Chase Gasser lines up across from a teammate in a defensive practice drill. Regarded as one of the toughest players on the team, Gasser enjoys the chance to play football for the club team.

By Zachary Steiner
agricultural communication student

Chase Gasser was curiously wandering through the involvement fair on the oval of Ohio State’s campus his freshman year when he saw the OSU club football team booth. This was an open door for him to once again play the game he loved so much—football.

Regarded by his coaches and teammates as someone who embodies the culture of the club team and plays with energy every snap, Gasser has had a successful career. He also is an agricultural systems management major in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

Gasser is a native of Creston, Ohio—a small farming community in Northeast Ohio where he grew up with an agricultural background and playing football each fall for his local high school team, the Norwayne Bobcats.

Originally, Gasser did not know what to expect when he first showed up for practice with the club team. He did not know what it would be like, but he took a chance and club football has since become a full commitment for him.

“I didn’t think it was going to be serious at all. I showed up thinking it was going to be a good old time,” Gasser said. “It was me going out on a limb to give it a try and here we are.”

Gasser, who stands at sturdy 6’2’’ and 220 lbs., is listed as the team’s starting defensive tackle. A man who rocks a long blonde mullet and scraggly facial hair, he fits the job description. His playing style certainly fits the mold as well.

He would describe his demeanor on the field being like a wild man—fitting for someone who prepares for each game listening to AC/DC.

“You just gotta be a wild man. You gotta be gritty. You can never shy down from the guy across from you,” Gasser said. “Playing defensive tackle, those big offensive linemen are often bigger than me, so I can’t be intimidated.”

OSU club football team’s first-year head coach, James Grega, took one look at Gasser and instantly thought he would be a great addition to the team. What gave it away? The long blonde mullet that flows from his grey helmet.

“The first thing that comes to mind is the hair and you see the hair and you think this guy has to be a good football player because you can’t pull off that hair and not be good at football,” Grega said.

Being named to the All-American team for the National Club Football Association his first two seasons, Gasser certainly has a career full of accolades. However, what his teammates most appreciate about him is the leadership he has brought. He exemplifies what it means to be a buckeye on the club team.

“From day one, the first time he came out to practice, you could just see you weren’t going to have a tougher guy on the team, a guy that is going to give everything he’s got every play. He brings a ton of energy to practice and to our games,” Grega said. “He’s been one of those guys who has been instrumental to establish the culture of winning.”

Gasser believes you have to play the game with energy. He prides himself on being a team player—sacrificing for the teammates around him.

“This sport is all about passion and playing for the guy next to you and it is something to have the opportunity to play at a university like this,” Gasser said.

The team is made up of a wide range of people from different backgrounds. Everything from players formerly on the varsity squad to small-town farm kids, Gasser enjoys the challenge of bringing the group together.

“This is the most absurd group of people you will ever see on one team, but somehow we found a way to click,” Gasser said. “You just have so many different people, so many studs in high school who knew they were not going to play division one somewhere, so they came here and found this special club we have.”

The club players at Ohio State are playing because they have a chance to strap up their helmets a few more times before they hang up the cleats for good. Like varsity student-athletes, club athletes must balance their practice and competitions with schoolwork, jobs and whatever else they are involved in.

For Gasser who has been employed at the Ohio State beef and sheep facility since his sophomore year and is a full-time student, this has proven to be challenging.

“Trying to balance chores at the farm, schoolwork, and practice can be tricky at times, but you just have to grind,” Gasser said. “Find those chances to work on stuff and get it done.”

Alike his mentality on the field—playing with a high energy and passion—Gasser attributes his success on the field and the classroom to his upbringing. He believes with 100% certainty that farmers are the toughest people around.

“Everyone on this team knows I live at the OSU Beef and Sheep facility and they think I have this farm strength, farm tough attitude and that is for sure,” Gasser said. “That is what agriculture is. Whether that is physical strength or mental strength, I mean, you look at farmers, they’re the toughest people I know, and I try to carry that same mentality.”

Being the lone agricultural major on the team and clearly standing out from others with his mullet and mustache, his teammates and coaches appreciate his comfort in being himself no matter who is around.

“He embraces who he is, and he doesn’t deviate from who he is at all and I think the guys on the team appreciates that and they gravitate towards it,” Grega said. “Everybody feeds off his energy and his emotions and it is always positive.”

With a motor that never quits, hair that stands out amongst a crowd and the toughness of a farmer, Gasser wants his legacy to be one thing—a national championship.

