WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is encouraging producers who have suffered eligible disaster-related losses to act to secure assistance by Sept. 30, as congressionally mandated payment reductions will take place for producers who have not acted before that date.

Changes mandated through the 2014 farm bill require producers to have a Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification (AD-1026) on file.

BUCYRUS — The Crawford Soil and Water Conservation District will host its 69th annual meeting today at the Crawford County Fairgrounds youth building in Bucyrus.

FINDLAY — The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife is inviting trappers to participate in a special drawing Oct. 25 for public landbeaver and river otter trapping opportunities.

The Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the theft of metal from a rural Wharton barn that was valued at $3,000 and as much as 1,000 pounds. A rural Wharton man reported Monday morning someone stole weights from the front of his tractor. He estimated the metal weighed anywhere from 900 to 1,000 pounds, according to a report by the …

The Wyandot Soil and Water Conservation District and its board of supervisors recently announced the winners of its 2014 photography contest.

Starting today, farmers can enroll in the new dairy Margin Protection Program, a voluntary program established by the 2014 farm bill. The program provides financial assistance to participating farmers when the margin — the difference between the price of milk and feed costs — falls below the coverage level selected by the farmer. The Wyandot County Farm Service Agency office …

Agriculture was on display in Wyandot County on Thursday when several public officials toured farms and farm-related businesses to hear their concerns.