REYNOLDSBURG — The Ohio Department of Agriculture is accepting proposals for the 2016 specialty crop block grant program, which will provide funding for projects to enhance the competitiveness of crops such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and nursery crops.

COLUMBUS — Twenty-four students from the Upper Sandusky FFA traveled to Columbus on April 2 for the state spring career development event contests or CDEs. This year, Upper Sandusky had six different contest areas that students participated in: agronomy, horse judging, general livestock, nature interpretation, poultry and wildlife management.

Agricultural producers are reminded to consult with the Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service before breaking out new ground for production purposes, as doing so without prior authorization may put a producer’s federal farm program benefits in jeopardy.

FINDLAY — Ohio offers opportunities for the public to fish, including 124,000 acres of inland water, 7,000 miles of streams, 2.25 million acres of Lake Erie water and 481 miles of the Ohio River, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.