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
by CrownRandall | Apr 14, 2025 | Agriculture
VERSAILLES – Versailles Agriculture Education students have been busy starting plants, transplanting plants and propagating plants. To get ready to conduct a spring plant sale by putting concepts learned in the Versailles Agriculture Education classes.
The Versailles Agricultural Education Department and FFA Chapter will be conducting their 14th Annual Greenhouse Sale starting Monday, April 28th. The greenhouse will be open from 2:30 P.M. to 5:30 P.M., Monday through Friday, 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 be closed May 1st and 2nd for the State FFA Convention.
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 will feature Hanging Baskets available in 10 & 12-inch pots. 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.
Please look for future articles on drop-off information and more details.
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 14, 2025 | Agriculture
ANSONIA – Numerous awards were bestowed upon various members of the Ansonia FFA when an estimated crowd of 300 people recently gathered at the school for its 88th annual banquet.
“Come Home to Ansonia FFA” was the theme.
Opening ceremonies were performed prior to the meal, with the 2024-25 officers in charge of the opening ceremony. President Avalyn Locke gave the welcome and Kiera Spencer, the blessing.
After the meal, guests were introduced, and guest speaker Ty Higgins of the Ohio Farm Bureau spoke to the group.
From Licking County, he said Ohio Farm Bureau’s focus for this year is an action plan for 2025.
“There are lots of things happening in Washington, D.C.,” he said. “What we do for Farm Bureau works. We talked about the Farm Bill. We’d love to get one in place soon. There is a lot of farmland involved. Eighty percent of the Farm Bureau is for nutrition and 20 percent for income from trade deals. We brought in new partners to give us guidelines.”
Featured throughout the program was the annual Silent Auction. This was followed by the presentation of various awards.
The recipient of the $2,000 Ben Overholser Scholarship was Sophia Aultman, accepting it from Overholser’s widow, Gail and son Josh. According to the Overholsers, Ben worked for Sisco and so far, $94,000 in scholarships have been given out to deserving students. He was 58 years of age at the time of his death in 2021.
Additional awards included: Star Greenhand, eighth-grader Wyatt Homan and sophomore Sloane Gariety; and State Chapter Farmer, sophomore Kensey Homan.
In the Greehand and Chapter Degree ceremonies, others honored were:
*Greenhand: Owen McGuire, Ava Thatcher, Cadence Burke, Annabelle Billenstein, Addison Gelhaus, Lynne Lerock, Jacob Macnutt, Carson Winner, Jake Pierre, Graham Coppess, Tanner Moody, Brooke Harter, Savannah Hall, Kaylee Schlechty, Lillian Perry Kaden Brookhart, Reese Everman and Alexis Moody.
*Chapter: Alexa Kreiner, Elly Locke, Kaitlyn Barga, London Reichert, William Aultman, Emma Brown Benjamin Barnt, Mathieu Baldridge, Aidan Barber and Troy Stuck.
Proficiency Award winners were Poultry Production Placement, Kensey Homan; Emma Brown, Ag Mechanics Repair and Fabrication; Diversified Ag Production, Jayda Mangen; Diversified Crop Production, Grace Graf; Ag Mechanics Repair and Maintenance, Avalyn Locke; Beef Production Placement, Austin Singer; Special Crop Entrepreneurship, Sophia Aultman; Specialty Crop Placement, Troy Stuck; Poultry Production Entrepreneurship, Avalyn Locke; Equine Science, Kiera Spencer; Fruit Production, Avalyn Locke; Best Production Entrepreneurship, Grace Graf; Vegetable Production Entrepreneurship, Emma Brown; and Agricultural Services, Alexa Kreiner.
FFA Advisors Jennie Bohman and Emily Williams presented some of the awards.
The new officers for 2025-26 were announced. Installed were: President Troy Stuck; Vice President Kensey Homan; Secretary Austin Singer; Treasurer Keira Spencer; Reporter Wyatt Homan and Sentinel William Aultman.
Retiring officers are: Avalyn Locke, president; Sophia Aultman, vice president; Kiera Spencer, secretary; Austin Singer, treasurer; Jayda Mangen, reporter; Kensey Homan, sentinel; Troy Stuck, student advisor; Kaitlyn Barga, historian; Grace Graf; parliamentarian; Kaitlyn Tollefson, chaplain; and assistant student advisor, Benjamin Barnt.
by CrownRandall | Apr 14, 2025 | Agriculture
VERSAILLES – Colin Batten 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. Colin is the son of Suzanne Batten and Chris Batten 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.
Colin started working in 2021 and has continued to work throughout his senior year and has worked over 3,000 hours. Colin’s primary roles are milking, feeding the calves, general farm work, and ensuring the health of the animals. Colin prepares milk for baby calves and, putting it into bottles, he makes sure the calves are healthy and drinking properly. Colin assists with chopping during summer and fall, where he hauls silage wagons and assists in packing silage piles. Colin treats cows, does immunization of calves, completes ear tagging in calves, and assists with keeping the cows comfortable in the free stall barn.
Ryan Schmitmeyer, the owner of Owl Creek Dairy, is quoted as saying, “Colin has become a valuable asset to our farming operation; no matter the task asked of him, Colin will get the job completed to the best of his abilities”. Ryan further stated that “ Colin is well-mannered and respectful, he is punctual, communicates well and takes on many responsibilities around the farm”.
Owl Creek Dairy Farm is owned and operated by Ryan and Krista Schmitmeyer and they started their farming operation in 2013. The farm consists of 385 dairy cows with the milk being marketed to Dannone and over 500 acres of cropland in which they raise corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa hay.
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 who participate in the capstone program and highlight the skills/knowledge they are gaining, the roles/assets they are bringing 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 Colin Batten, and thank you to Owl Creek Dairy Farm for this opportunity!
by CrownRandall | Apr 14, 2025 | Agriculture
I hope this Newsletter finds you well. Cooler temperatures and rain have been prominent recently, finally bringing Darke County out of the abnormally dry classification for now, but also continuing to limit the amount of field and garden work that can be done (https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?fips_39037. Another update on the weather will be shared in the attached Newsletter, providing more specific details.
Yesterday, April 10th, was National Farm Animals Day. Livestock production is extremely valuable to Darke County and to the world as a whole. Farm animals of all types, on all sizes of farms, help to feed the world, so let’s celebrate our local livestock producers.
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 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 agenda is attached.
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:
· Ag-Related Bills in the Ohio State Legislature
· Alfalfa Weevil Scouting
· Deciding When to Start Grazing
· Nutrient Content of Poultry Litter Compost
· US Dairy Export Destinations
· Weather Update
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 10, 2025 | Agriculture
VERSAILLES – The Versailles FFA Floriculture Team, consisting of members Paige Gehret, Lucy Schmitmeyer, Margaret McGlinch, and Alayna Dirksen, achieved remarkable success in their recent competition. Paige Gehret earned 12th place overall, while Lucy Schmitmeyer secured 15th place out of a total of 282 participants.
The Floriculture Career Development Event (CDE) includes a rigorous set of challenges, such as an online exam, plant identification (including insects, diseases, supplies, and equipment), placing floral classes, and a practicums of making a bud vase and planting young plants.
This marks the first time the Versailles FFA has competed in this CDE, and the team placed an outstanding 7th overall out of 42 teams.
The team would like to thank Susan Ballinger of Nature Reflections for helping the team with bud vase practicum and supplying them with needed supplies for the contest and special thanks to Kim Cromwell of the Ohio Association of Garden Clubs for helping the team learn about their plants and placing classes.
Congrats to the Floriculture Team on their success!
