‘Fun,’ ‘high tech’ and ‘unbelievable’ are words most often associated with a theme park, not a large-scale dairy.
Michael Stewart Leach - March 3
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Teaching ag education during a pandemic
One silver lining is that more students are able to participate in FFA now that travel, time out of school and cost are not limiting factors.
Michael Stewart Leach - Nov. 19, 2020
Pandemic leads to spike in demand for local produce
Nostalgia and trendy share shelf space at the family-run Monnin’s Fruit Farm about 10 minutes from downtown Dayton. Antique cash registers used in the farm store’s first years, trays of hydroponic lettuce grown in nearby Vandalia, FreshStart Farm organic dairy…
Michael Stewart Leach - Sept. 1, 2020
Brannon farm changes gears during pandemic
Hard work, dedication and concern for others aren’t quaint concepts at Olde Tyme Farms. These principles helped the 20-acre chicken, egg and organic vegetable operation quickly pivot and keep moving, despite the COVID-19 shutdown. “We changed from mostly wholesale to…
Michael Stewart Leach - July 16, 2020
Big picture, details focus of top teacher
Christie Bachman won the 2020 Golden Owl Award, which recognizes the top agricultural educator in the state. Along with the honor comes a trophy for Bachman and $3,000 from sponsor Nationwide Insurance for the school’s agriculture program.
Michael Stewart Leach - May 1, 2020
Apples, hard cider and a success story in northeast Ohio
Matt Vodraska is something of a 21st century renaissance man. Soft spoken and poised, the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation’s Outstanding Young Farmer of 2019 is rooted in agriculture, educated in art, skilled in developing business ideas and dedicated to furthering…
Michael Stewart Leach - March 6, 2020
CFAES: ‘We’re all in this together’
Sheep and goats don’t immediately come to mind as college material, but these storybook animals are among the tangible signs of changes at The Ohio State University in Wooster. They are a tiny component of the hundreds of students, faculty…
Michael Stewart Leach - Jan. 10, 2020
Flower farm blossoming
A galaxy of small, white Edison bulbs sparkled overhead. Bowls of roses, dahlias and other blossoms made a low, flowery hedge down the center of the long table. As if on cue, the early October moon rose in a cloudless…
Michael Stewart Leach - Nov. 26, 2019
Figs, off-beat fruits welcomed at small farm
Plant it, and they will come pick the fruit. This is what Tim and Beth Malinich discovered with elderberries, currants and other “orphan” crops they adopted and grow at their u-pick farm near Nova, in rural Ashland County. Some Hearthstone…
Michael Stewart Leach - Oct. 1, 2019
Farm work may help autistic individuals bloom
When given the opportunity to plant, water and weed at two small greenhouses and a field of vegetables, some people with autism blossom. “Our goal is to find out what’s in their hearts and souls and makes them go. Once…