The holiday season is fast approaching and that means it’s time for Farm and Dairy’s annual holiday writing and holiday art contests.

Special memories

Everyone has a special memory or has an idea in their mind that makes them think of the holidays. Grab your keyboard and put those thoughts on paper in a story for our contest.

To the youth, if you aren’t a writer, but like to draw, we want to see your work. Make a holiday masterpiece and enter it in our holiday art contest.

This year, spread the joy. Write a story or if you are a youngster, create a piece of art with an agricultural theme and send it to the Farm and Dairy by Dec. 1 and you could see your work appear in print.

Will appear in print

Winning holiday story entries will appear in the Dec. 24 and 31 editions. Winning art contest entries will grace our cover of those issues.
In the writing contest, children and young adult age groups will depend on the number of entries submitted. Adults will be judged in a separate category.

Farm and Dairy staff will judge stories based on creativity, originality and writing quality. Art, which must be completed in a horizontal layout, will be judged by staffers on neatness, creativity and originality.

Winners and runners-up will be notified by phone. Last year’s winners are eligible. If you entered our contest last year, be sure to give us something different to read this year.
Send your typed story of up to 500 words to Farm and Dairy, Holiday Story Contest, P.O. Box 38, Salem, OH, 44460 or e-mail it to kfoster@farmanddairy.com.

Very important details

Be sure to include your name, age, phone number and hometown. If an entry does not include these things, it will be disqualified.
Complete rules can be found here.

To check out the 2008 winner, click here.

Robert Steele (left), the former Dean of Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences,receives the prestigious Barn Raiser Award from Pennsylvania Farm Bureau (PFB) President Carl Shaffer. To see more photos from the annual meeting, please scroll down.

HERSHEY, Pa. — Pennsylvania Farm Bureau presented former state agriculture secretary Dennis Wolff and former dean of Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences Robert Steele with Barn Raiser Awards to recognize their years of public service to the agricultural community.

The awards were presented during the farm group’s annual meeting Nov. 16-18 in Hershey.

Wolff

Wolff served as Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Agriculture for more than six years, before leaving the post in August. His tenure resulted in major accomplishments, including the creation of programs designed to improve the agriculture industry and legislation to protect farmers and rural communities.

Wolff, a Columbia County dairy farmer, was named a Master Farmer in 1994 for his outstanding work in the agriculture. After leaving PDA, Wolff became a partner with Versant Strategies of Harrisburg.

Steele

Robert Steele served as dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences for a dozen years, before stepping down from the post earlier this year.

Under his leadership, Penn State was able to maintain and strengthen research and cooperative extension programs.

After leaving as dean, Steele decided to remain at Penn State, joining the college’s faculty as a tenured professor in the Department of Food Science.

Other awards

Richard and Nellie Crawford, of Juniata County, received the 2009 Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award.

The Crawfords began farming more than six decades ago, when they started Fort Bingham Farm with only 12 cows. The Crawfords still farm, operating a 120-cow dairy that they run with their son, Frank, and grandson, Evan Saylor.

Some of Richard’s accomplishments include developing Agricultural Security Areas in townships throughout Juniata County, serving as president of the Ag Land Preservation Board and acting as chair of the Soil Conservation Board.

Nellie’s accomplishments included serving on the Juniata County Safety Coalition and the county Farm Bureau’s Women’s Leadership Committee. She also served as a member of the Child and Youth Advisory Board, the Juniata County Extension Board and as a 4-H leader for many years.

Harold Ely, of Susquehanna County, received the 2009 Distinguished Local Affairs Leader Award.

Ely has been involved with Farm Bureau for 55 years, active on both the local and statewide levels. As president of the Pennsylvania Council of Farm Organizations, he was instrumental in bringing together dairy farm cooperatives and farm organizations to support legislation that created the Milk Producers’ Security Fund.

The 91-year-old Ely also spent 18 years working for Dairylea and provided testimony that helped defeat an effort to abolish the Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board.

