MARYSVILLE — The 2016-2017 Ohio Cattlemen’s Association Beef Exhibitor Show Total Program wrapped up on May 6 with its annual awards banquet held at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus.

ST. LOUIS — Upper Sandusky farmers had the opportunity to win a $2,500 donation to direct to a local eligible nonprofit organization beginning Aug. 1. As part of the America’s Farmers Grow Communities program, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, more than $3 million of financial support will be provided to nonprofits across rural America in 2017.

INDIANAPOLIS — The National FFA Foundation awarded a $750 grant and an official FFA jacket to the Riverdale High School FFA chapter. Legacy Farmers Cooperative together with Syngenta participated in the FFA Blue Jacket program as a special project of the National FFA Foundation, to make the award possible.

COLUMBUS — The Riverdale FFA Chapter recently had four members travel to Columbus for the 89th annual State FFA Convention. Kohlten Shane, Breanah Shane, Cara Pauley and Carrol Pauley made the trip and stopped at the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

Each year, the area’s agricultural community and area businesses celebrate National Agriculture Week during the month of March. This year, National Ag Week was March 21-30. The Wyandot County Ag Week Steering Committee sponsored a poster contest for the fourth graders in Wyandot County.

The Upper Sandusky and Wynford FFA chapters each took two teams on April 26 to the Area 1 Envirothon Contest at Rush Creek Sportsmen’s Club in Belle Center. Wynford’s first team won the competition and Upper Sandusky’s first team took third to advance to the state competition June 12-13 at Ohio Christian University.

Ohio hunters checked 10,280 wild turkeys during the first week of the wild turkey hunting season, April 24-30, an increase from 8,629 in 2016. Wyandot County saw an increase in birds harvested from 2016, with 50 birds taken this year compared to 42 the previous year.

Producers on farms with base acres under the safety net programs established by the 2014 Farm Bill, known as the Agriculture Risk Coverage or Price Loss Coverage programs, may visit Farm Services Agency county offices to sign contracts and enroll for the 2017 crop year.

Bill VanScoy, owner of VanScoy Farms, talks to Village Gardeners Club members in the hydroponic plant nursery near Mount Victory. Submitted photo