“The first national championship in OSU club football history. That’s it. That’s what we want,” Gasser said.

This feature story was written by Zachary, an agricultural communication student enrolled in the Agricultural Communication 2531 course during the 2019 Autumn Semester. Dr. Joy Rumble instructed the course.

By Stacey Butler
agricultural communication student

In the middle of a brilliantly blue sky, the sun shined, warming the shoulders of the people hiking along the trail surrounded by enormous pine trees. The air was filled with the fresh pine aroma, as guests were greeted at the roadside shack and handed a map of the farm along with a sharp saw. People of all ages chattered and took in the sights, remarking on the vast number of trees to choose from, as they set off to find the perfect Christmas tree for their home.

Off in the distance, the putt-putt of the orange tractor could be heard making a loop around the farm, pausing so freshly cut trees can be laid on the trailer and transported back to the entrance. Seated upon the tractor, wearing a permanent smile is the owner of Hickory Ridge Tree Farm, Karl Rieppel.

Rieppel waves as he drives his tractor around his 75-acre Christmas tree farm. The final stop on his route is back at the shack where Rieppel’s sons, John and James, can be found measuring the trees and collecting payments. The high school and college age employees then take the trees to be baled in netting. Lastly, the fresh cut tree is carried and tied to the roof of the vehicle before the guests are thanked and wished “Merry Christmas” as they head for home.

Rieppel’s parents, Perry and Ruth, purchased the 60-acre farm in Alexandria, Ohio back in 1954. By 1957, they had begun planting Christmas trees in what was previously a soybean field. A few years later, Karl purchased an additional 15-acres, bringing the land total up to 75-acres.

Along the way, Rieppel earned his degree from the Ohio State University in liberal arts before joining the United States Army.

“I was active duty for two and a half years and then I was a reservist for another 30 years,” Rieppel recalls. “I was in the 32^nd air defense command.”

When he completed his active duty, Rieppel earned a master’s in business administration from the University of Miami in Ohio and eventually became an educator. Rieppel built his house on the property in 1976 for his family.

“We’ve been here all our lives,” Rieppel’s son, John, said. “We’ve seen people, their kids as little babies, they’ve been coming here forever. We would start recognizing people, and they recognize you, so it’s kind of cool to be a part of their life.”

Christmas tree farming is a year-round operation for Rieppel and his family. Every spring, Rieppel begins the process of planting young saplings. Each tree will be sprayed to prevent disease and bugs from ending their young existence. Summertime includes maintaining the trees, removing dead trees, and mowing all the land.

The Christmas trees grow over the course of roughly 10 years before they are selected by a family in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Rieppel and his crew will trim and shape the trees to look iconic like those in Christmas stories. Although the farm does offer tree purchase year-round, the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are by far the most popular time for tree sales.

Even with the production of fake and pre-lit Christmas trees, the choose and cut tree farms are still doing well in business. It was difficult for Rieppel to put a number on the average amount of trees they sell annually because it depends solely on the weather. Some years they sell around 1,000 trees and then in other years they can sell well over 2,000.

Hickory Ridge Tree Farm is home to six varieties of trees: Norway Spruce, Blue Spruce, Fraser Fir, White Pine, Scotch Pine and Canaan Fir. When the Rieppel’s first began selling Christmas trees it was originally a heavy market for Scotch Pines. Now the Canaan Fir, which thrives in Ohio soil, has since taken the lead.

The Canaan Fir is a genetic cross of the northern balsam fir from the northern United States and Canada and the Fraser balsam fir from the southeastern United States. The blue-green, flattish needles are a silvery color on the underside of the branches. Its fragrance is sweet and spicy like balsam and Fraser fir. Its soft lacing branches are sturdy enough to support ornaments of many sizes. Needle retention is very good for this water loving tree. (Tree Varieties, 2018)

“If we have good weather on these weekends before Christmas, we sell a lot of them,” Rieppel said. “If we don’t, then we usually sell about half.”

One thing Rieppel does regardless of tree sales is overplant. Overplanting helps ensure he has a steady supply of growing trees for the years to come. As a result, Hickory Ridge Tree Farms is notorious for its tall trees. The tallest tree they have sold so far was to a shopping center and stood 30 feet tall.

“People come here for the big ones,” Rieppel boasts. “We sell a lot of them in the 15 to 20-foot range. People come here because they know they can get them here.”