Young farmer awards

Michael and Katie Flinchbaugh of York County won the 2009 Young Farmer and Rancher Achievement Award.

Michael Flinchbaugh is part of a diverse family farm operation near Hellam, York County, that involves his parents, a brother and a sister. The farm includes 1,400 acres of cash grain crops, a contract hog finishing operation and a 20-acre orchard which supplies peaches, apples and other fruit to the family farm market.

Off the farm, Michael is treasurer of the York County Conservation District board and is a founding member of the Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education. In addition, he gets involved when needed as an “Ag Communicator” for the York County Farm Bureau.

Meanwhile, Katie works full-time off the farm, but provides help at the farm market

This year’s other finalist was Josh Bishop of Bucks County, who runs a 450-acre registered Holstein dairy farm in partnership with his father.

The Achievement Award winner receives $500 from Dodge, use of a tractor from Case IH, plus registration and lodging at PFB’s YF&R Leadership Conference in 2010.

The winner will also travel to Seattle, to compete for national honors during American Farm Bureau Federation’s 91th annual meeting in January.

Discussion meet

Maria Sipler, of Mohnton, Berks County, won the YF&R Discussion Meet, outperforming seven other participants.

Sipler operates an alpaca farm, where wool from the animals is sold for clothing and other material. Sipler also is the operations manager for four locations of Hoover Inc., a Case I-H dealership.

The discussion meet contestants were put in situations where they had to analyze agricultural problems and decide on solutions that best meet their needs.

Sipler receives $500 from Dodge, $250 worth of vouchers from Choice Hotels, lodging and registration for PFB’s 2010 YF&R Leadership Conference and an expense paid trip to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual meeting.

A second discussion meet competition took place among PFB’s Collegiate Farm Bureau. Those winners were Lisa Rankin and Sarah Wickard.

Excellence in Ag

Carissa Itle Westrick of Cambria County received the 2009 Young Farmer and Rancher Excellence in Ag Award.

Itle Westrick works as director of marketing at her family’s Vale Wood Farms in Cambria County. Each year, she hosts about 4,000 school students on tours of the dairy operation and also participates in other agritainment events, such as hayride tours on the farm.

Before working at the family-owned dairy operation, Itle Westrick worked as director of environment programs for the National Milk Producers Federation and currently acts as a dairy spokesperson for the Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association.

As the state winner, Itle Westrick receives $500 from Dodge, $250 in vouchers at Choice Hotels, lodging and registration for the state YF&R Leadership conference and an expense paid trip to the American Farm Bureau’s annual meeting.

More photos from the Pa. Farm Bureau annual meeting:

In the Oct. 1 edition of the Farm and Dairy, it was reported Witmer’s attorney, Michael J. McGee had confirmed a tentative settlement had been reached. Court records also show both sides of the case had confirmed a possible settlement.

Civil trial rescheduled

However, according to the Mahoning County court docket, a jury trial has been rescheduled for Feb. 2, 2010.

The lawsuit was filed in July 2008 against Donald Curfman Jr. and his wife, Bonnie Curfman. Also listed in the lawsuit is Belinda Ingledue and Richard Curfman (Curfman’s brother), both of Minerva.

Curfman had worked at Witmer’s since 1993 and retired in March 2008. He served as the manager of Witmer’s Garfield Mill.

Alleged scheme

According to the lawsuit, Curfman is accused of issuing grain tickets to Ingledue without actually receiving any grain from her as part of a scheme to defraud Witmer’s. The alleged thefts are believed to have occurred from 2003 to 2007. The duo are alleged to have split proceeds totaling more than $900,000.

Grain tickets

Curfman is also accused issuing fake grain tickets to himself between 2004 and 2008 and collecting more than $200,000 in compensation.

The lawsuit says that Witmer’s began questioning Curfman about the grain shortage in November 2005 after a fake paper trail was allegedly created by Curfman to account for the grain transfers that never happened.

