MILLERSBURG, Ohio — On Feb. 3, the West Holmes FFA chapter hosted a fundraiser at the Berlin Farmstead Restaurant. Nearly 30 members helped with the event, serving as greeters, hostesses, waitresses and table cleaners. Over 200 members of the community came out to support the chapter, which raised $2,480 during the evening from tips and $828.27 in sale proceeds.
MILLERSBURG, Ohio — On Feb. 4, following the eighth-grade parent meeting, West Holmes FFA chapter officers set up poster boards to talk to parents and their children to build interest in agriculture and FFA. Shane Lorentz, Madison Ringwalt and Makenzie Mast were on hand, along with Courtney Crider, Mia Spencer, Natty Lint and Wyatt Troyer and greenhand officers Emily Ogi, Tori Kaufman, Jensen Lorentz, Breck Sheldon, Jocelyn Olney and Taylor McDonnell. Any student interested in taking the Ag Class or joining FFA is encouraged to sign up for Ag Food and Natural Resources and reach out to the officers or vocational agriculture teacher/FFA adviser, Jaime Chenevey, at the high school.
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JEROMESVILLE, Ohio — On Feb. 4, the Hillsdale FFA chapter competed in the Sub District Public Speaking Leadership Development Event. Members Laney Meek, Cooper Baker and Eben Wilson-Mills traveled to Firelands High School to compete. Creed Speaking is reserved for ninth-grade members in their first year of high school agricultural education. Participants are required to recite the FFA Creed verbatim, followed by a five-minute question-and-answer session. Extemporaneous Speaking challenges members to prepare a four-to-six-minute speech in just 30 minutes based on a randomly drawn topic. Meek placed third in Creed Speaking and advanced to the district competition on Feb. 11, where she placed fourth.
JEROMESVILLE, Ohio — On Feb. 2, the Hillsdale FFA chapter competed in the Agriculture Power Diagnostic CDE Contest. Members Reed Twining and Wyiatt Hynek traveled to Crawford County to compete against fourteen other chapters, where they placed first. Teams in the 2026 Ohio FFA Agricultural Power Diagnostics CDE consist of two students who troubleshoot and repair five pieces of equipment under time constraints. Each station allows 20 minutes for repairs, with scoring based on diagnostic accuracy, procedural logic and proper tool use. Safety is mandatory, requiring safety glasses and work on equipment secured with jack stands; teams provide hand tools but not major teardowns like removing oil pans.
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ASHLAND, Ohio — On Feb. 4, three members of the Ashland FFA chapter traveled to Firelands High School for the Sub-District Public Speaking Leadership Development Event. Senior Haley McNaull participated in the Extemporaneous Speaking Contest, where she was given the speech topic of “How do environmental conditions influence plant growth and productivity?” She placed first in Sub-District B and headed to Districts on Feb. 11 at Shelby High School. There, she participated in the District 2 Extemporaneous Public Speaking LDE. In Extemporaneous Public Speaking, students have 30 minutes to prepare a four to six-minute speech on their fishbowl topic. Her speech topic was how to manage nutrient film technology (NFT) to prevent pythium root rot. She placed first in the competition and will be competing at the state level on March 7.
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BELOIT, Ohio — Seven outstanding members of the West Branch FFA chapter earned their Ohio FFA State Degree, including Isabella Higgins, Grady Rockwell, Austin Ruthrauff, Stella Zippy, Austin Pierce, Connor Linder and Bryce Hoopes. This degree recognizes their hard work, leadership and dedication to agricultural education. Member Alex Campbell’s American FFA Degree application has advanced past the state level and is now headed to national judging through the National FFA Organization. In addition, Higgins created the chapter’s Gold Star Reporter Book, showcasing the many accomplishments and activities of our chapter.
BELOIT, Ohio — The West Branch FFA Grain Merchandising Team has qualified for the State Contest. Team members Stella Zippay, Lance Myers, Austin Ruthrauff and Austin Pierce put in practice time to learn grain market analysis and merchandising skills to prepare for competition. Once there, the team will be tasked with marketing a grain crop for one production cycle. The team will compete at Wilmington College on March 18 to determine final placings.
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SULLIVAN, Ohio — The Black River FFA chapter took part in a unique hands-on learning experience on school grounds Feb. 17, tapping maple trees that will be collected for sap production. The Plant and Animal Science classes took the lead in preparing collection bags, ensuring everything was ready for the sap-gathering process. After the prep was done, the class had the opportunity to head outdoors and tap the trees. This process allows students to witness firsthand how sap is harvested before being transformed into delicious maple syrup.
