Acres Midwest » West

4-H open house offers educational evening

Clinton Randall — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 01:37:12 +0000

Linda Moody lmoody@civitasmedia.com GREENVILLE — On the heels of the recent Darke County 4-H Recognition and Kick-Off, 18 clubs availed themselves recently when their respective members and advisers gathered in the Youth Building at the fairgrounds to let possible recruits know about the 4-H open house. Each participating club had tables and booths set up [...]

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4-H program kicks off with recognition event

Clinton Randall — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 01:31:30 +0000

Linda Moody lmoody@civitasmedia.com GREENVILLE- The Darke County 4-H Recognition and Kickoff netted many awards to 4-Hers and the general public when “Blast Off With 4-H” took off at the All Seasons Place recently. Cheryl Leugers, president of the Darke County 4-H Committee, stood in for Rhonda Williams, who was unable to attend because of another [...]

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Local farmer speaks on sustainability

Ashley Fritz — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 19:51:05 +0000

By Michael Zimmerman mzimmerman@civitasmedia.com There has been a big debate here in the United States and across the pond in Europe concerning the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture. On the one hand, those in the agriculture industry argue that the use of genetically modified crops reduce the need of pesticides, and allows [...]

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Congress can't agree on 5 year farm bill

Ashley Fritz — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 19:50:13 +0000

9 month extension of 2008 bill passed in fiscal cliff deal By Michael Zimmerman mzimmerman@civitasmedia.com As the year 2012 neared its end, there was a lot of talk about the “fiscal cliff” deal. But one aspect of that deal was taken care of with [...]

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McGlinch draws from past, looks to future

Ashley Fritz — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 19:47:35 +0000

VERSAILLES — For Ohio Farm Bureau Excellence in Agriculture winner Greg McGlinch, 32, of Versailles, a passion for agriculture comes pretty naturally. “I’m the fifth generation of our family on the farm, so you might say it’s just tradition,” said McGlinch. “It’s something [...]

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DeMoss farm has been a part of the family for generations

Ashley Fritz — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 19:43:09 +0000

By Heather Meade hmeade@dailyadvocate.com ARCANUM — The DeMoss family farm has been in Donald DeMoss’ family for more than six generations, he said. His grandparents, Luther and Ethel DeMoss purchased the farm in 1906, but it had been in his grandmother’s family for at least [...]

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Resolution tips for farmers to start the new year right

Ashley Fritz — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 23:58:12 +0000

By Heather Meade hmeade@dailyadvocate.com DARKE COUNTY — New Year’s resolutions aren’t just for those who are overweight, sedentary or struggling to break a bad habit. Farmers can resolve to avoid poor management practices or implement better production techniques in 2013. Steve Leer, communications consultant/senior writer for Purdue University’s AgComm [...]

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Farm bill pushed to one-year extension

Ashley Fritz — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 23:56:06 +0000

By Ryan Carpe rcarpe@dailyadvocate.com DARKE COUNTY — The U.S. House and Senate announced a short-term farm bill extension on Dec. 29 which would continue the active polices of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 and halt the imminent threat of accelerated [...]

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Treasured Times offering quality handmade furniture

Ashley Fritz — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 23:52:33 +0000

By Ryan Peverly rpeverly@registerherald.com Pardon the word play, but John Hand didn’t always make furniture by hand. An aerospace engineer for 25 years, Hand left the corporate world three years ago for a simpler, family-oriented life. That meant giving up a good job [...]

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Dandelions as a cash crop

Ashley Fritz — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 23:47:05 +0000

Ryan Carpe rcarpe@dailyadvocate.com DARKE COUNTY – As the foreign market for natural rubber becomes more volatile, scientists and farmers alike are researching alternative sources of the valuable compound. Traditionally, rubber has been produced from the Hevea rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis), which grows primarily in Southeast Asia. [...]

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A labor of love begin family tradition

Ashley Fritz — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 17:20:20 +0000

By Heather Meade hmeade@dailyadvocate.com VERSAILLES — Alan and Jeff Wuebker are performing a labor of love, Alan stated, and one that they learned to love as boys growing up on their family farm. Now they’re trying to instill that same love in [...]

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Decrease start-up time with winter maintenance

Ashley Fritz — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 17:17:42 +0000

By Michael Zimmerman mzimmerman@registerherald.com After a long season of working in the fields, it could be tempting to just park all that equipment inside and lock the doors. But doing some preventative maintenance now and periodically through the winter will help minimize maintenance [...]

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Area man beating gas prices

Ashley Fritz — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 17:15:17 +0000

By Linda Moody lmoody@dailyadvocate.com GREENVILLE — A young, rural Greenville man has come up with an innovative way to utilize an alternative fuel to power an older Ford pick-up truck he bought. John Cleveland has used a process called Wood Gasification to produce a [...]

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A. Brown & Sons Nursery offers authentic, unique Christmas tree experience

Ashley Fritz — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 17:10:48 +0000

By Ryan Peverly rpeverly@registerherald.com Phillipsburg– Mike Brown animatedly talked about how his nursery recently lost an account with merchants in the Village of Arcanum. He said he’s been selling Christmas trees to merchants in the village to display outside their respective businesses for [...]

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Pork Festival closes another successful year

Ashley Fritz — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 21:01:37 +0000

By Jesse Witt jwitt@registerherald.com Pork was only one of the many things that brought visitors to the annual Preble County Pork Festival. Those in attendance were able to browse the hundreds of crafts made by vendors across the country, as well as enjoy the performances of local and regional acts alike. This year’s Pork [...]

