Country Life

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland today welcomed the announcement by Vice President Biden that three Ohio broadband projects received more than $118 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to extend broadband access throughout Ohio and create more than 430 jobs, and likely many more through indirect job creation.

“These awards support our plan to create a seamless broadband infrastructure throughout Ohio,” Strickland said. “Comprehensive Internet access is one part of our strategy to lay the groundwork for Ohio’s long-term economic growth and improve Ohio’s business environment. Because access to high-speed Internet is increasingly essential for businesses and is a gateway to connecting our students with the world. I want to thank the Obama administration and our Ohio Congressional leaders for their continued support of our goal to make sure that every part of Ohio has access to high-speed Internet services.”

The Ohio awards are below:

Horizon Telecom, $66.5 million: The project, with nearly $28.5 million in matching contributions, will allow Horizon Telecom, a Chillicothe company, to offer affordable middle-mile broadband service in 34 southern and eastern Ohio counties.… Continue reading

By Kyle Sharp

It’s a horror story often heard within the agricultural community. Land next to a working farm is sold to non-farmers who move in from town and start complaining about the equipment, noise and periodic aromas that come with the rural landscape.
Fortunately, the Boyert family of Seville in Medina County has not had that problem.
In fact, when Don Diefendorff and his wife, Beth, purchased the old farmhouse and 6 acres across the road from the Boyerts in 2004 and moved from near Akron, Diefendorff quickly became a friend and extra farmhand.
“Shortly after moving in, he came over and introduced himself to us,” said Matt Boyert, 25, the second-oldest of six children raised by Mike and Patti Boyert. “Since making our acquaintance, he has readily come over and assisted us with our outside chores. He has even reached a point where he has helped pull a couple of calves and came over to watch a veterinarian perform a C-section.”… Continue reading

Ohio State Fair Hall of Fame inducts eight new members

The Ohio State Fair inducted eight new Hall of Fame members on July 29 in the Rhodes Center Auditorium. Inductees are: Charles Cox, Columbus; Dennis Elliott, Columbus; Richard Falter, Osprey, Fla.; Opal Holfinger, Troy; Richard Indoe, Lodi; David Madison, Bexley; Jeff Milgrom, Columbus; and Rose Stough, Galion.

Charles Cox has been involved with the Ohio State Fair for approximately 50 years as a concessionaire. Beginning with the operation of ice cream concessions during the fair, Cox’s involvement has grown to provide year-round concessions and catering services at the Ohio Expo Center through Concessions by Cox, Inc.

Dennis Elliott has supported 4-H youth development for more than 50 years in the state of Ohio. He is a tireless supporter of fairs and 4-H. A past president and an active member of the State Fair 50 Year Club, Elliott contributes his time and financial support to Ohio State Fair 4-H and Junior Fair activities.… Continue reading

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, joined by several state agency directors, announced both short- and long-term action plans to help restore Grand Lake St. Marys, Ohio’s largest inland lake.

The governor announced the State’s latest efforts to assist the area from the Wright State University Lake Campus, and he and the directors emphasized the action plan can only be implemented thanks to the good partnerships the State has developed with the local community and the federal government.

“We know that our businesses and families have struggled with the loss of activity at the lake this summer. This crisis has been generations in the making, and it will take all of us working together to try to restore this lake to health and prosperity,” Strickland said. “This action plan provides a clear direction forward, and I want to thank this community for working with us as we all search for ways to bring this lake back to health.”… Continue reading

A team of exceptional individuals has been announced to represent Ohio’s renowned Junior Fair program at the 157th Ohio State Fair. Ohio State Fair Junior Fair Board (JFB) members are nominated by their respective youth organizations to serve a two year term as an ambassador for the Fair assisting with daily activities. At the conclusion of the Fair, officers are elected from those who will be serving a second term to lead the board’s activities in the following year. Responsibilities of the JFB include assisting with the daily parade, delivering awards, the Monster Mural, assisting in the WCOL Celeste Center and providing support to Junior Fair programs and other events as needed. The JFB is made up of some of the most active Junior Fair members in the State. Below you can find out what keeps them busy when they’re not at the Fair. Cambell Parrish of Edon, Ohio, represents the Ohio FFA Association as this year’s JFB president.… Continue reading

Adults who work with 4-H camp counselors have always suspected that the experience provided teenagers with the workforce skills that 21st century employers are looking for. Now they have strong evidence that supports the idea.

