by CrownRandall | Dec 22, 2024 | Agriculture
VERSAILLES – On Saturday, February 22nd from 8 a.m. until 12:00 p.m., the Versailles FFA & FFA Alumni will be hosting an Omelet Breakfast to recognize the local agriculturalist and promote the agriculture industry. There will be free omelet breakfasts for all in attendance.
This breakfast is free but will require RSVP to ensure proper breakfast.
The breakfast will also include: a farm toy show, kiddy tractor pulls, agriculture displays to promote the industry, and farm displays created by the local youth. This event will be open for all of the public to enjoy. Toy Show Vendors that will be present at the breakfast include: Kris Hinton from Rockford, Kris’s collection includes custom farm toys, small-scale livestock and machinery buildings, Jim Ford of Athens’s collection focuses on: 1/64 scale farm toys and custom-built farm toys, Tom Barga of North Star collection focuses on custom and scratch built farm toys and 1/64 scale farm toys, Roger Heckman of Versailles with various tools and 1/64 scale farm toys and Winner Farm Toys of North Star with assortment of Ertl and New Ray farm toys from 1/64 scale up to 1/16 scale.
On behalf of the Versailles FFA chapter, we would like to personally invite and encourage the youth of Darke County to participate in a farm toy display contest. Again, this contest is completely cost-free. Awards and monetary prizes will be awarded for each division sponsored by the Darke County Farm Bureau. All participants will receive a small prize; however, first place in each division will receive $25.00, second place $15.00, and third place $10.00. All displays along with a tag with your name and age must be delivered to the Versailles FFA advisor, Mrs. Dena Wuebker, at Versailles Schools near the Greenhouse door (door 4) from 7:30 am to 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 20th. All displays will be judged prior to the breakfast and the Farm Displays will be displayed on the stage of the cafetorium all attendees will be enabled to view the displays. Farm displays can be torn down and loaded out between 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 pm on Feb 22.
|th. The rules and regulations for the Farm Youth Display can be received by emailing [email protected] find the information on the Versailles Exempted Village School website under the high school followed by the FFA link.
Please RSVP for the breakfast to either Dena Wuebker at 937-423-2369 or through the above email, or contact Taylor Bergman at [email protected] or 937-621-9136 or contact Versailles FFA President Colin Batten at 937-621- 6909. Please RSVP for the breakfast by Feb 18th.
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by CrownRandall | Dec 21, 2024 | Agriculture
GREENVILLE – On December 12, the Greenville FFA chapter hosted its annual Degree Ceremony, honoring the achievements of Greenhand and Chapter degree recipients. The evening was filled with learning, laughter, and meaningful discussions, serving as a special opportunity to celebrate members who met the requirements for their degrees.
The chapter was privileged to welcome State FFA Vice President Carter Boyd, who delivered an inspiring speech to the audience. In appreciation of his time and dedication, Carter was presented with a gift of gratitude.
The following members earned their Greenhand Degree:
Cash Bubeck, Hunter Burns, Austin Bush, Landon Brenner, Nevaeh Chalmers, Wyatt Elliott, Katelynn Emrick, Eric Ferguson, Lane Francis, Drew Garber, Samantha Hampton, Bentley Huecker, Cooper Hunt, Meredith Hunt, Aleya Smith, Caleigh Stebbins, Kylee Stith, Riley Thomas, and Lucas Wright.
The Chapter Degree recipients were:
Kacady Hines, Jaliegh Hummel, Skylynn Kessinger, Owen Shaffer, Emma Stith, and Julia Yohey.
A heartfelt thank you goes out to Carter Boyd for his impactful speech, and to everyone who contributed to setting up and tearing down for the event. Your support made this night one to remember!
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by CrownRandall | Dec 21, 2024 | Agriculture
VERSAILLES – At the December meeting for the Versailles FFA the chapter bowled and ate pizza at McBos bowling alley. Members were also recognized for outstanding fruit sales.
Versailles FFA named two FFA members of the month for December. Adam Rauh is a Sophomore and a 3rd year member of Versailles FFA. Adam is active in monthly meetings, The Eagles fruit sale breakfast, helps with the soup and sandwich social, fruit sales, CDE luncheon, State convention, penny war, omelet breakfast, soup and sandwich social, facts and snacks, canned food drive, toy drive, career fair, and more. He has competed in the soils CDE, public speaking, agronomy, green hand quiz, career exploration CDE, and Parliamentary Procedure. Adam is the son of Todd and Carol Rauh. Adam was awarded a t-shirt and certificate for being named a member of the month. Congratulations Adam!
