auditor said. The new valuations will be payable in 2019 and her office expects to have the number of parcels affected by later this summer or early autumn. In Ottawa County, Auditor Jo Ellen Regal said her office is conducting a property reappraisal and also won’t have CAUV figures until it is completed.
Fair Specials Now in Progress Honoring a Lifetime
FREDERICK MONUMENTS Since 1957 2378 W. State St. • Fremont 419-334-3012 Mon.-Fri. 9:30 am-4 pm, Sat. 9-Noon Evenings by appointment
Buy Local and SAVE $$$ Propane Sales & Service Home • Business • Farm Delivery
419-862-3186 Office 419-261-4407 Andy Fox 419-261-2743 E.J. Croll 419-262-3699 Kevin Fox
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Karl, they began packaging whole tomatoes in cans to be sold to the local general stores. Hirzel Farms also works with more than 30 family growers in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. Luckey Farmers was established in 1919 and is a grain marketing and farm supply cooperative located in northwest Ohio, with facilities in Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, and Wood counties. After several mergers, consolidations and acquisitions, the cooperative serves approximately 2,000 members. For more information about the AgVenture tour visit the Wood Soil and Water Conservation District website. Urban farming The Urban Agriculture Alliance at
Jackson Industries will host a tour Aug. 18 at 1 p.m. of an urban agricultural project at 2291 Auburn Ave., Toledo. According to Thomas Jackson, last year he faced being fined by the City of Toledo for using wood chips to remediate soil on vacant lots he had acquired in his neighborhood. From the resulting political fallout, growers formed the Urban Agricultural Alliance of Lucas County, which promotes local policies that support urban farming. The tour will focus on the challenges urban growers face, proposed zoning ordinances and successful production models. The tour is sponsored by Central State University. For information call 419-3769746.
CRP enrollment continuing
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will accept applications for the voluntary Conservation Reserve Program unti. Aug.17. Eligible farmers, ranchers and private landowners may register at local Farm Service Agency offices. The FSA stopped accepting applications last fall for the CRP continuous signup (excluding applications for the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and CRP grasslands). The pause allowed the department of agriculture to review available acres and avoid exceeding the 24 million-acre CRP cap set by the 2014 Farm Bill. New limited practice availability and short sign-up period help ensure that landowners with the most sensitive acreage will enroll in the program and avoid unintended competition with new and beginning farmers seeking leases. CRP enrollment currently is about 22.7 million acres. The new changes to CRP do not impact the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, a related program offered by CCC and state partners. Producers wanting to apply for the CRP continuous sign-up or CRP grasslands should contact their USDA service center. To locate your local FSA office, visit https:// www.farmers.gov. More information on CRP can be found at www.fsa.usda.gov/crp.
TPR SoluƟons is here for all of your property management needs. Our services include but are not limited to: • Driveway tear outs • Leach field installation • Trench digging for water/electrical • Stump removal • Ditch cleaning • Hauling of stone, sand, and Topsoil • Pool repair
Terry Perry: 419.392.0193 Kyle Perry: 419.467.4738 Denise Perry: 419.466.8615