Ag Notes Week of 1/20/19

By: 
Staff writer

SWCD offices holding tree sales
Order forms for the Ottawa Soil & Water Conservation District’s 2020 Seedling Tree & Shrub Sale are now available by calling 419-898-1595 or by visiting www.ottawaswcd.com.
Evergreen varieties, sold in packets of 10, include Colorado Blue Spruce and Norway Spruce.
Fast-growing Green Rocket Cedars are also being sold individually. The cedars – which grow up to three feet per year, are deer-resistant, have a strong root system and no major insect problems – make a great windbreak or privacy screen.
Other varieties available include Shellbark Hickory, Princeton American Elm, Canada Red Chokeberry, Ivory Silk Lilac, Autumn Blaze Maple, White Oak, Exclamation London Plane, Skyrise, Tulip Popular and American Cranberry. Back for a third year are the Wildlife Tree Pack, Pollinator Tree Pack and a Nut Tree Pack, which include five different types of native trees. To view the different varieties, visit ottawaswcd.com.
Prices range from $12-$25. The deadline for ordering is April 1. Early ordering is encouraged due to limited supplies.
Money raised from the program goes to support District education programs conducted throughout the year.

Wood SWCD
The Wood Soil and Water Conservation District is accepting orders for its Annual Tree Seedling Sale through Friday, Feb. 28.
Trees available include:
• Conifers: American Arborvitae, Colorado Blue Spruce, Norway Spruce, and Bald Cypress;
• Hardwoods: Red Maple, Shagbark Hickory, Swamp White Oak, and Tulip Poplar;
• Wildlife Shrubs: Black Chokeberry, Butterfly Bush, and Redbud.
Packets are $12 with 10 seedlings per packet. The order and payment deadline is Friday, Feb. 28. Order forms are available on the website at www.woodswcd.com, on Facebook and at the district office, located at 1616 E. Wooster St., Bowling Green (Greenwood Centre – The Courtyard).
Tree workshop planned
A free tree workshop is being offered Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at Ag Incubator Foundation (AIF), 13737 Middleton Pike, Bowling Green. Doors open at 6 p.m. Sam Kaiser, ODNR Service Forester, will give a brief presentation and answer questions. Register online at www.woodswcd.com or call the district office at 419-354-5517, #4.

Historic farms program
The Ohio Department of Agriculture’s (ODA) Historic Family Farms Program registered 975 historic farms between 2010-2019. That’s a 26 percent increase in historic farms during the decade. In comparison, during the program’s first 16 years (1993-2009), 749 farms were registered. The top registering counties in the last decade were: Putnam County, 122 farms, Mercer County, 65 farms and Hancock County, 33 farms.
Recognized locally are Birchfield Properties (Lucas County, 1834), Whiteman Family (Ottawa Co., 1887), Kerbel Family (Sandusky Co., 1885), Rothenbuhler Family (Wood Co., 1891) and Gerwin Family (Wood Co., 1867).
Ohio's Historic Family Farms program was developed in 1993 to honor Ohio's founding farm families for their contributions to agriculture in Ohio. Farms under same-family ownership for 100 years or more qualify to be designated as a historic family farm.
"In 26 years, we've seen this program grow from eight recipients in its inaugural year to nearly 1,800 registered farms today. The level of enthusiasm from farm families receiving their historic designations is indisputable," said Erin Dillon, program administrator for the Ohio Historic Family Farms Program. "The successes of the Historic Family Farms Program can be solely attributed to families who proudly continue their farming heritage - it's our duty and honor to acknowledge that perseverance."
In 2019 alone, ODA recognized 106 new historic farms owned by the same family for at least 100, 150 or 200 consecutive years. There are now more than 1,700 farms registered across the state in the Ohio Historic Family Farms program.
Each family received a certificate signed by Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Dorothy Pelanda to keep with their historic documents and to pass down to future generations.
"I am the fourth generation to grow up at my family's homestead in Danbury Township near Lakeside on the Marblehead Peninsula where my father and his father lived and farmed the land," said Mary Ahrens Kuehn, a Sesquinncentennial Historic Family Farm owner. "I grew up with stories of farm life, all working together in the fields and dairy barn. We are very grateful to have this opportunity as landowners and treasure our Historic Family Farm sign."
Ohio’s Historic Family Farms is a voluntary program administered by the Ohio Department of Agriculture. ODA has recognized families who have owned their farms for at least 100 years since 1993.

Supervisors sworn in
Bill Hartman was newly elected and Roland Sandrock was recently re-elected to the Board of Supervisors of the Ottawa Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). They were sworn into office by Chairman Todd Hecht at the district’s January board meeting.
In addition to Hecht, they join Rich Thorbahn, vice chairman, on the Board of Supervisors. Sandrock will hold the position of treasurer and Hartman will be the secretary.
Together the board members direct the staff of the district to carry out the conservation of natural resources by assisting landowners, both urban and rural, throughout Ottawa County.

Fair honorees
Forty-one individuals were recently recognized at the 94th Ohio Fair Managers Association annual convention at the Greater Columbus Convention Center for outstanding service to their local fairs. Of this group, seven received the Director’s Award for Innovation and Excellence for their progressive ideas and actions to improve and strengthen their fairs. Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Dorothy Pelanda presented each winner with a certificate.
Ohio’s 94 county and independent fairs and the Ohio State Fair support the local economy and help educate the public about the importance of agriculture and the many necessities it provides, including food, clothing, shelter, fuel and energy. In addition to setting and approving the dates for the independent and county fairs, the department is responsible for helping to assure the safety of amusement rides, for monitoring livestock shows to help assure honest competition, and for coordinating animal health efforts with designated local veterinarians.

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