Zac Bartram was named Versailles FFA Member of the Month for December. Zac is a Senior and 3rd year Versailles FFA member. He has been active in monthly meetings, the beef and pork tent, Farm Day, soup and sandwich social, canned food drive, National Convention, DIY flower class, fruit sales, hunter safety course, and more. He has participated in the floriculture CDE, and wildlife management at the invitational and state levels. Zac is the son of Bryan and Amy Bartram. Zac was awarded a t-shirt and certificate for being named a member of the month. Congratulations Zac!
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by CrownRandall | Dec 20, 2024 | Agriculture
Calf Price Update: “Calf and feeder cattle prices have jumped higher over the last few weeks. Several factors are working together to boost prices including rain, fewer calves for sale, and maybe even the impact of import restrictions on Mexican cattle due to screwworm regulations.” In this article, Dr. David Anderson of Texas A&M University shares an update on calf prices, as well as the factors that influence these prices, and what to expect moving forward. https://u.osu.edu/beef/2024/12/04/climbing-calf-prices/
Getting the Most Out of Your Stockpiled Grass: “Stockpiling tall fescue is the most economical way to feed cows during the winter months. Once stockpiled growth has accumulated, how you choose to utilize it can dramatically impact how many grazing days you get per acre. Research in Missouri showed that giving cows access to only enough forage for 3 days versus 14 days resulted in a 40% increase in grazing days per acre. The following tips will help to get the most out of your stockpiled forages.” If you have animals on the pasture and are trying to maximize their grazing opportunities into the winter months, you may be interested in this article from Dr. Chris Teutsch of the University of Kentucky. In it, he discusses strategies for maximizing stockpiled forages, such as which forages to start grazing first, which to wait on, strip grazing, and more. https://u.osu.edu/beef/2024/12/11/getting-the-most-out-of-your-stockpiled-grass/
Improving Calf Welfare in Cold Weather: “As winter approaches, low ambient temperatures and high humidity pose serious challenges for all calves, with very young ones being especially at risk. When temperatures drop below 50°F, calves must expend extra energy to maintain their body temperature.” The cold weather of the fall and winter months can provide many challenges for livestock producers, not the least of which is difficulty caring for young animals. Dr. Grazyne Tresoldi, Assistant Professor of Animal Welfare at the OSU Department of Animals Sciences, writes in this article about some ways calf producers can ensure their young livestock are well cared for in low temperatures. Some topics include housing, feeding, and providing layers for the calves. https://dairy.osu.edu/newsletter/buckeye-dairy-news/volume-26-issue-6/practical-tips-improve-calf-welfare-cold-weather
National Milk Testing Strategy: “As part of the National Milk Testing Strategy, APHIS will work with each state in the contiguous United States to execute testing in a way that works for the state and that aligns with the NMTS standards. Once a state begins testing under the NMTS, APHIS will place that state into one of five stages based on the HPAI H5N1 virus prevalence in that state. As states move to another stage, we will have a stronger picture of our progress towards eliminating HPAI H5N1 at state, regional and national levels.” Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in dairy cattle has been a hot topic since reports first emerged earlier this year. USDA APHIS recently announced a new measure to manage the impacts of HPAI: the National Milk Testing Strategy. This article goes into more specific detail regarding the strategy, and how it will impact the dairy industry. https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2024/12/06/usda-announces-new-federal-order-begins-national-milk-testing
Providing Water to Livestock: “Many factors need to be considered when developing watering sources for livestock. Adequate amounts of water are needed to maintain high levels of production. Limiting water intake reduces animal performance quicker and more drastically than any other nutrient deficiency (Boyles). Improving springs or seeps by excavating, cleaning, capping or providing a collection and storage area improves the distribution of water and preserves water quality.” Water is often considered to be the most important nutrient, and it is essential that livestock producers ensure their animals always have clean water to consume. In this article, Mark Landefeld of OSU Extension and Jeff Bettinger of Natural Resource Conservation Service share valuable resources on providing water to livestock. Topics include the amount of water consumed per day, calculating tank capacity, keeping tanks clean, and preparing water sources for winter. https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ANR-12
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by CrownRandall | Dec 18, 2024 | Agriculture
ANSONIA – The Mississinawa Valley MVCTC-FFA Chapter participated in the County Parliamentary Procedure Contest.