Meanwhile, Curfman has contacted the Farm and Dairy with his own claims about the scheme and has stated he did not act alone, and that Mike Witmer, president of Witmer’s Feed and Grain Inc., knew what was happening.

Curfman’s brother and wife are also included in the lawsuit because they are believed to have known about the scheme.

Lawsuit demands

According to the lawsuit, Witmer’s is demanding more than $25,000 in collections and assets owned by Curfman that they believed to have been purchased with the money gained through the alleged scheme. The lawsuit is also seeking assets including a home built in 2006, which caught fire May 7, 2009.

No contact

Calls and messages were placed with both Attorney McGee and Curfman’s attorney Larry W. Stacey II. However, neither returned a call to the Farm and Dairy.

Martin spoke to a crowd of several hundred during Ohio State University’s Renewable Energy Workshop Nov. 12.

Appeal to the masses

The Model T started selling in 1909 — exactly 100 years ago. Martin said more expensive and elaborate cars, like the Packard and Cadillac were available, but said the ‘T’ appealed to the average person and created a market — a path digesters can follow, if a smaller-scale model is made marketable.

The average price for a large-scale digester is about $1 million, Martin said, and the amount of cattle it takes to produce enough waste is so great, that only a small percent of U.S. dairies would qualify.

About 95 percent of the country’s dairy farmers have 500 head or less, he said, which means the “multitude” of the market are mid-size and smaller dairies.

Martin said what Henry Ford wanted to do was “Get a car to the great multitude of people,” one that “everybody will be able to afford and everyone will have.”

Through his research, Martin has found there are actually millions of smaller-scale digesters in use in China and India, and has conversed with local Amish producers who could also benefit.

Big isn’t bad

But big digesters aren’t being discounted, and a fairly sizable one is on its way to completion on the campus of Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) in Wooster, where officials with quasar energy group (formerly known as Schmack BioEnergy) are in the process of constructing a digester that will produce about a third of the campus’ energy needs.

Clemens Halene, vice president of engineering, said the 550,000-gallon digester is well under way and expects the structure will open sometime in December for a reception, and will be producing energy by the close of first quarter 2010.

The unit is expected to produce about 485 kilowatts of electricity and 2 million Btu of thermal heat. Its feedstock will include food waste, crop waste, grass and manure.

A good partner

Halene praised the partnership between quasar and OSU, which has allowed quasar to become the first establishment in the newly formed BioHio Research Park along the City of Wooster’s Secrest Road.

He said there are still some hurdles to climb in terms of proper permitting of the facility, but expects those issues will soon be resolved.

In addition to producing energy, digesters still leave behind a valuable waste product that can be marketed as fertilizer, or as a form of livestock bedding.

“You used to pay to get rid of the effluent, now you get paid ‘for’ it,” Halene said.

Facility tours

Following indoor presentations, the group toured OSU’s Bioenergy Center, where quasar research is performed.

Professor Yebo Li and his students explained the process of wet storage “and” pretreatment of corn stover for ethanol production. The result is reduced processing times.

Li and his students also are working on ways to produce polyurethane foam from by-products during the creation of biodiesel.
Attendees also saw the much smaller pilot digesters being used inside the laboratory to research and improve anaerobic digestion. The lab houses eight pilot units, each about shoulder-high.

Modern feed mill

Also on the tour was OARDC’s new $5.5 million Feedstock Processing Research Facility, which was partly completed with funds from a Third Frontier Project grant.

The facility can handle 8,000 tons of feed per year, compared to 1,200 tons at the old mill, built in 1965. Storage capacity, mixing capabilities, grinding and pelleting abilities have also improved.

This was OSU’s second Renewable Energy Workshop, an annual project co-sponsored by the University and Wayne County Sustainable Energy Network.

