Longtime advisor Neer honoredBy Dani Schipfer - Mechanicsburg FFA Reporter- Submitted to Urbana Daily Citizen MECHANICSBURG – On Friday, May 14, the Mechanicsburg Future Farmers of America (FFA) Chapter hosted its 2020-2021 banquet. During the banquet, there were refreshments as well as treats provided by Mr. Kindle, the Mechanicsburg High School science teacher. There was also a silent auction with goods donated by many of the Mechanicsburg FFA Booster members.
The banquet was held to honor and recognize the accomplishments of the chapter members from this past school year. Due to the cancellation of the 2020 FFA Banquet, we also recognized some of the accomplishments from the previous school year. The Meats, General Livestock, Dairy and Soil judging teams all received awards for their placings at this year’s state contests. Most of the members also advanced in their status of their FFA degrees. We had several members that went through a long application process to receive their State FFA degree. The people from the Mechanicsburg chapter who received their state degrees last year and were recognized this year were: Mallory Blakeman, Grace Forrest, Morgan Heizer, McKenze Hoewischer, Cori Kent, Luke Stroud, Emma Violet and Jennifer Wallace. This year the chapter had one recipient of the State FFA Degree and that was Elyse Wilson. Throughout the night the top individuals in each class were recognized. The Star Greenhand, Star Chapter, Outstanding Junior and Outstanding Senior were given to students who went above and beyond throughout the past year. The Star Greenhand Award was given to Taylor Rausch and Hannah Dingledine. The Star Chapter Award was presented to Lilly Marsh. The Outstanding Junior Award recipient was Elyse Wilson, and the Outstanding Senior Awards were presented to Grace Forrest and McKenze Hoewischer. There were also four students, one per grade level, who received a leadership award. The Freshmen Leadership Award was given to Hannah Dingledine. The Sophomore Leadership Award was given to Dani Schipfer. The Junior Leadership Award recipient was Natalie Tull and the Senior Leadership Award was presented to Kaylee Warfield. Lastly, the chapter’s officers, members and advisors recognized Kevin Neer for his many years of service and dedication to the Mechanicsburg FFA Chapter. Neer worked at Mechanicsburg High School for 35 years. While working he taught history, business and agriculture. He coached basketball at Mechanicsburg for a number of years as well as coached several CDE teams for the Mechanicsburg FFA Chapter. Over the course of five years, he brought home 12 state banners for the Mechanicsburg FFA Chapter. Neer had a huge impact on the Mechanicsburg FFA Chapter and rightfully deserved the recognition. The chapter made the most of the new circumstances and honored all those deserving of recognition for their hard work, successes and contributions to the chapter. The chapter would like to thank all who helped make this year a success including Dr. Billy Ayars, the FFA Boosters, all the donors and many more. The chapter would also like to wish all of the seniors good luck in their future endeavors. From Urbana Daily Citizen
The Champaign County Friends of 4-H are sponsoring an Egg Your Yard fundraiser for the Champaign County 4-H Food, Fashion and Creative Arts Board. 4-H members will scatter candy-filled eggs in yards within Champaign County from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, April 3, for children to find on Easter Sunday morning. Provide your name, address, phone number and check ($20 for 25 eggs and $35 for 50 eggs) payable to the Champaign County 4-H FCS Committee by Friday, April 2, to the Champaign County Extension Office, 1512 S. U.S. Hwy 68, Suite B100, Urbana, OH 43078. From Urbana Daily Citizen
Michael Family Farms has acquired the former site of Urbana Local and plans to construct an agricultural facility on the land at the intersection of state Route 54 and Hickory Grove Road. The property was auctioned off by Urbana City Schools district for $75,000 after new schools were constructed. The old school site will be home to two former students’ farming business. Siblings Kyle Michael and Kathy Michael Sponheim purchased the former site and plan on starting construction this month on the 40,000-square-foot facility.“ We have recently been able to expand our operation in Champaign County,” said Sponheim in a prepared statement. “We have picked up some land and continue to look for additional irrigated acres to increase production. Demand continues to rise for locally grown food that is good for you, and our potatoes provide a delicious, nutritious, addition to any meal.” Potatoes are the main fare of the agri-business venture, which is rooted in family. “We are thrilled to be able to build two stateof- the-art potato storages and a grading facility to support our growth. The controlled atmospheric storages will hold 1 million pounds of potatoes that will be distributed to grocery stores across Ohio and surrounding states throughout the year,” Sponheim said. “The location is ideal for business but also holds special sentiment as our father Todd also attended grade school at Local as part of Urbana City Schools. With this facility, we will be able to better support a localized supply chain to deliver fresh produce with fewer food miles from farm to fork.” Sponheim said growing a family business has its challenges. “However we feel very fortunate to be able to do what we love and do it together,” she said. Todd has been active in the potato industry for decades and the passion for farming and agriculture was nurtured in Kyle and Kathy from a young age. Now taking over the operation, Kyle and Kathy plan to continue that legacy. Kyle recently was reappointed to serve on the U.S. Potato Board, following in both his father and grandfather’s footsteps. “Our philosophy at Michael Family Farms is driven by putting family first; after that we are committed to growing the business, sustainable cropping practices and delivering complete service to our customers,” Sponheim said.
