by CrownRandall | May 9, 2025 | Agriculture
FORT RECOVERY – Arcanum MVCTC FFA members competed in the District 5 Ag Mechanics Skills Contest hosted at Fort Recovery High School. Members of the team were Matthew Denlinger, Henry Weiss, and Weston Stephens.
The purpose of the Ag Mechanics Skills Contest is to assess the students’ skills in agricultural mechanics that occur in maintenance and repair. Students demonstrated the proper use of tools and applied tool use and knowledge to daily situations in agricultural mechanical environments. Some of the activities students completed were: Welding, Electrical Soldering, Pipe Flaring and Fuel Identification. The team finished 3rd in the district.
Another hands-on mechanical contest was the Outdoor Power Contest which was held in Fort Loramie. Members of the Outdoor Power Team were Weston Stephens, Matthew Denlinger, and Hudson Knaus.
The Outdoor Power Equipment Career Development Event (CDE) is an extension of the Agricultural Education classroom and laboratory. Additionally, this CDE serves as an authentic assessment designed to evaluate students’ knowledge in recognizing and repairing malfunctions in outdoor power equipment.
The skills Agricultural Education students employ in this CDE are the same skills required by outdoor power equipment technicians. The team finished 2nd in the district and qualified for the State Finals at Ohio State ATI in Wooster. At the State finals the team finished 7th in the State.
by CrownRandall | May 9, 2025 | Agriculture
I hope this Newsletter finds you well. Frequent rains and cooler temperatures have kept farmers out of the fields, but many people are ready to get planting as soon as there is a window to get into the fields
(https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?fips_39037. There is crop emergence throughout the county from fields where farmers were able to get some planting done. Some alfalfa weevil damage has occurred in alfalfa stands, and nearby counties have reported numbers of black cutworm and true armyworm. Be sure to cooperate with any farm equipment on the roads, and stay safe in the fields and planting season progresses.
Remember to take advantage of the Darke County Garden Giveaway! Whether you’ve obtained seeds already or not, there is always room to plant some more. There is plenty of seed to go around, so if you would like any spinach, cucumber, green bean, carrot, and lettuce seed, reach out to me or stop in at the office. Planting information will be included in the seed packet, and I’m always happy to answer any questions.
The NRCS is offering the opportunity for poultry operations to increase biosecurity on their farm through free Biosecurity Assessments. These assessments will assist producers in increasing their farms’ biosecurity and provide cost-share opportunities. More details and contact information can be found in the attached flyer.
I’ll be at Worch Library next week on May 15th at 4:00 p.m. to conduct the program Spring Into Gardening. We’ll discuss the makings of a spring garden, what plants to grow, and how to help them be successful. I hope to see you there!
Our next Darke County Garden Roundtables will be May 14th at 12:00 p.m. and May 21st at 6:00 p.m. Both sessions will be at the OSU Extension office, and the agenda is attached.
2025 Farm Science Review might seem like a ways off, but it will be here before we know it. The Review will be held on September 16th-18th, and is always a great opportunity to see the latest technologies, learn from professionals, and network with other agriculturalists throughout Ohio. Presale Tickets are $10 each; please let me know if you would like to order tickets for Farm Science Review ahead of time so we can get tickets ordered.
The next Darke County Ag Breakfast will be May 16th at 7:30 a.m. at Jack’s Cabin in Greenville.
This week’s Newsletter topics include:
Forage Maturity Across Ohio
Glufosinate Use and Label Guidelines for 2025
Managing Heat Stress in Dairy Cows
Second Quarter Fertilizer Prices Across Ohio
Using Baleage to Manage Hay Quality
Using Liquid Manure With Newly Planted Corn and Beans
I hope you enjoy this week’s Newsletter, and as always, never hesitate to reach out to me and let me know how I can best serve you and all of Darke County.
by Caden Buschur, Darke County Extension Educator
by CrownRandall | May 4, 2025 | Agriculture
VERSAILLES – The Versailles Agricultural Education Department and FFA Chapter are conducting their 14th Annual Greenhouse Sale. The greenhouse is open from 2:30 P.M. to 5:30 P.M., Monday through Friday and open Saturdays 8:30 A.M to 12:00 P.M. and closed on Sundays. The greenhouse is located on the West side of Versailles Schools at 280 Marker Rd, close to the auditorium. The greenhouse will feature an open house on Saturday, May 10th, with greenhouse specials, activities for children, light refreshments and door prizes. The greenhouse will be open from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm on May 10th.
Specials in the greenhouse starting May 8th through May 10th include large cone and coco baskets $40.00, small coco baskets 30.00, 10 inch hanging baskets 20.00, 12 inch hanging baskets 22.00 and buy 10 annual plants in the 3 to 4 inch pots including geraniums and supertunia and get 2 free, with a total cost of $32.00 and 18.00 for 36 count full flat you can mix and match vegetables and flowers.