However, Rieppel is also the reason many people continue to return to his farm year after year. On December 1, Hickory Ridge Tree Farm was nothing shy of a steady flow of foot traffic. Regardless of whether it was their first time at the farm or their annual visit, every person had something kind to say about Rieppel and his farm.

“I remember my first time coming here and I didn’t know that it was cash or check,” Troy Widdis of Bexley, Ohio recalls of his first visit 15 years ago. “Mr. Rieppel just said, ‘send me a check,’ you know – the honor system, which is pretty cool.”

Widdis was searching for his own tree and was accompanied by his daughter and her boyfriend. Both houses were able to find a manageable tree to take home.

First time visitors, Sonnie and Alyssa Jones came on the recommendation of others. The family farm they had been frequenting closed when the owner passed away this year.

“There were two different families that recommended these guys [Hickory Ridge Tree Farms],” Alyssa Jones said. “So, I was like well this might be a good place. The kids love the ponds.”

Hickory Ridge Tree Farms has been the site for photography sessions and even proposals. The 75-acres houses thousands of Christmas trees, multiple ponds, deer, birds and other forest dwelling wildlife.

At the age of 76, Rieppel spoke about the future of Hickory Ridge Tree Farm. Ultimately, he hopes the farm will remain in his family for generations to come.

“It depends how long I go but I figure I’ll probably give it up in five years,” Rieppel said. “Then they’ll either maintain some of it or let it go back to forest.”

Regardless of what happens in the years to come, Rieppel is enjoying his life as a Christmas tree farmer. He spends a lot of his time tending his trees, maintaining the land, and planting for the future. His infectious grin can be spotted immediately as he comes up over the hill atop his tractor with a trailer overflowing with Christmas trees.

“My father was an engineer and a white-collar worker. I was a college teacher and a reservist, so this was a physical hobby for us,” Rieppel explains. “And it’s worked out good for me.”

Open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve, Hickory Ridge Tree Farm is located just two miles west of Alexandria, Ohio on State Route 37. Prices are based on the variety and height, ranging from $30 to $300 per tree.

This feature story was written by Stacey Butler, an agricultural communication student enrolled in the Agricultural Communication 2531 course during the 2019 Autumn Semester. Dr. Joy Rumble instructed the course.

The College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Learning Community members Claire Meyer and Bethany Starlin enjoy themselves at the ice-skating social event.

By Lindsey Okuley
agricultural communication student

 As the doors to the elevator slide open, a barrage of noise immediately meets your ear drums. The brightly colored walls match the energized amalgam of noise streaming from both sides of the floor.

Both young men and women share their day’s tales of aggravation, success and anything in between. Floor two of Nosker House, as usual, is bustling with lively inhabitants sharing one another’s company.

This dorm at The Ohio State University is home to the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) Learning Community (LC). Students majoring in the college are invited to apply to this community to live with fellow agricultural students.

As the first Learning Community at Ohio State, the CFAES LC is supported directly by the college. Under the direction of the college staff and Nosker House residence staff, the Learning Community has thrived for many years.

Currently, around 90 first and second-year students are living in the community on campus. These students share similar majors, interests and a deep passion for the agricultural industry.

“I’ve never worked with a group of students like this LC’s individuals who care so much about their career and have so much passion for the work that they do,” said Kyle Hovest, residence hall director of the Barrett-Nosker complex.

The CFAES Learning Community is a co-curricular experience bridging the gap between classroom learning and out-of-class experiences at college. More importantly, for students new to Ohio State, the LC provides a community that feels like a home away from their hometown.

Purpose
This home away from home serves many purposes for those students living in the community.

The first purpose most often mentioned is the pursuit of building community and comradery amongst LC members. Too often, students living in dorms feel isolated from others living in their hall, as they have few shared involvement opportunities to participate in.

The CFAES Learning Community eliminates this issue by housing members in the same dorm. Additionally, members of the LC have meetings and engagement opportunities provided through the community to get to know their peers and develop lasting friendships.

“My new friends are especially nice to have when I’m struggling in class or just need someone to talk to,” said current LC member Emma Gurney.

Additionally, students in the Learning Community are given opportunities to network outside of the community.

Many events are held to allow members opportunities to personally meet faculty and staff from the college. At times, students even have opportunities to connect with agricultural business professionals, as well.

“I think a benefit is simply getting to continue making connections outside of the classroom, both with each other as well as with the faculty and staff. It’s just an opportunity to get everyone in the same room,” said Hovest.