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Wine making is a science without rules

Ashley Fritz — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 20:57:51 +0000

By Heather Meade hmeade@dailyadvocate.com VERSAILLES — Between the Winery at Versailles and the Winery at Wilcox (Pa.), nearly 1,400 tons of grapes are purchased or grown each year. This year has been challenging, said Mike Williams, owner and winemaker. With drier weather, the chemistry of the wine doesn’t turn out quite how it’s expected to, [...]

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Antique tractor owner is world record setter

Ashley Fritz — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 20:52:42 +0000

By Linda Moody lmoody@dailyadvocate.com WEST MANCHESTER — Bob Finkbine, an antique tractor owner, took part in a world record-setting event, and had to miss part of the Great Darke County Fair week. After weighing his options, he chose to attend the Guinness World Record For a Parade of Classic Tractors at the Nebraska State [...]

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Local orchards dealt another tough season

Ashley Fritz — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 20:48:56 +0000

By Heather Norton hjnorton@embarqmail.com CAMBRIDGE CITY, Ind. — The apples are still piled high in their rustic wooden crates, enticing customers to bag some up to take home. But the buyers and the sellers are both aware this fall that instead of coming off trees a few yards away, those apples traveled hundreds of [...]

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Another one for the History Book

Ashley Fritz — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 18:42:10 +0000

Saturday, Aug. 4 brought the closing of the 162nd Preble County Fair, with many memories for 4-H’ers across the county — new records, and bittersweet endings for some. This year the 4-H program had 721 members, aged 8–18, in 69 different clubs. Some 156 adult volunteers took the time to teach and prepare youth [...]

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Farm Safety 4 Just Kids teaches safety at the fair

Ashley Fritz — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 18:35:05 +0000

DARKE COUNTY — It was a great week at the GREAT Darke County Fair for the Darke County Farm Safety 4 Just Kids (FS4JK) Chapter. The theme this year was “Happy 25th Birthday, Farm Safety 4 Just Kids.” It was 25 years ago when a lady by the name of Marilyn [...]

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Dairy debate grows in Ohio

Ashley Fritz — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 18:31:10 +0000

Though the practice is not recommended by the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), proponents of the raw milk movement claim that drinking unpasteurized milk, when managed responsibly, supports a healthy system. Pasteurization is the process of sterilizing dairy products by heating milk to a high temperature for a short period of time and then [...]

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Drought Dosen't Stop Local Corn Maze

Ashley Fritz — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 18:23:05 +0000

Acres Staff Report NEW PARIS— This summer’s dry, hot weather may have hurt local corn crops, but in a field on U.S. 40 in western Preble County, the corn stalks have still grown and pathways have been cut. The 2012 Today’s Harvest Corn Maze is ready to help visitors far and wide usher in that [...]

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Heat stress and Hydration of Livestock

Acres Admin — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:13:19 +0000

We are dealing with some extraordinary weather this year and with that high temperatures and dry conditions affect us all and it also takes a toll on our livestock. High temperatures raise the incidents of heat stress in livestock, especially when coupled with dry conditions and high humidity. When animals are going through times of [...]

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Farmers’ markets gaining popularity

Acres Admin — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:12:30 +0000

By Michael Zimmerman They were a common sight in the United States before the Industrial Age: farmers’ markets. Then, the direct farmer-to-consumer relationship was filled with the middleman of grocery stores and supermarkets. Today, supermarkets encompass many things like clothes, DVDs, clothing supplies, and medicine. Many local farmers’ markets went by the wayside. Some outdoor [...]

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Boulder Belt Eco-Farm: don’t call them organic, even though they are

Acres Admin — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:11:16 +0000

By Ryan Peverly rpeverly@registerherald.com Don’t call the folks at Boulder Belt Eco-Farm organic. They use the word “sustainable”. Mostly because they have to. But at least that was their choice. The quaint, homely eco-farm — that’s a fancy way for calling themselves organic without using the word — sits on U.S. 127 North outside of [...]

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Threshers didn't lose steam despite the heat

Acres Admin — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:09:42 +0000

Linda Moody lmoody@dailyadvocate.com Heather Meade hmeade@dailyadvocate.com Steam thresher enthusiast Wally Biernack and his border collie, Diesel, came all the way from Canada to attend the Darke County Steam Thresher Days held June 28 — July 1. Biernack brought with him his 1914 Case Quarter Scale traction engine. Biernack, who is vice president of the Case [...]

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Drought: Will affect farmers and consumers alike

Acres Admin — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 15:56:04 +0000

Heather Meade hmeade@dailyadvocate.com DARKE COUNTY — The rain that occurred recently has helped to perk up the crops, but this year’s drought has been said to be worse than the 1988 drought by many farmers around Darke County. Some even go as far as to say it’s the worst drought in Darke County since 1956. [...]

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Area rainfall frustration growing

Acres Admin — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 18:17:06 +0000

By Michael Zimmerman mzimmerman@registerherald.com Many people around the world get paychecks each and every week to guess at one thing: the weather. Granted, those people are making educated guesses, but it’s still a guess. You don’t need a degree in meteorology to see what the weather has been like for farmers this season. It’s dry, [...]

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McCabe honored as top equestrian

Acres Admin — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 18:09:37 +0000

Ryan Carpe rcarpe@dailyadvocate.com GREENVILLE — Greenville native Marvin McCabe is one of the nation’s leading experts in horse jumping. His lifelong passion even led him to judge at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. McCabe gets goosebumps thinking about that first day in front of thousands of spectators. “The thing that I remember the most about the [...]

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National tractor pull a family affair

Acres Admin — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 18:02:33 +0000

Ryan Carpe rcarpe@dailyadvocate.com GREENVILLE — For the Barga family, the Ohio State Championship Tractor Pull has long been a family affair. The Darke County family boasts three generations participating in the event, which drew in hundreds of visitors Saturday at the Darke County Fairgrounds. “All of us are involved in one capacity or another,” said [...]

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