Dan Armitage

2 weeks ago | ocj.com | Dan Armitage

By Dan ArmitageMarinas, waterfront restaurants, boat clubs, and other businesses wanting to impact boating safety here in Ohio and elsewhere can apply now to become a BoatUS Foundation Kid’s Life Jacket Loaner program site. Supported by BoatUS member donations, the program offers a simple way to help children and young adults get the right-sized life jackets when boating, sailing, or fishing for the day or weekend.

1 month ago | ocj.com | Dan Armitage

By Dan ArmitageOne of the first things I do to start each boating season is to get a sanctioned safety inspection and the sticker awarded to boaters who pass. By displaying that sticker on my boat, I avoid being pulled over for random inspections for the balance of the boating season. I don’t have anything to hide; it’s just that doing so helps keep me from being interrupted while fishing, cruising, or relaxing.

1 month ago | ocj.com | Joe Everett |Bernadette Arehart |Dan Armitage

By Joe Everett, Ohio Ag NetAll year farmers are busy maintaining and working on their farms. One thing that sometimes slips through the cracks is planning for the future of their operations. It can sometimes be a difficult topic but is vital to the existence of America’s family farms. According to the USDA, an estimated 70% of U.S. farmland is expected to change hands within the next 20 years. Some of this farmland could unintentionally be sold out of the family if not handled correctly.

1 month ago | ocj.com | Dan Armitage

By Dan Armitage, OCJ outdoors writerLast year was a record-breaking year for overnight stays at Ohio State parks, when the agency recorded an impressive 1,112,179 overnight stays. The previous record-holding year was 2023 with 1,098,932 overnight reservations. Of the overnight stays, more than 919,600 stays were at state-operated campsites, cabins, camper cabins, and yurts, while approximately 192,500 nights were booked in one of Ohio’s 10 state park lodges and the accompanying lodge cabins.

2 months ago | ocj.com | Don Sanders |Dan Armitage

By Don “Doc” SandersColombia is a great country to visit, with beautiful mountains, border ranches and countryside, clearly displaying the importance of agriculture to the nation. And that’s why I was there, on one of my international consulting trips. I and my late wife, Kristen, found the environmental conditions to be ideal when we arrived in Bogota on a Delta flight. It was the dead of winter in Colombia, with daytime temperatures peaking at 75degrees F and nighttime temperatures in the 60s.