Billed as the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement, the plan was formed in response to food safety concerns, especially outbreaks of E. coli. It incorporates food safety practices and mandatory government inspections. California growers approved it in 2007, but the plan is now being considered as a standard for other states and potentially the nation, officials say.

Ohio growers cry foul

But some Ohio growers, both English and Amish, say Ohio is vastly different from California, in terms of the size of its operations and crops grown, and no one plan should be made to regulate the two states, or other states that may differ.

“I’m really, really afraid,” said Bob Jones, of Huron, Ohio, of what he sees in Ohio’s future.

Jones’ comments came during a presentation held Nov. 10 at Mount Hope Auction barn, where members of Ohio Produce Growers and Marketing Association spoke about the creation of an Ohio-based standard, to be called the Ohio Fresh Produce Marketing Agreement.

Ohioans for Ohio

“We want to write our own standards for Ohio, to take into account where we grow, how we grow and what we grow,” Jones said.
The presentation, one of a half-dozen being held across the state are led mostly by Karl Kolb, project manager for the newly formed Ohio Fresh Produce Marketing Agreement.

Small growers excluded

Kolb was part of the group that helped design California’s plan, which he said was good for that state, at the time. However, it later excluded some 25,000 smaller farmers from participating.

And Ohio growers could be excluded, too, if the same standard is applied to their state, he said.
The Ohio plan, if approved, would seek to develop a multi-tiered certification structure that would certify producers in ways that would be safe and practical for all sizes of production.

Kolb said participation in Ohio’s plan would still be voluntary, but that it would “have the same strength and validity” of other plans and protect the safety and grower interests of Ohioans.

All-inclusive plan

The Mount Hope meeting was mostly attended by Amish, but the produce standard is an issue for all Ohioans, said Raymond Yoder, who serves on the produce committee for Mount Hope Produce Auction.

“This is not for the Amish or the Mennonites, it’s for all of us,” he said.

Tim Calame, floor manager at Blooming Grove Produce Auction in Richland County, said he’s concerned what responsibility sales managers will have if a national plan is adopted, and whether he would have to conduct additional monitoring of his sellers.

If an Ohio plan is developed, he wants it to be affordable and practical, so it doesn’t interfere with a producer’s ability to be profitable in what is already a tight marketplace, he said.

Kolb and other officials said they would try to make the certification fee as practical as possible, but said they still feel it’s a better choice than requiring producers to join a national plan.

Profits on the line

The event also was attended by representatives with Ohio State University Extension, including fruit and vegetable specialist Doug Doohan. He told Ohio Farm Bureau that regulations like those in the California plan could limit small growers to selling only at farmers markets, and that “their ability to grow their business and make any kind of profit could be severely curtailed.”

What’s next?

The idea for an Ohio plan has already been presented in Cleveland, Athens and Morrow. After all listening sessions are complete, OPGMA will develop a draft of action, to be presented during its winter congress Jan. 18-20 in Sandusky. ]]> http://www.farmanddairy.com/news/ohio-produce-growers-balk-at-national-plan-back-state-specific-regs/13522.html/feed http://www.farmanddairy.com/news/ohio-produce-growers-balk-at-national-plan-back-state-specific-regs/13522.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/farmanddairy-top-stories/~3/adGU8XGmL7Q/13516.html http://www.farmanddairy.com/news/thanksgiving-dinner-cost-declines-for-2009/13516.html#comments Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:31:50 +0000 Other News http://www.farmanddairy.com/news/thanksgiving-dinner-cost-declines-for-2009/13516.html WASHINGTON — Menu items for a classic Thanksgiving dinner including turkey, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie and all the basic trimmings dropped 4 percent in price this year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

The 4 percent decrease in the national average cost reported this year by Farm Bureau for a classic Thanksgiving dinner tracks closely with the organization’s 2009 quarterly marketbasket food surveys (available at http://newsroom.fb.org) and the federal government’s Consumer Price Index (available at http://data.bls.gov/).