The annuals for sale in the greenhouse include: Pelargonium Hort Patriot: Bright Pink, Bright Red, White; Begonia: Dragon Wing Red; Coleus: Main Street Oxford Street, Main Street River Walk; Ipomoea: Blackie; Pelargonium Hyb Calliope Med: Dark Red; Verbena: Lanai Deep Purple; Vinca Major Variegata (Common Vinca Vine); Dichondra Argentea: Silver Falls; Impatiens Sunpatiens: Comp Hot Pink; Lantana: Bandana Cherry Sunrise, Bandana Gold; Lysimachia Nummularia: Goldilocks; Pennisetum Setaceum: Rubrum; Begonia Semp.: Cocktail Mix; Impatiens W.: Accent Prem White, Accent Prem Mix, Accent Prem Red, Accent Prem Rose; Marigold (Tagetes): Safari Mix; Petunia: Wave Easy Pink Passion, Wave Easy Red, Wave Purple; Salvia Splendens: Vista Red; Dusty Miller: Silverdust; Eucalyptus: Baby Blue Bouquet; Helichrysum; Plectranthus Coleoides: Variegata: Angelonia Angust: Carita Raspberry; Liner Canna: Cannova Scarlet; Dracaena Indivisa: Spike-Cordyline; Ipomoea: Marguerite; Kwik Kombo Bandolista: Lava; Senecio Candicans: Angel Wings; Begonia Bol Iconia Portofino: Hot Orange. The greenhouse features Hanging Baskets available in 10 & 12-inch pots, cone shape and round wire shape. A variety of planted pots will also be available. Versailles FFA will also fill your pots and you will be charged for the flowers and soil to fill your pots. The greenhouse features vegetable plants of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, cabbage, herbs, zucchini, cantaloupe, cauliflower, watermelon, herbs, broccoli and squash. The greenhouse will feature more vegetables as the season progresses. Versailles FFA will also fill your pots and you will be charged for the flowers and soil to fill your pots. Drop your pots off during greenhouse hours.
If you have any questions, please email Versailles FFA Advisor Dena Wuebker at [email protected] or Versailles FFA Advisor Taylor Bergman at [email protected].
We look forward to seeing you at the greenhouse. Patrick is a State Top 4 Proficiency Finalist for Ag Services for his soil sampling business. Patrick is the son of Janet and Greg Mcglinch. Patrick received a shirt and a certificate. Congrats to Patrick on being named SAE member of the month.
by CrownRandall | May 4, 2025 | Agriculture
VERSAILLES – In an effort to recognize outstanding SAE-Supervised Agricultural Experience projects, the SAE committee announces an outstanding SAE at each meeting and presents them with an FFA t-shirt. At the April 14th meeting of the Versailles FFA meeting Colin Batten and Patrick McGlinch were selected as SAE members of the month.
Colin Batten is a senior and 5-year member and he has a Job Placement SAE working for Owl Creek Dairy. At Owl Creek Dairy, he assists in all aspects of the farm from milking, scraping pens, feeding calves, working the ground, and many other miscellaneous tasks.
Through his SAE, Colin has been named a Top 4 Proficiency Finalist for Dairy Production Placement in the state of Ohio. Colin is the son of Suzanne Batten and Chris Batten. Colin received a shirt and a certificate. Congratulations to Colin Batten on being named SAE member of the month.
Patrick Mcglinch is a sophomore and third-year member, was named the Entrepreneurship SAE member of the month for his own soil sampling business. In his soil sampling business, he takes samples for local farmers and sends the samples away to a lab to be analyzed. He then sits down with the farmer to talk through the recommendations and explains what the soil sample shows. Patrick is a State Top 4 Proficiency Finalist for Ag Services for his soil sampling business. Patrick is the son of Janet and Greg Mcglinch. Patrick received a shirt and a certificate. Congrats to Patrick on being named SAE member of the month.
by CrownRandall | May 4, 2025 | Agriculture
UNION CITY – On the evening of April 14, 2025 the Jackson Friendship 4-H club held a meeting in the MV Nest concession area. The meeting was called to order by Troy Lavy at 7:06 PM. Lavy also led the pledges. The roll call question was “What’s your favorite thing about spring?”
At this meeting, there was no secretary’s report, but there was a treasurer’s report. The club’s balance in our checking account is $1,006, and our savings account has $ 1,070.40. There was also a health and safety report at this meeting. The topic was to look out for tractors and farm machinery on the road.
The old business was to remind everyone to get their project books in at the extension office and register for Quality Assurance. Also, check the Darke County 4-H website for updates, entries and information.
The new business was to discuss whether we should get a new design for the t-shirts or keep the old one. After a small discussion, Anna Barga motioned to keep the same ones as last year, and that was seconded by Nick Barga. The motion was passed. We also discussed whether we should sponsor JR fair trophies. We talked about sponsoring every barn our members are in and the Showman and Showmen trophy. A motion was made by Clinton Linebaugh and seconded by Anna Barga to sponsor a trophy in every barn our club showed in, as well as put money toward the Showman of Showmen prize. The motion was passed. We reminded everyone that the 4-H camp is June 24-28 and costs $235. The club also talked about setting aside money for campers to cover a little bit of the cost. The motion for $50 per camper was made by Ava Neiport and seconded by Ashtyn Gower. The motion was passed.
The advisor reported that they would send out an email about tags and the deadline. Also, the skilliton schedule was on Facebook.
The club also had a race to name an animal for every letter of the alphabet and a paper airplane contest.
The next meeting will be held on May 12, 2025 at 7:00 PM in the MV Nest concession area.
The motion to adjourn was made by Emily Tomas and seconded by Anna Barga. The motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 7:50 PM.
