Current agricultural use values of Ohio soils are trending down, knowledgeable father and son duo Dick and Rick Hoffman said during a recent presentation hosted by Wyandot County auditor Bill Kitzler in the Upper Sandusky Community Library, but Wyandot County farmers will not see the effects in lowered tax rates for three years.

In the past, aesthetic mowing of Conservation Reserve Program grass cover was a widely accepted practice by many participants. Today, with more research and understanding, it has been shown that properly managed grass cover will reduce soil erosion, improve water quality, and is more beneficial to wildlife than annually mowed grass covers.

COLUMBUS — A pair of Crawford County students were among scholarship winners at the 2016 Ohio State Fair. Wynford’s Aryn Copeland, of Nevada, and Colonel Crawford’s Taylor Lutz, of Bucyrus, were among the list of winners announced Friday by the Ohio State Fair.

COLUMBUS — The 2016 Ohio State Fair concluded its 12-day run on Sunday with an estimated 921,214 attendees entering the gates between July 27 and Sunday. It was the second-largest fair since the duration of the event was modified to 12 days in 2004, according to a press release from the Ohio Expo Center, which hosts the event.

CRESTLINE — The Crawford Park District will host a water carnival from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Lowe-Volk Park, 2401 Ohio 598, Crestline. The carnival will give attendees an opportunity to focus on the importance of water in an ecosystem and to get wet playing water games.

Wyandot County Fair beef royalty and beef ambassador interviews are set for 1-4 p.m. Aug. 14 at the Upper Sandusky Area Chamber of Commerce, 103 E. Wyandot Ave. Applicants must call Kathy Grasz at 419-674-6722 to set an interview time.

REYNOLDSBURG — Gov. John Kasich and Ohio Department of Agriculture Director David T. Daniels recently announced the winners of the 2016 “Agriculture is Cool!” visual arts contest. Ohio children enrolled in school or home-schooled during the 2015-16 academic year shared their personal interpretation of why Ohio agriculture is “cool” for their chance to win a trip to the Ohio State Fair.

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Farm Bureau Federation recently awarded five agricultural action and awareness grants that aim to help individuals and groups make a difference in their communities. The grants focused on four core areas: economic development, education, environment and the human-animal bond and are supported by the OFBF, a nonprofit, public, charitable organized registered in Ohio.

Wyandot County Auditor George W. “Bill” Kitzler will host an information meeting at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 11 at the Upper Sandusky Community Library, 301 N. Sandusky Ave. for a discussion of the state of Ohio’s increases to farmland enrolled in the current agricultural use value program.

Kevin and Tina Boes of West Lincoln Holsteins stand in front of their calf while explaining how their family-owned dairy farm operates. The farm was the first stop on the Wyandot County Farm Bureau local farm tour Saturday.