Former ‘city farm’ to be mined for sand and gravel
Currently and perhaps for the next year, the project will focus on three acres in the southwest corner of the field, he said.
Passersby are seeing earth-moving equipment on the land and a berm created of stripped soil along Route 36. Garrison said that in March to May, the stripping of soil on those three acres will progress to extracting sand and gravel and the berm will be landscaped with grass and trees. The berm, he said, "provides a safety barrier and landscape barrier from the highway … People driving by won’t have direct sight. They may see the top of a piece of equipment. "The (goal) is to have minimal impact on surrounding neighbors and the community," he said. Garrison said the processing of extracted sand and gravel will not occur on the "city farm." Instead, the material will be conveyed to and processed at Urbana Materials, a Morrow Gravel Company plant on Muzzy Road. Access to the plant will be through an opening in the tree line at the back of the "city farm." Garrison said sand and water will be reached as workers initially excavate to 30-40 feet below the surface. In about a year, following the extraction of sand and gravel, the three-acre parcel will become a lake. Workers then will proceed to an adjacent area, about three to four acres, and repeat the process, he said, adding that anticipated sales of sand and gravel will determine the pace of the project. Click here to read full article on Urbana Daily Citizen.
Once the group made it to Indianapolis they were given an opportunity to go to “Cinch’s World’s Toughest Rodeo.”
On Thursday of the Convention and Expo, the group attended the first general session of the FFA National Convention and Expo. There the FFA Band and Chorus performed, the group heard inspiring words from the National FFA Officers, and listened to the keynote speaker Bob Goff. After the first session members were able to visit the career center, where multiple agricultural businesses set up allowing members to see what they could do with their future that involved agriculture. Agricultural colleges are also set up to show what they can offer students after high school. That night the members enjoyed a night of fun and dancing by attending the “Buckeye Bash,” a special dance only for Ohio FFA Chapters. Click here to read article on Urbana Daily Citizen.  Story & photo by Urbana FFA- submitted to Urbana Daily Citizen
The Urbana FFA Chapter competed in the County Soils Judging Career Development Event on September 17th. In Urban Soil Judging, students must judge the soil based on four different categories. These categories include: buildings with basements, septic tanks and absorption fields, driveways and local roads, as well as lawns, gardens, and landscaping. Urbana placed first in this contest, with Alistair Greenlee placing as first place individual, Janie Wallace placing second, Phoebie Heatherly placing third individual, Ashley Gemienhardt placing 5th individual, Marah Kerns placing 7th individual, and Kourtney Hilliard placing 11th individual. In the rural contest, students judge the soil based on agricultural properties and have to determine whether the soil is suitable for agricultural crops. Urbana placed fourth in this contest with Paige Campbell placing 9th individual, Max Anderson placing 12th individual, Justin Preece placing 15th individual, Jonathan Hildebrand placing 17th individual, Payton Stambaugh placing 24th individual and Abigale Dillon placing 27th individual. Click here to read full article on Urbana Daily Citizen.  Story by: Christopher Selmek | Urbana Daily Citizen
Photo from Urbana Daily Citizen Jim Virts (left) and his wife, Nancy (not pictured), were awarded $2,500 from America’s Farmers Grow Communities, sponsored by the Bayer Fund, which they chose to donate to the nonprofit WhereHouse Food Pantry. Jim Lillibridge, senior pastor of Urbana United Methodist Church (center) and WhereHouse director Ted Herndon (right) said they plan to use all of the money to buy food for families in need, and that the WhereHouse has already served 2,612 households so far this year. In addition to the food pantry, WhereHouse also sponsors a community dinner on the 14th of every month from 6-7 p.m. at their facility at 110 W. Church St. Click here to see the full article on Urbana Daily Citizen.  Advanced sprayer technology today allows applicators to more precisely apply pesticides and nutrients. This enables farmers to use less product and apply more efficiently, which reduces cost and supports a more sustainable environment.