The contest was held at Ansonia High School on Thursday, November 14th. The advanced team was made up of six members, Daniel Hartzell, Aldon Edger, Shane Germann, Emma Brock, Ty Houser, and Conner Hardy. The novice team participants were Miles Hughes, Grayson Wilkerson, Brooklyn Crain, Aubrey Lang, McKinley Stacher, Addysan Preston, Makayla Grow, Emma Temple, Cole Hanes, Cassidy Seubert, Cade Seubert, Casen Gower, Gavin Rehmert, Peyton Wolfe, Ella Livingston, and Jada Zehringer. They spent the weeks leading up to the contest practicing.
At the contest, they took a general knowledge test over parliamentary procedure. Then they had to perform a mock chapter meeting where they had to make two main motions and debate them. Members demonstrate their ability to debate and properly amend, refer, recess, postpone, table and adjourn. The chairman’s responsibility was to respond to the main motions and abilities. The secretary had to make and debate motions, complete his assigned and extra abilities, along with taking the minutes for the whole meeting. The demonstration portion has a time limit. The participants were judged on the execution of their abilities and their debate on the motions. The test scores and meeting scores were combined for all teams and the results were posted.
The advanced team placed 5th overall and did not advance. The novice team advanced to the district where the team was Makayla Grow, Ella Livingston, Addy Preston, Aubrey Lang, Cassidy Seubert, McKinley Stachler, Peyton Wolfe, and Grayson Wilkerson.
Congratulations to all those who participated!
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by CrownRandall | Dec 18, 2024 | Agriculture
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Mississinawa Valley MVCTC-FFA Chapter attended the 97th National FFA Convention. The convention was held on October 23-26, 2024. It was held in the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The members who attended were Aron Hunt, Aaron Hummel, Thomas Gower, Brandon Miller, Bryson Gower, Tanner Leichty, Paytyn Heistand, Breanna Germann, Christana Mangen, Dylan Wehrkamp, Makenna Guillozet, Taylee Woodbury, Harley Hanes, Stephany De La Torre Barron, Daniel Hartzell, Aldon Edger, Ethan Grow, Matalin Meyer, Shane Germann, and Brennan Manning. They were chaperoned by advisors Carmen Hartzell and Karlee Knapke.
At 8:00 a.m. Wednesday morning members left MV and headed for the Convention Center. Once they arrived the students had time to walk around and see all the booths. They grabbed lunch and attended the first session of the convention. In this session, they were entertained by speaker Kevin Wanzer’s message to engage others with love. After that, they headed back to the hotel to get changed and head to the National FFA Rodeo held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
On Thursday morning the members attended their Career Success Tours. They could choose to go to one of the following: Corteva, Case IH, and Driving Wind Farm.
There they learned the different careers that go into each of these fields. After their tours, they enjoyed lunch at Fogo De Chao, a Brazilian Steakhouse. Then students attended the second session of the convention, where they heard the retiring address from the National FFA Secretary, Grant Norfleet. Grant spoke about his personal experiences of comparing himself to others. He helped us all realize we are not any better or worse than those around us.
After his address, Aldon Edger and Shane Germann walked across the stage to receive the chapter’s three-star recognition for their national chapter award. They then left the session to eat dinner amongst themselves and as a chapter, they played with the Top Golf simulator at their hotel. After that, members headed back to their rooms to get some rest after such a long day.
On Friday morning members headed to the third session of the convention where they listened to keynote speaker Temple Grandin. She spoke about the three different types of thinkers, visual, mathematical, and word. She said how none are better than the others but, rather they are strongest when they work together. After the session was over members stopped for lunch and headed back home towards MV.
On Saturday, October 26th, advisor Carmen Hartzell returned back to Indianapolis to watch Lilly Severance, Ben Hartzell, and Kennedy Stachler receive their American Degrees. The American Degree is the highest degree and FFA member can receive. It is awarded to those who have shown the biggest commitment to the FFA as well as showcased their accomplishments to meet the set requirements. Congratulations Lilly, Ben, and Kennedy.
The members had a great time and did a wonderful job representing Mississinawa Valley’s FFA Chapter at the 97th National FFA Convention!
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