A USDA Rural Development grant was received in 2018 to fund specialized equipment. The procurement of equipment is underway, though progress has been delayed because of the pandemic. Seeing no further delays, the Council hopes to open the kitchen for use this coming fall. This will be a big advantage for those with food businesses. Most kitchens of a similar purpose are only available in the major metropolitan areas of the state, which are not convenient for those in west-central Ohio. The Council would like to invite the community to help us come up with a name. If you have a creative name, please submit your ideas at http://go.osu.edu/KitchenName. Keep in mind this kitchen will be open for regional food producers (not just Champaign County) and catchy acronyms are great for shortening longer names. We welcome any new members to our group. You do not have to be involved in agriculter, just have a passion for it! Contact the Chamber or Amanda Douridas at Douridas.9@osu.edu. Amanda Douridas is the Champaign Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educator for The Ohio State University Extension.
Beginning in September, virtual visitors can find out about the show’s offerings by going to fsr.osu.edu and clicking on an image of the show’s site. Within that image, people can click on the various icons to find the schedules for talks and demos they’re most interested in, such as field demonstrations or “Ask the Expert” talks.
Among the livestreamed talks will be Ask the Expert presentations that feature the advice of staff from The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) on various topics in agriculture. Viewers will enter the talks through a Zoom meeting link and be able to post their questions in chat boxes. If you miss any, you can check back after the talks to watch the recordings. “It will be even easier this year to benefit from the show’s valuable advice that can help farmers improve their businesses,” said Nick Zachrich, manager of Farm Science Review, which is hosted by CFAES. “Whether farm operators have questions on finances, insurance protection, or which new tool fits their needs, resources will be available through Farm Science Review online.” The virtual format is a first for Farm Science Review, held annually for nearly 60 years. Topics for talks at FSR this year include the risks of transmitting COVID-19 to your animals, the prospects of U.S. agricultural exports abroad, increasing profits from small grains by planting double crops, climate trends, managing cash flow on the farm, farm stress, and rental rates on agricultural land. Looking for a job in agriculture? For the second time this year, FSR will include a career fair. Before the Sept. 22 event, which will be from 10 a.m. to noon, anyone can view videos and other content from prospective employers to know what those employers are seeking and schedule live chats with company representatives. Presentations on raising backyard chickens, starting a flock of sheep, and growing blackberries and other specialty crops could spark some inspiration. Other major attractions at this year’s show will include online field demonstrations that will show how various types of farm equipment boost the efficiency of fertilizing, harvesting a field, or performing other tasks. Viewers can catch a close-up view of the machinery, which, on site, they’d normally have to see from several yards away. “With many events canceled and disruptions across the industry because of the pandemic, Farm Science Review aims to provide as many solutions as possible,” Zachrich said. “A showcase of equipment, other products, services, and education will help address limitations that have surfaced in recent months.” The annual talk given by agricultural economists in CFAES will focus on supply chains in food and agriculture. Many of those supply chains were tested earlier this year when the nation’s major meat processors closed down temporarily because so many of their employees had COVID-19. Ty Higgins, director of media relations for the Ohio Farm Bureau, will moderate the talk, which will include Ben Brown, Ian Sheldon, and Zoë Plakias, all agricultural economists with CFAES. If you require an accommodation, such as live captioning or interpretation, to participate in this event, please email fsrinfo@osu.edu. Requests made 10 business days prior to the event will typically allow the university enough time to provide seamless access. But after that, the university will make every effort to meet requests. For more information about the format or offerings in this year’s show, visit fsr.osu.edu.
 4-H families, volunteers, and fans...have you heard the word about the new Champaign County 4-H mobile device app? If you want to stay updated with website, events, or other content while you're on the go, this app is for you!
Check out the following link which you can use to select your device's app store and download and install today! And check out our website and News Blast pages for the instructions on what makes it tick. http://grandstandsites.com/gs/index.php?c=Champaign_County_4-H&fbclid=IwAR1TK5wKMAS4tYxdl30ACvSx2Edshf8DMLbVac3oKmxQhSzzft9254P1Iyw
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