All of these connections made through the Learning Community will prove useful beyond the students’ years at Ohio State.

The second purpose of the Learning Community is to allow both personal and career development amongst LC members.

“We have monthly meetings where we try to bring in different resources from across campus to help build you and your leadership and soft skills areas,” said CFAES Learning Community academic partner, Sarah Williams.

Through workshops in stress management, career readiness and much more, students are able to develop their personal and career skill sets.

The third purpose of the Learning Community, pertaining specifically to first-year members, is to offer an easier transition to Ohio State. Many students in the CFAES LC originate from rural American towns and villages so transitioning to a large campus can prove challenging to some.

“The LC is a place that makes a really big place feel small, helps with transition and helps make Columbus seem less intimidating for those who are not familiar with a big city feel,” said Hovest.

Finally, the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Learning Community offers students the chance to become more involved in the college. As a result of increased networking opportunities, members of the LC are introduced to more involvement positions within the college.

“There’s a variety of ways that I think individuals just feel more connected to the college, and they get more connected with staff who then are shoulder-tapping them to be a part of these different initiatives,” said Hovest.

Activities
The various benefits found through membership in the CFAES Learning Community come from participation in a variety of yearly LC activities.

First, the Learning Community conducts monthly meetings in a Nosker House meeting room. At these meetings, members gather to eat, catch up on current Learning Community happenings and most importantly, participate in an engaging workshop.

These workshops help students learn skills and tricks not necessarily taught in the classroom such as financial management tips, resume building steps and other various topics.

“One meeting, they brought in Adam Cahill from the career department and he really helped answer my questions about making a resume and how to act in an interview,” said Gurney.

The second type of events held by the LC are faculty meet-and-greets. At this event, students are able to question and personally interact with various staff members from the college.

This event offers a chance for students to network with upper-level CFAES faculty members. Through this new connection, students are often introduced to opportunities within the college and their careers they previously hadn’t been aware of.

The final events conducted by the Learning Community are social events and field trips. Students often favor these events over other LC activities, as they are fun and relaxed events serving the purpose of cultivating friendship between members. Additionally, field trips offer an opportunity for members to apply their classroom knowledge to an out-of-class experience.

Previous social events have included square dancing, ice skating, cookie decorating and other fun activities. One field trip is offered each semester. This fall, the LC took a trip to Young’s Jersey Dairy in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

“I especially liked the trip to Young’s Dairy. I grew up showing cattle so it was nice to get out of Columbus and see something as familiar as a farm full of dairy cows,” said Gurney.

Requirements
As with any club or organization, the Learning Community also has its own set of requirements members need to fulfill.

One such requirement is consistent event attendance.

“There’s what we call a Learning Community agreement that students agree to at the beginning of the semester saying students will attend so many events throughout the year,” said Williams.

In addition to attendance, second-year members have an additional responsibility added on after their first year in the LC.

“A requirement of second-year students that we have is that you participate in your committees, so you’re helping to plan out the activities that happen during fall semester,” said Williams.

Second-year students are selected to serve on certain LC committees throughout the year. These committees are responsible for planning and running a specific event throughout the course of the year.

Finally, the unspoken obligation asked of every LC member is to encourage an environment of acceptance and mutual assistance. Members should socialize, build rapport and work to help their LC fellow members.

So while floors two and three of Nosker House may be bursting with energy, there is so much more to hold accountable than friendly neighbors. Perhaps these students in the CFAES LC found a place where they simply feel like they belong. Perhaps this place even serves as their home away from home.

“Joining the LC was definitely the best decision I’ve made and I don’t regret a single part of it,” said Gurney.

This feature story was written by Lindsey Okuley, an agricultural communication student enrolled in the Agricultural Communication 2531 course during the 2019 Autumn Semester. Dr. Joy Rumble instructed the course.

Camila Manriquez checks the water levels in an infiltrometer, a device that measures rate of water infiltration, to use for data collection in a plot of corn.
Photo credit: Cassandra Brown

By Haley Schmersal
agricultural communication student

What do you think of when you hear the word lab?

Most people picture a scientist working alone in a white coat and goggles dealing with extreme chemicals and complicated formulas on a chalkboard. While that may be the case in some labs, that is far from accurate when it comes to the Weed Ecology Lab at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC).

The OARDC Weed Lab, or OWL for short, is a place where researchers like to get their hands dirty. On a cool fall afternoon, you can find several members of the lab deep in a row of corn wearing rubber boots, baseball caps, and gloves carrying on lively conversations while collecting data for a project. While the research project may only belong to one member of the group, there are always others ready to help, even people from other labs.