At the 2019 Champaign County Precision Ag Day, taking place on Aug. 27, attendees will hear from university and industry experts on the latest trends in technology and research. Dr. Elizabeth Hawkins with OSU Extension will talk about in-season application and research. Industry representatives will cover direct inject systems, pulse width modulation and individual tip monitoring. They will also provide walk-around presentations on three different sprayers. Dr. Scott Shearer with OSU will finish up the morning with a look at what is coming for the future of spray technology. This event is free to attend and includes breakfast and lunch thanks to our sponsors: Tri-County Insurance LLC, Integrated Ag Services and Sellman Insurance Group-Nationwide. Additional vendors that will be on site include Dallas Ag LLC, Farmers Equipment, Koenig Equipment, and Ohio Ag Equipment. The day runs from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. and will be at the Champaign County Fairgrounds, 384 Park Ave, Urbana. The event is coordinated by OSU Extension, Champaign County and the Champaign County Farm Bureau. 4 IPM Certified Crop Advisor credits will be offered. Registration is required for lunch. Please RSVP here or by calling 937-484-1526. For this article & more like it, please check out Urbana Daily Citizen!  Chamber accepting applications for Leadership Champaign County program
The Champaign County Chamber of Commerce extends an invitation to community members to apply for their leadership development program, Leadership Champaign County. The program encourages participants to broaden their perspectives, enhance their leadership skills, and learn from other leaders who are active in the community. Participants gain knowledge and skills that are necessary to be an effective leader in their community and within their organization. The Leadership Champaign County program offers participants in-depth, “behind the scenes” looks at local government, education, and healthcare, among other exclusive opportunities. Participants tour farms, factories, and other local facilities while learning from business owners and community leaders about a wide range of topics. Hands-on activities throughout the program sessions encourage group collaboration and leadership development. The program meets the third Thursday of every month from September - May. Each full-day session features a different topic; topics include Agriculture, History and Heritage, Education, Economic Development, Government, Healthcare, and Quality of Life. Applications are available on the Chamber’s website and will be accepted through September 5. Interested parties are encouraged to contact the Chamber with any questions by calling 937-653-5764. The class of 2019 graduated in May and contributed “Little Free Libraries”, a self-guided walking tour of Scioto Street, a county bike route, and a community photo bank among other community service projects. On June 27th, twenty-seven CloverBuds were loaded onto a bus for CloverBud Day Camp at Camp Clifton. They spent the day experiencing what it would be like to be a camper at 4-H camp while under the supervision of Cloverbud Camp counselors. Their day included going to flags, making crafts, setting the table for meals, dancing, swimming, campfire, and vespers. The favorite parts of the CloverBud Day camp were making ice cream and racing card board boats in the pool.
CloverBuds participated in the camp wide ice cream making party, where they created homemade ice cream in a bag. After getting all the ingredients in their own bag, the CloverBuds then placed their sealed bag into a larger one filled with ice. Then, the CloverBuds shook their bags until they created ice cream. The CloverBuds took part in a contest with the 4-H campers while at CloverBud Day Camp too. The 4-H campers built boats out of card board, plastic, and duct tape that would be raced by the CloverBuds in the pool. The CloverBuds used their arms, legs, and sometimes paddles to move their boats across the pool to win the race. After racing the boats, they had free time to swim before it was time to eat dinner and head back home. Submitted by Champaign County Extension Office/ OSU Extension Office Want to learn more about the 4-H Youth Development or the OSU Extension Office, check out their website! Freshwater Farms
Founded in 1983, Freshwater Farms of Ohio is family-owned and operated by 3 generations of the Smith family. Dr. Dave Smith and his father, Dick Smith, an electrical engineer, started the facility, a vertically integrated hatchery, grow-out, processing, marketing, and retail operation. The only producers of trout products in Ohio, the 5-acre farm is the state’s largest indoor fish hatchery, raising up to 100,000 pounds of fish yearly. Want to learn about all the agri-businesses in Champaign County? Click here to find out more! |
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