by CrownRandall | Apr 20, 2025 | Agriculture
VERSAILLES – On Tuesday, April 15th, members of the Versailles FFA Chapter, along with alumni and family members, participated in an educational tour of Cole Luthman’s cage-free poultry facility.
This visit offered a valuable opportunity for students and supporters to gain a deeper understanding of modern poultry production and farm management before the arrival of birds. During the tour, attendees explored the barns and learned about the daily operations involved in managing a large-scale, cage-free egg-laying facility.
Cole Luthman guided the group through the process, highlighting key components such as animal welfare practices, feeding systems, and barn ventilation. Participants also toured the egg-packing area, where they learned about the logistics of collecting, grading, and packaging eggs.
Cole shared insights on the volume of eggs processed each day, as well as the labor and technology required to maintain efficiency and quality standards.
An informative portion of the tour included a walkthrough of the manure management system. Attendees were shown how manure is handled and stored in a sustainable and environmentally responsible manner, which sparked further discussion on nutrient management and environmental stewardship in agriculture.
The event concluded with a catered dinner, providing a time for fellowship and reflection on the experience. Those in attendance included: Madilyn Wagner, Rhylan Broerman, Greta Broering, Karlie Litten, Frankie Broerman, Dylan Meyer, Josie Pothast, Kolt Petitjean, Noah Seger, Owen Rindler, Nathan Timmerman, Jeremiah Wagner, Elias Moiser, Simone Broering, Cale Garland, Levi Subler, Kalivia Petitjean, Kayle Petitjean, along with additional family members and FFA alumni.
A special thank you to Cole Luthman for sharing his new poultry operation with all of us.
by CrownRandall | Apr 20, 2025 | Agriculture
VERSAILLES – The Versailles FFA announced their third nine weeks point winners at the April FFA Meeting on April 14th.
To earn points, members participate in different activities through the chapter, such as Career Development Events and community service activities. The point system is divided into a high school division, an 8th-grade division, and a capstone division.
The winners in the high school division include: 1st place: Drew Geisendorff, 2nd place: Gracie Henry, and 3rd place: Liam Barga and Keira Rahm. The winners of the 8th grade division include: 1st place: Simone Broering, 2nd place: Frankie Broerman, and 3rd place: Aleta Longfellow. The winners of the capstone division include: 1st place: Colin Batten, 2nd place: Maggie McGlinch, and 3rd place was Lincoln Winner. The class period that had the highest average of points per person was Mrs. Wuebker’s 2nd-period class.
Congratulations to all the point winners and keep up the great work!
by CrownRandall | Apr 20, 2025 | Agriculture
VERSAILLES – On Monday, April 14th, the Versailles FFA Members visited the Versailles Senior Citizen Community Center to celebrate the monthly birthday celebration. Every month, they celebrate birthdays with cake and ice cream as well as games at the end.
This month, the residents dyed easter eggs for easter. Next month we will be celebrating the May and July birthdays.
The Versailles FFA members who attended were Paige Gehret, Rhylan Broerman, Greta Broering, Aleta Longfellow, Symone Werhkamp, Kyra Bergman, Cadence Philpot, Monica Evers, Trina Tuente, Juli Stephan, Ava Jennings, Cheyenne Archey, Abby Henry and Josh Henry.
by CrownRandall | Apr 19, 2025 | Agriculture
I hope this Newsletter finds you well. The ground has dried out some after the heavy rains, allowing a slight uptick in field work (https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?fips_39037. This week’s Newsletter will feature an article discussing the very wet period and how it impacts nitrogen management for wheat fields.
This past Monday, April 14th, was National Gardening Day. There are many ways to garden, regardless of what resources you have available. Gardening comes with several benefits, including self-sufficiency, healthy and economical food production, as well as activity and personal enjoyment. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced gardener, never hesitate to reach out with any garden-related questions.
On the topic of gardening, there will be an opportunity to obtain free seeds through the Darke County Garden Giveaway. The OSU Extension office will be offering free packets of seed, with each large packet containing smaller packets of spinach, cucumber, green bean, carrot, and lettuce seed. Planting information will be included in the seed packet. Let me know if you are interested in these seeds or if you have any questions.
There has been a recent case of HPAI in Darke County, so continue monitoring the situation and gathering information from the ODA website: https://agri.ohio.gov/divisions/animal-health/hpai/01-poultry
I’ll be at Worch Library 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!
The next Darke County Garden Roundtable will be April 23rd at 6:00 p.m.
The next Darke County Ag Breakfast will be April 25th at 7:30 a.m. at Jack’s Cabin in Greenville.
This week’s Newsletter topics include:
Fertilizing Pastures After a Drought
Forage Quality Analysis Service
Importance of Water and Calf Starter for Future Performance
Paying for Long-Term Care Without Losing the Farm
Recent Rain Patterns and Their Impact on Nitrogen Management
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 | Apr 14, 2025 | Agriculture
ANSONIA – The Ansonia Animal 4-H Club held their meeting on April 13th at the Ansonia Methodist Church at 2 pm.
The meeting was called to order by President Brady Hartle. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Savannah Oswalt, followed by the 4-H pledge.
At this meeting, the club covered the 2025 program. This included important items like skillathon and tagging/tattoo dates and quality assurance training times. Healthy Living pins were awarded to the club’s members for providing healthy snacks at their meetings.
The Cloverbuds learned about animals that lay eggs. Mathew Wilson did a demonstration on how to make a marshmallow shooter. For recreation, we celebrated Easter by doing an Easter egg hunt in the building.
10 members and 0 guests attended this meeting.
Our next meeting will be held on May 18th at 2 pm at Ansonia Methodist Church.
Submitted by 10-year-old Austin Seger
