by CrownRandall | Apr 28, 2025 | Agriculture
GREENVILLE – The Greenville FFA Chapter proudly celebrated its 95th Annual Banquet, honoring the hard work, dedication, and achievements of its outstanding members. The event, held in the Greenville Middle School cafeteria, brought together students, families, alumni, and community supporters to recognize excellence in leadership, career development events, and awards.
One of the evening’s highlights was the presentation of scholarships to a graduating senior who has shown exceptional commitment to agricultural education and FFA values. This scholarship will support this student as they continue their education and pursue careers in the agriculture industry and beyond. Marissa Hicks, our 24–25-chapter president, received the Ben Overholser Foundation Scholarship.
In addition to scholarships, members were recognized for their accomplishments in Career Development Events (CDEs), where students apply classroom knowledge to real-world agricultural challenges. Awards were given across a range of events, including livestock judging, agronomy, soil judging, tractor trouble shooting, public speaking, dairy judging, vet science and ag mechanics. Many Greenville FFA teams earned top rankings at the district and state levels, a testament to the chapter’s dedication to excellence and hands-on learning. Livestock judging recipients: Marissa Hicks, Cooper Hunt, Troy Lavy, Taylor Trissel, Emma Stith, and Meredith Hunt. Agronomy recipients: Lucas Wright. Soil Judging recipients: Marissa Hicks, Allison Francis, Mason Hangen, Troy Lavy, Bo Melton, Taylor Trissel, Skylynn Kessinger, Emma Stith, Cash Bubeck, Austin Bush, Hunter Burns, Lane Francis, Drew Garber, Bentley Huecker, Meredith Hunt, Caleigh Stebbins, Kylee Stith, and Riley Thomas. Tractor trouble shooting recipients: Marissa Hicks, Mason Hangen, Bo Melton, and Owen Shaffer. Public Speaking recipients: Marissa Hicks, Allison Francis, Taylor Trissel, Kylee Stith, and Lucas Wright. Dairy Judging recipients: Marissa Hicks, Taylor Trissel, and Lane Francis. Vet science recipient: Taylor Trissel. Ag mechanics recipients: Bo Melton, and Owen Shaffer.
Leadership awards were also a central focus of the banquet. Students who served as chapter officers, committee chairs, and team leaders were acknowledged for their commitment to service, responsibility, and teamwork. These young leaders have not only made a difference within the chapter but have represented Greenville FFA with pride across the state. These recipients were: Bo Melton, Emma Stith, Taylor Trissel, Allison Francis, Marissa Hicks, Wyatt Hissong, Kyrie Unger, Kylee Stith, Lucas Wright, and Julia Yohey.
“This banquet is a celebration of the hard work our students put in every day,” said Korey Garland, Greenville’s chapter advisor. “It’s about more than awards—it’s about recognizing growth, leadership, and the impact these students are making now and will continue to make in the future.”
As the chapter looks ahead to another year of learning and leadership, the 95th Annual Banquet served as a powerful reminder of the tradition, passion, and promise that define Greenville FFA.
by CrownRandall | Apr 26, 2025 | Agriculture
I hope this Newsletter finds you well. While we still have sufficient moisture, the ground has dried out enough to allow more field work, including tillage, manure applications, and some planting.
(https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?fips_39037. Purple deadnettle, Canadian thistle, and henbit have been some of the more commonly occurring weeds I’ve seen in fields.
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 Ag Breakfast will be May 16th at 7:30 a.m. at Jack’s Cabin in Greenville.
This week’s Newsletter topics include:
Battle for the Belt
Buckeye Tick Test Laboratory
Flowing Forward Podcast
Ohio’s New Pay Stub Law
Weather Update
·Wheat Management for Spring 2025
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 20, 2025 | Agriculture
VERSAILLES – The Versailles FFA Greenhouse will be opening April 28th and will also do custom work to fill your pots and you will be charged for the flowers and soil to fill your pot. Pots can be dropped off starting April 22nd through April 25th from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm at the greenhouse located on the West side of the school near the front entrance and auditorium area.
In addition, pots can be dropped off Monday through Friday from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm, including Saturday, 8:30 am to 12:00 pm, after April 28th. The greenhouse will be closed on May 1st and 2nd due to members attending the State FFA Convention. Once you drop off your pots, you will be asked to complete a form on your flower, color and price preferences.
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.
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.