In a 2009 pilot project, “Camp Counselor Work-based Learning,” 11 counties received Ohio 4-H Foundation Sauder grants to participate in the program and include self- and supervisor assessments similar to work-based performance appraisals. In addition, counselors completed a series of questions about their camp experience, and 4-H professionals participated in a focus group to assess the program. In the pilot counties, 275 teens were trained as camp counselors, and data were collected from 168, for a 61-percent response rate.

“We’ve always done training for camp counselors,” said Theresa Ferrari, youth development specialist for Ohio State University Extension’s 4-H program. “But for the pilot project, we asked the adults conducting the training to talk specifically about how certain skills being taught were also workforce skills that employers value.… Continue reading

Too much green is making some Ohio farm ponds blue, and not in a good way.

Invasive aquatic plants, filamentous algae and harmful algal blooms, or HABs, are growing threats in the state, said Bill Lynch, program specialist in aquatic system management with Ohio State University Extension.

They’re popping up in places they’ve never been before; can turn waters slimy, pea-soupy and sometimes even poisonous; and can ruin a pond’s value to wildlife, fish and people.

The good news: You can learn ways to stop them in an upcoming workshop.

“Ponds with a Purpose” takes place on Saturday, July 24, at Ohio State University’s Molly Caren Agricultural Center — home of Farm Science Review — near London.

Lynch and Marne Titchenell, OSU Extension program specialist in wildlife, will teach it. OSU Extension’s Ohio Woodland Stewards Program is the sponsor.

“I’ll be spending time, for the first time, educating on HABs, which have become a major problem in ponds and small lakes the past two summers,” Lynch said.… Continue reading

By Matt Reese

It is inevitable. Anyone who is involved in any type of agricultural production will be asked questions about farming and the food system at some point.

“Hi I am Jim,” the man says sitting next to you on the airplane. “I am an attorney in Chicago. What is it that you do?”

“Oh you’re a farmer, huh? Do you raise livestock with all of those steroids and antibiotics?”

Whether the farmer in question here raises corn and soybeans, chickens, cattle or backyard tomatoes, this critical conversation on a plane will help shape lawyer Jim’s perception of agriculture. This may be the only farmer Jim has ever met.

If the conversation goes well, Jim gains insight into modern agriculture and appreciation for the tremendous amount of work that goes into the food he enjoys every day. This positive impression will encourage Jim to be more willing to be supportive of farmers when he talks to his friends about his conversation on the plane, makes his food purchasing decisions or votes on an ag-related issue down the road.… Continue reading

The Ohio Lamb and Wool Queen serves as a spokesperson for the industry throughout her year of reign at numerous promotional events and activities around the state. The queen is selected by judges at the Ohio State Fair on August 1, 2010. Contestants will attend an interview and answer an impromptu question from a panel of judges live at the conclusion of the Guys and Gals lead competition. The selection of the queen is based on personality, presentation, poise, knowledge of the Ohio Lamb and Wool industry and participation in the Guys and Gals Lead competition. If you or someone you know is interested in applying for the 2010-2011 Ohio Lamb and Wool Queen please download the application by visiting http://www.ohiosheep.org/OSIA/Queen.html.

We encourage all ladies between the ages of 17-21 who are involved in the industry to consider applying for this position. This is a terrific opportunity to build a wealth of knowledge of the Ohio Lamb and Wool Industry and expand communication skills and network within Ohio agriculture. … Continue reading

The Ohio Lamb and Wool Queen serves as a spokesperson for the industry throughout her year of reign at numerous promotional events and activities around the state. The queen is selected by judges at the Ohio State Fair on August 1, 2010. Contestants will attend an interview and answer an impromptu question from a panel of judges live at the conclusion of the Guys and Gals lead competition. The selection of the queen is based on personality, presentation, poise, knowledge of the Ohio Lamb and Wool industry and participation in the Guys and Gals Lead competition. If you or someone you know is interested in applying for the 2010-2011 Ohio Lamb and Wool Queen please download the application by visiting http://www.ohiosheep.org/OSIA/Queen.html.

