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3 weeks ago | 
ocj.com | Dale Minyo
By Dale MinyoWhat started as a simple idea to engage youth in service has grown into a statewide movement combating food insecurity and building leadership skills. Now entering its fifth year, the “Fight the Hunger, Stock the Trailer” initiative, spearheaded by Farm Credit Mid-America and Rural 1st, has become a cornerstone program at county fairs across Ohio.
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1 month ago | 
ocj.com | Dale Minyo
By Dale Minyo, Ohio Ag NetEach spring, Farm Credit Mid-America team members across Ohio and the region have something to look forward to — not only because they get to visit customers, but because they get to return something meaningful to them. Mid-March was Patronage Week, and for Rudi Pitzer Perry, FCMA Regional Vice President of Ag Lending, it’s one of the most rewarding times of the year. “Patronage is the name for capital that any cooperative returns to its customers,” Pitzer Perry said.
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1 month ago | 
ocj.com | Matt Reese |Dale Minyo
By Matt Reese and Dale MinyoTeachers have a huge job to do with limited time, budgets and resources. So, when it comes to incorporating the amazing lessons that can be learned through agricultural production in the classroom, a little bit of help can go a long way. Donna Meller is a teacher at Pettisville High School. She teaches eighth grade science, environmental science, physics, chemistry, anatomy, physiology, and a high school research class.
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Feb 24, 2025 | 
ocj.com | Matt Reese |Dale Minyo
By Matt Reese and Dale MinyoRisk management is top-of-mind for many farms coming off the challenges of 2024. In many cases, a farm’s location in the state sets the stage for the operation’s risk levels in 2025. “In 2024 we saw so much variability in Ohio.
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Feb 18, 2025 | 
ocj.com | Matt Reese |Dale Minyo
By Matt Reese and Dale MinyoEngagement and wonder are incredible tools for learning, and soybeans facilitate both in the classroom. Science teachers gathered in January at the 2025 Science Education Council of Ohio (SECO) Symposium, seeking new ideas to engage students in their classrooms. The event featured a session on growing soybeans with students.
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Dec 8, 2024 | 
ocj.com | Matt Reese |Dale Minyo
By Matt Reese and Dale MinyoSurprising yields, impressive crop genetics and an early harvest were clear trends in 2024 as Dale Minyo checked in at several farms this fall. On Sept. 24, Mitch Regedanz of Regedanz Farms in Mercer County, was out of the fields after a long-awaited rain. “Over the past 3 days we’ve gotten about an inch and a half. That’s the first rain we’ve had in a while and I wish it would have come a month earlier. It would have really given things a boost.
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Nov 14, 2024 | 
ocj.com | Matt Reese |Dale Minyo
By Matt Reese and Dale MinyoWhile there have been many challenges in 2024, one bright spot is the early conclusion of harvest, which allows more time for planning before the end of the year. “We’ve heard about yields being more variable than we have in previous years. It’s brought some challenges and some uncertainty. Fortunately, overall, we’re hearing it’s a little better than had been expected,” said Brock Burcham, regional vice president for Farm Credit Mid-America (FCMA).
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Oct 29, 2024 | 
ocj.com | Matt Reese |Dale Minyo
By Matt Reese and Dale MinyoThere are many tools available to help farmers weather the various storms they are facing in 2024. “We’re following up on a couple of really favorable years from a profit perspective and we’re going into maybe some leaner times, at least in the grains sector. Nobody knows this better than our farmers and our customers. We want to pay attention to those cycles and help them think through things a little differently as we move into the next year.
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Oct 22, 2024 | 
ocj.com | Matt Reese |Dale Minyo |Don Sanders
By Matt Reese and Dale MinyoCuriosity is more than just a personality trait; it drives scientific discovery and problem-solving. In the GrowNextGen program — a project supported by Ohio’s soybean farmers and their checkoff — curiosity is a key component to fostering student success. The program provides real-world applications of science through agriculture, encouraging students to think critically and explore innovative solutions to global challenges. “Curiosity is a superpower.
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Sep 25, 2024 | 
ocj.com | Matt Reese |Dale Minyo
By Matt Reese and Dale MinyoAnyone reading this probably already knows Ohio agriculture is often at the forefront of innovation on the national scene. This is certainly the case with the development of agricultural curriculum in the classroom through GrowNextGen, a project of Ohio’s soybean farmers and their checkoff. The creation of GrowNextGen in Ohio led to a national version of the program called Nourish the Future being implemented in classrooms around the country.