Best possible prices

Farm Bureau volunteer shoppers are asked to look for the best possible prices, without taking advantage of special promotional coupons or purchase deals, such as spending $50 and receiving a free turkey.

Shoppers with an eye for bargains in all areas of the country should be able to purchase individual menu items at prices comparable to the Farm Bureau survey averages.

Another option for busy families without a lot of time to cook is ready-to-eat Thanksgiving meals for up to 10 people, with all the trimmings, which are available at many supermarkets and take-out restaurants for around $50 to $75.

The American Farm Bureau Federation survey was first conducted in 1986. While Farm Bureau does not make any statistical claims about the data, it is an informal gauge of price trends around the nation.

More than 200 volunteer shoppers from 35 states participated in this year’s survey.

Menu unchanged

Farm Bureau’s survey menu has remained unchanged since 1986 to allow for consistent price comparisons.

On Nov. 5, a host of officials from the state department of agriculture, state government and Ohio State University helped congratulate the people involved with the Office of Farmland Preservation and its goal of preserving more land and increasing the ability of farmers to be sustainable.

“This summit’s greatest strength continues to be the fact that it is derived from grassroots efforts,” said Ohio Director of Agriculture Robert Boggs told the crowd of several hundred inside the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center on the OSU campus.

History

Last year, voters renewed the Clean Ohio bond issue, which generated an additional $400 million to continue efforts to preserve green space and farmland, improve outdoor recreation and clean up brownfields to encourage redevelopment and revitalize communities.

Thanks to the program, Ohio has gone from “zero preserved acres to more than 40,000 acres,” Boggs said.

Boggs commended the partnerships being formed between the state department of agriculture and OSU, and credited much of the success of the farmland program to Jill Clark, director of OSU’s Center for Farmland Policy Innovation.

Who we are

OSU President Gordon Gee was the featured speaker and addressed the need to preserve Ohio’s identity and the things that attract people to the state.

“We have to be focussed on preserving who we are,” he said. “We cannot eradicate who we are by simply thinking the world is going to be instant gratification.”

He said there’s great opportunity in the state remaining as it is, in terms of farmland, greenspace and values. But there’s also opportunity for growth and leadership, amid major challenges.

“The economic issues that we face provide us a unique opportunity, the opportunity to reinvent ourselves and change and do things no one else can do,” he said.

National message

In the afternoon, the crowd heard from U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan, who took office in April.

“Communities can either react to the loss of the farmland or they can sit down and chart the future,” she said.

She commended Ohio for choosing to “chart its future” and set an example for other states. She did not speak against development and population growth, but instead encouraged responsible growth, especially near places already developed.

“Population increases close to the farm offer great marketing opportunities, for businesses and for farmers,” she said.

From the treasurer

Although he admitted he doesn’t know much about farming and has only milked one cow — a cow in Darke County that he was more or less dared to milk, Ohio Treasurer Kevin Boyce said there is much his office is doing to help farmers financially, to make good decisions and to acquire reduced-rate loans when needed.

Boyce became the state’s 47th treasurer in January and has worked to fine-tune Ag-Link, which provides reduced interest rates to farmers borrowing money for operating costs.

By law, $125 million is allocated for the program annually.

Annual report

This year’s annual report shows that as of July 31, 193 Ohio farms have been preserved, totaling around 40,000 acres.

In the past year, the Agricultural Easement Purchase Program purchased easements on 16 farms in Butler, Clark, Fairfield, Fulton, Portage, Preble, Seneca and Wayne counties, totaling nearly 1,500 total acres.

In his letter introducing the annual report, Boggs reported that the USDA’s 2007 Census shows the state lost more than 600,000 acres of farmland from 2002-2007, a “troubling trend” that needs attention.

The full annual report is available online at the Ohio Farmland Preservation’s Web site, www.agri.ohio.gov/farmland. A map of each Ohio county and the number of farms preserved also is available.

Although the soybean harvest is nearly complete, the same can not be said about corn.

