DARKE COUNTY – On March 25, 2025 Darke County Holstein 4-H club held their March meeting at Kellers Feed Mill at 8:00 P.M.
The meeting was called to order, and members were reminded to pay dues and pay for Record books. They were also reminded to get enrollment done by April 1st. On March 4th was the skating party. We had 18 members there. Any members getting turkeys need to pick them up on April 3rd. Lease agreements are due April 15th see Jr Fair website. Trash Bash is April 12th.
We will meet at Kellers at 9:00 am. You can also pick up trash bash items on Friday, April 11th, at the fairgrounds after 3:30. We also decided to sell fair tickets.
Darke County 4-H camp is June 24-28 at Indian Hills 4-H camp. All registrations must be in by June 7th. We will have three counselors there, Wyatt Homan, Will Aultman, and Sophia Aultman.
Dairy Skillathon is June 21st, 9-11 am along with feeder calf tagging. Makeup is July 19th, 9-1 am.
Beef Skillathon is July 29th, 6-8 pm. Rabbit Skillathon is June 7th, 9-11 am, and July 15th, 6-8 pm, in the swine barn. Rabbit tagging is 26th from 9 am to 1 pm. We got our Record Books. Then we played bingo over the animal parts of a steer and a cow.
CELINA – On Monday, the Versailles FFA members attended the Emerging Ag Conference at Wright State Lake University.
During the conference there were local business vendors, remarks from State Officer, Jayden Hicks, keynote speaker, Emily Mullen talking about the journey of how she started her business of bottling her own milk with over 35 flavors to offer called Mullen Dairy & Creamery in Butler county, door prizes, and a trade show.
They also rewarded Steve Buschur for being a Versailles FFA member who attended the Emerging Ag Conference, including Paige Gehret, Greta Broering, Rhylan Broerman, Maggie McGlinch, Lucy Schitmeyer, Emily Mullen, Brooklyn Livingston, Jayna Luthman, Patrick McGlinch and advisors Mrs Wuebker and Ms. Taylor Begman.
Steve Buschur of North Star was Named the Supporter of the Year by Wright State University Lake Campus. (Submitted photo)
At the event Wright State University recognized Steve Buschur of North Star as the Supporter of the Year and Derek and Craig Albers for Lecturer of the Year.
Thank you, Wright State Lake Campus Ag Department, for inviting the Versailles FFA!
NEW MADISON – The Tri-Village High School FFA chapter is excited to announce the return of its Annual Plant Sale, which has become a beloved tradition in the community over the past decade. Hosted by the hardworking students of the Greenhouse & Nursery Management program, this year’s sale promises to deliver a variety of vibrant plants just in time for Mother’s Day.
The FFA students have been busy working on these greenhouse products since January, cultivating high-quality plants that are sure to brighten up any home, garden, or patio.
From stunning hanging baskets to colorful geraniums, there’s something for every garden enthusiast.
This year’s selection includes: ● Hanging Baskets ● Boston Ferns ● 12″ Patio Pots ● Memorial Day Pots ● Coleus ● Geraniums ● And much more!
These plants are not only a great way to add some beauty to your space, but they also support a great cause. This annual event serves as a fundraiser FOR the kids, BY the kids, with proceeds benefiting the students of Tri-Village’s MVCTC Agriculture Education Department.
Sale Dates and Times: ● May 7th | 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM ● May 10th | 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM ● May 14th | 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM ● May 21st | 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
The sale will be held at the Tri-Village FFA Greenhouse, located on the high school campus.
This is an excellent opportunity to purchase beautiful plants for the season and support the hard work and dedication of the students involved in the greenhouse project.
The Tri-Village FFA chapter encourages the community to come out and visit the sale, meet the students, and take home some stunning plants to add to your garden or patio.
Tri-Village Agriculture and FFA is a satellite program of Miami Valley CTC and has been under the direction of Mr. Justin Slone since 2016.
VERSAILLES – Andrew Lyons is a senior at Versailles High School and participates in the Agriculture Education Capstone Program and has been selected as the capstone highlight student of the month. The Versailles Agriculture Education Capstone Program is in its 13th year of existence. Andrew is the son of Tim and Darlene Lyons of Versailles, Ohio. Capstone is a program that gives Versailles High School Junior and Senior Students who are enrolled in agriculture education an opportunity to gain real-world employment experiences and opportunities while in high school.
Andrew started working at Superior Aluminum in 2023 and has continued to work throughout his senior year and has worked over 1,200 hours. Andrew’s primary roles in the shipping department responsibilities include: bundling rail, loading trucks, boxing posts, parts and railing.
Jeff Langston Shipping Supervisor at Superior Aluminum, is quoted as saying “Andrew is a fine young man, respectful, hardworking, listens to detail, learns quickly, stays on task and finishes work quickly. He is willing to do whatever needs done in the shipping department.”
Superior Aluminum Products planted roots in Russia, Ohio in 1967 as a small town, family-owned manufacturer of aluminum railing and columns. Since then, they’ve grown from a 15,000-square-foot facility to 152,000 square feet today. What’s made Superior unique and successful through it all is its local workforce and culture! Even after all that growth, they’ve still maintained that family feel. Superior employees are an industry-leading, award-winning team, with a passion for creating innovative architecture.
This year 53 students are enrolled in the Versailles Agriculture Education Capstone programs and are leaving school after their daily required courses are complete and working at area businesses. The goal of the spotlight is to highlight each month one of the students that participate in the capstone program and highlight the skills/knowledge they are gaining, and the roles/assets they are to their business. The students enrolled in capstone also use their employment as their Supervised Agricultural Experience Program. As part of their grade in capstone, students are required to keep detailed records of their hours worked, earnings and skills performed. In addition to the record books, capstone students are being evaluated at the end of each nine weeks by an evaluation completed by their employer.
Congratulations to Andrew Lyons and Thank you to Superior Aluminum for this opportunity.
I hope this Newsletter finds you well. Spring has officially arrived in Darke County, and it won’t be too long before field and garden work is happening in full force. Some work has already begun as the weather has warmed. Darke County has had cool temperatures and precipitation later in the week (https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?fips_39037). Ohio weather can be unpredictable, but hopefully, we won’t have much more cold weather before spring officially arrives.
While there haven’t been any officially confirmed cases recently, it is important to remain aware of HPAI in Darke County and the surrounding region. Continue using proper biosecurity measures when working with backyard flocks. More information on biosecurity, as well as the latest numbers of Bird Flu, can be tracked at the ODA website: https://agri.ohio.gov/divisions/animal-health/hpai/01-poultry
I’ll be discussing Pheasants at Worch Library on April 10th at 6:00 p.m. We’ll be discussing pheasants in nature, raising pheasants, and what we can do to support pheasants. I’ll be joined by a special guest, and I hope to see you there.
I’ll also be at Arcanum Library on March 28th at 2:00 p.m. to discuss Spring Gardening. We’ll be discussing starting a garden, crops to consider growing, and practices for having a successful garden as the weather starts to get warmer with the arrival of spring.
The next Darke County Ag Breakfast will be on April 25th at 7:30 a.m. at Jack’s Cabin in Greenville.
This week’s Newsletter topics include:
2025 Beginner’s Guide to Farmland Ownership
Checking for Contaminants in Hay
Improving Hay Quality
Spring Nitrogen Recommendations for Winter Wheat
Understanding Animal Welfare
Wheat to Beat Project
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.