We encourage all ladies between the ages of 17-21 who are involved in the industry to consider applying for this position. This is a terrific opportunity to build a wealth of knowledge of the Ohio Lamb and Wool Industry and expand communication skills and network within Ohio agriculture. … Continue reading

The State Executive Director for Ohio’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), Steve Maurer, would like to announce a new program available for retired or retiring owners and operators who are willing to sell or lease Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres to beginning or minority farmers.  The Transition Incentive Program (TIP) provides annual rental payments to the retired or retiring landowners for up to two additional years after the date of the expiration of the CRP contract, provided the transition is not to a family member.  Sign-up for the new TIP program began in May, at your local FSA office.

To be eligible, TIP requires that the retired or retiring farmer:

§  Have land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) that is in the last year of the contract.

§  Agree to allow the beginning or minority farmer to make conservation and land improvements.

§  Agree to sell, or have a contract to sell, or agree to long-term lease (a minimum of 5 years) the land under CRP contract to a beginning or minority farmer by Oct.

By Matt Reese

It is easy to romanticize agriculture’s past. The water was clean, the air was fresh and the sun always shone (except when a rain was needed). There were pigs, geese, horses, cattle, sheep and chickens all residing in a quaint red barn that offered no unpleasant odors. All creatures lived in harmony and farmers had a nearly unlimited social license with the general public to run their operations with freedom from excessive regulations.

Well, times have changed for the reality (or the perception) of the farm and in the minds of the general public with regard to the general public’s social license for agriculture. This social license long granted the privilege of operating with minimal formalized restrictions based on maintaining a trust with the public; if people think farms are doing the right things, then there is no need to regulate them more formally.

Though people may used to think that way, it seems that they do not any longer.… Continue reading

When we get in our semis and straight trucks to haul grain, we are glad when we hit the brake peddle to stop and we stop. The air brake system on our trucks is actually pretty simple and works the same on almost all trucks.

All air brake systems use air pressure to apply the brakes when you step on the pedal. The air is stored in a series of pressure tanks on the truck. The air is pressurized by the air compressor on the

truck’s engine. The pressure is regulated by the air governor on the air compressor. Most, if not all systems, work on 120 psi of pressure.

Some systems have an air dryer, which dries the moisture out of the air to keep it from freezing in the winter time.

The air dryer has a cartridge in it that should be changed once per year. The air is pressurized by the compressor,

passes through the air dryer and into the tanks.… Continue reading

Ohio communities seeking to promote the viability of local farms and agricultural economic development are encouraged to apply for grant funding from Ohio State University’s Center for Farmland Policy Innovation.

Proposals are due by Sept. 24, 2010. The center expects to disburse $50,000 for two or three innovative projects that promote community-based agricultural economic development priorities in local communities, said Jill Clark, the center’s director. In addition, the center also expects to disperse a total of $10,000 for two or three smaller planning grants. These grants focus on community-based agricultural economic development specifically through the community planning process, including creating or revising a community plan to address local agricultural needs and facilitate solutions.

Community-based agricultural development involves community planning, organizing and acting to enhance the health of a community through viable local agriculture. It is a collaborative local effort to retain and grow the benefits of food and agriculture, and to advance sustainable farming.… Continue reading

The Ohio Department of Agriculture today announced its third annual photo contest. Participants will have until Dec. 31, 2010, to capture their personal interpretation of this year’s theme “Life of a Farmer.”

“Life of a Farmer” can be interpreted in many ways. Entrants are asked to show the department their unique definition of the life of an everyday farmer, which could include photos of farmers at work, with their animals or enjoying life on the farm.

Following the Dec. 31 deadline, an independent judging panel will rank the photo submissions. The winning photographers will be invited to join Director Boggs and other invited guests for a reception and unveiling of the top photos. The top photos will be placed on display at the Ohio Statehouse. All photos may be used by the department for educational or promotional incentives.

General photography contest rules:

• Entrants must be at least 16-years-old and the original photographer.