Wet field conditions and wet corn are the two culprits giving farmers the most problems at this point. The good thing is that no farmer should feel alone, as weather appears to be plaguing many across the U.S.

Different regions reports

USDA’s Crop Progress report Nov. 9 indicated that 37 percent of the corn crop has been harvested, compared to the 82 percent average for the past five years.

According to the crop progress report, North Dakota has only 3 percent of its crop harvested, but it is running behind on maturity. Nebraska is 30 percent harvested and Iowa is 34 percent complete. Illinois is 31 percent, but Indiana and Ohio are between 37 and 41 percent complete from only 44 percent.

Soybean harvest, nationally, advanced to 75 percent complete this week, compared to the five year average of 92 percent.

In Ohio specifically, 99 percent of the corn crop is reported mature and 37 percent has been harvested so far. However, that is way behind from last year’s 81 percent at this time.
Wheat planting has made great strides across the buckeye state with 92 percent complete.

Across the stateline in Pennsylvania, 96 percent of the corn crop is mature and 51 percent has been harvested compared to last year’s 78 percent. In addition, 57 percent of the soybeans have been which is behind last year’s 71 percent. The wheat planting has also caught up to being 88 percent complete.

Long way to go

Deerfield Farms is reporting the soybean harvest is almost complete, but corn is just getting started.

Bill Wallbrown, co-owner of Deerfield Farms Service, estimates only 15 percent of the corn crop in northeast Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania has been picked.

Wallbrown said there are two challenges facing farmers: High moisture content in corn is creating a bigger drying expense, and wet ground conditions.

“I think we are better off as a whole than out West. I’m hearing reports of corn coming in at above 26 percent moisture out there,” Wallbrown said. “Normally, we struggle here in northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania, but we are doing better this year.”

Wallbrown did comment that the yields many farmers are seeing are better than average.

Jury still out

Ralph Wince, grain merchandiser for Agland Co-op, agreed that the soybean harvest has come along way in the past couple of weeks. However, he estimates only 10 percent of the corn crop has been picked in the area so far.

Wince said he is confident the weather forecast holds good things and farmers will be able to get into the fields and get the corn off, even though it will still contain a high moisture rate.

The jury is still out as to corn yields.

“We are hearing some good ones and some not-so-good ones, but it is still too early to tell; not enough has been harvested yet,” Wince said.

Wince guessed, from what farmers have been selling, that soybeans averaged 50 bushel to the acre. F.C. Stone, a national hedging company, put the national average at 44 bushels to the acre.

Currently, the area is averaging 145 bushel to the acre in corn and the national average is 164 bushels, although Wince was quick to caution it’s still early.

“That may be too low of an estimate until we really get going on the corn harvest,” Wince said.

Slow corn harvest

Joe Needham, vice president of the grain division of The Anderson’s near Toledo, agrees the corn harvest is lagging in this region, and it is still too early to know how this year’s harvest will be.

He said early indications show a good yield — better than last year’s. However, the high moisture in the corn has many worried about molds growing in corn creating toxins, which is causing concerns about using the grain for animal feed.

Quality issue

Another problem some farmers are having is that they are drying the corn and it is falling apart as it is being dried.

“Some are starting to show concern about the storability of corn through next summer — the quality is the issue,” Needham said.

He also estimates the corn harvest will not be completed until closer to Christmas instead of Thanksgiving this year.

“If we get it all harvested — that’s a big if — we will be able to minimize losses,” Needham said.

Wet corn

Harvest costs are rising because it is taking even longer to dry corn than in other years.

“What it took a farmer to dry corn with 15 or 16 percent moisture rating last year is taking the same farmer three times as long with a moisture rating of 25 percent,” Needham said.

He said farmers are also getting frustrated because some grain elevators are being forced to shut down so they can get caught up on drying. He said he has heard reports of some being open for two or three days and then closing for a day just to catch up on the drying.