This is just one of many ways the OWL lab is different from what people may expect. In the Weed Lab, researchers mainly study common types of weeds, various weed control methods, and how these weeds can impact crops in Ohio. With such dense subject matter, it’s easy to picture this as a boring job. However, the members of the lab would disagree.

The OARDC Weed Lab creates a sense of community that helps its employees flourish. This is accomplished through hands-on research, learning experiences and a healthy dose of fun. Between mentors with over two decades of experience and the occasional birthday celebration, there is never a dull moment for the researchers and assistants in the lab.

When it comes to research, the OWLs do things differently than most would expect. Teamwork is a key aspect of every day at the lab. Whether it’s something as simple as a how to format their data or as complicated as designing a new experiment, lab members are always working together and bouncing ideas off each other.

Each member of the lab has their own specializations and interests, which is beneficial for both themselves and the group. If one person is not as knowledgeable in an area, they are more than likely able to find someone who is an expert just a few doors down. In turn, this leads to people learning from one another.

Cathy Herms, Research Assistant 2 and two-decade employee said they all work together because it helps ensure the quality of the data, it keeps people motivated, and it helps people learn from one another.

Some researchers even get to work with local farmers who allow them to test different types of weed control on their properties. This gives researchers a chance to see how what they are doing can have an impact on others. Many times, the friendships with the farmers and families that they have met last beyond the length of the project.

Even with a heavy workload, employees in the lab make time for fun, friends, and food.

“In my opinion, food brings people together,” said Herms.

If an employee has a birthday, it’s going to be celebrated. During lunch time, you can find the OWLs gathered around a long table in their conference room with the scent of a homemade potluck and laughter filling the air. Lunch is also accompanied by a birthday dessert, usually consisting of Herms’ homemade brownies and ice cream.

“One thing I’ve been told is that we have more parties, birthdays, and stuff than any other lab on the campus,” said Dr. Douglas Doohan, Professor of Horticulture and Crop Science.

This type of interaction is important to everyone in the lab because it is one extra step that makes them feel appreciated and builds their sense of belonging. It also gives them the opportunity to converse with one another outside of work topics and build close relationships.

Allison Robinson, Research Assistant 2, joined the OARDC Weed Lab four years ago. When she first started working there, she was embarrassed to speak English because it was not her first language. Because of the welcoming atmosphere and the encouragement of others, Robinson eventually became more confident in herself and became close with others in the lab. She even met her husband, Ben Robinson, who also works in the lab.

“Personally, and professionally both I’ve grown a lot,” said Robinson.

But why do people become so close to one another and grow in the Weed Lab? It could be because they are required to spend so much time together. However, the people that work there know that it is due to much more than that.

Not only do the OWLs spend time together in the lab, they also spend time together outside of the lab. This is a rare feature when it comes to a workplace, and something that helps contribute to the sense of community that can be found in the lab. It also brings the employees closer together and helps them get to know each other better.

“They [The employees] don’t feel bad about coming to work in the morning,” said Doohan.

Being part of the OWLs is more like being part of a family. Everyone strives to make each other feel valuable and included, which is key in such a high paced environment. They also share the same general goals and values, something that many places lack.

“We all have the same kind of passion for learning and research,” said Herms.

Herms and Doohan have both been a part of the OARDC Weed Lab family for over twenty years, so they are essentially experts in what they do. They serve as mentors for the graduate students and guide them through any problems they may have, science related or not.

“I love working and mentoring with the grad students…” said Herms.

With years of experience under their belts, Doohan and Herms know how to most effectively lead their team. They know how to listen to people’s opinions and give them constructive feedback. They also take the time to get to know everyone personally and include everyone in the lab, even part time assistants.

At the end of the day, researchers at the OARDC Weed Ecology Lab know that they can come to work, have a good day, and do their best. When they walk through the door each morning, they know that they will be greeted with a bright smile and a warm welcome.

While the research may seem daunting at times, it can be accomplished each day by using teamwork and a combination of everyone’s strengths. The motivation for this goes back to the fact that team members know that they are valued and that they belong. This feeling is achieved through acceptance, guidance and the occasional birthday celebration.

This feature story was written by Haley Schmersal, an agricultural communication student enrolled in the Agricultural Communication 2531 course during the 2019 Autumn Semester. Dr. Joy Rumble instructed the course.