Michael Stewart Leach - May 1
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
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
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
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
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…
Michael Stewart Leach - July 10, 2019
Teachers may never know what impact their classes have on students, but for northwest Ohio agricultural educator John Poulson, he has actively witnessed students following in his footsteps in the state and abroad. The winner of the inaugural Golden Owl…
Michael Stewart Leach - May 21, 2019
The “asparagus lady” of Champaign County farmers markets comes by her unofficial title naturally. She grew up with this vegetable that’s been a foodie favorite since the days of ancient Rome. Three generations of Beth Harrigan’s family have worked with…
Michael Stewart Leach - Feb. 5, 2019
Like a fine blended whiskey, Speyside Bourbon Cooperage in Jackson represents a mix of nature, people, technology and millennial tastes. It’s a combo putting grains into a unique international market. Except as yard planters, whiskey barrels weren’t on Jackson’s radar…
Michael Stewart Leach - Nov. 6, 2018
Appearances really can deceive. Take the richly detailed paintings of Dave Barnhouse for instance. These seem to be the work of a lifelong artist, not a steel mill worker who taught himself to paint.
Michael Stewart Leach - Sept. 20, 2018
Ohio wineries were as rare as soy lattes in 1975, when 13 wine producers decided to form an association to promote their product. The initial kitty was $750. Had you told them that by 2018 some of Ohio’s 285 wineries…