“Farmers just want to do what they are good at, getting the crop out of the ground,” Needham said.

Fewer wheat acres?

The weather this fall may also impact next year’s wheat crop.

Needham predicts there are fewer acres of wheat in the ground this year than other years.

“The conditions just weren’t right,” Needham said.

Putnam County. Glen Arnold, Ohio State University Extension Educator in Putnam County, agreed the wheat crop could be a problem.

He said there are worries across the state that late planting could be a problem because the plants have not been able to establish themselves before severe weather hits.

]]> http://www.farmanddairy.com/news/moving-forward-harvest-2009/13489.html/feed http://www.farmanddairy.com/news/moving-forward-harvest-2009/13489.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/farmanddairy-top-stories/~3/lJR3D4xzc-8/13485.html http://www.farmanddairy.com/news/harrison-soil-and-water-conservation-district-recognizes-award-winners/13485.html#comments Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:45:04 +0000 Other News http://www.farmanddairy.com/news/harrison-soil-and-water-conservation-district-recognizes-award-winners/13485.html CADIZ, Ohio — More than 100 guests celebrated 64 years of conservation with the Harrison Soil and Water Conservation District Oct. 29 at the Scio Fire Hall in Scio, Ohio.

Supervisor elections were held prior to the official meeting. One supervisor was elected to serve a three-year term. Damian Chrisman will serve from Jan. 1, 2010 to Dec. 31, 2012.

After a dinner prepared by the Scio Volunteer Fire Department, supervisors recognized the Conservation Farm of the Year. This award is granted to an individual or family that displays an outstanding example of protecting and conserving our natural resources.

The program recognizes cooperators who have developed a conservation plan, implemented conservation practices and demonstrated conservation to others.

C.H. Birney Farms Inc

C.H. Birney Farms Inc., owned and operated by John and Bill Birney, was presented the award for their continued conservation efforts. The Birneys have opened up their farm for agricultural tours, hosted students and were showcased on Agri-Country.

C.H. Birney Farms Inc. believes that, “the land and its resources are gifts that have been left to us to maintain for future generations. It is our job to see that we improve and maintain the land and its resources while we are the stewards of it.”

John and Bill Birney are working with their sons to see that conservation is a continued priority in their farming operation for years to come.

Hall of Fame

Paul and Walter Mader, owners of Mader Brothers Farms, and Nick Miric were inducted into the Conservation Hall of Fame for their lifetime of conservation achievements.

The Conservation Hall of Fame Award recognizes individuals, families or businesses that have done an outstanding job over the years working toward the conservation of our natural resources.

Essay contest

Caden Arbaugh, a fourth grader at Jewett Elementary School, recited the winning essay he entered into the Fourth Grade Environmental Field Day Essay Contest. The essay was based on what he learned about soils, water, plants, animals and recycling at this year’s Environmental Field Day held at Zitko Farms in September.

More than 125 students competed for the award that Arbaugh received.

Don Zitko Educator Award

The principal of Harrison Central High School, Brent Ripley, was honored with the Don Zitko Educator Award. This award recognizes individuals, organizations or businesses that go beyond the call of duty to educate youth and/or adults.

Ripley has shown support by allowing the Harrison Central FFA students to attend Soil and Water Conservation District events as group leaders, participants, and competitors. He has also welcomed Soil and Water Conservation District into the classrooms of Harrison Central High School.

Bob and Dorothy Glover of Jewett, Ohio, were recognized for nominating the biggest white oak tree in Harrison County, winning the Big Tree Contest. The white oak, located on Braddock Road in Hopedale, earned a total score of 316.125.

A complete list of entries and scores is available at www.hswcd.org.

More than 30 items were donated by individuals, businesses and organizations for the silent auction held during the meeting.

Proceeds, totaling $510, will go toward the district’s 2010 education programs.

More information

For more information or to donate to the conservation education fund, contact Harrison Soil and Water Conservation District at 740-942-8837.