Ag Engineering

Tractor Maintenance & Small Engines 4-H Club – 1st Meeting: Jan 5th

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The Tractor Maintenance & Small Engines 4-H Club is accepting new members! 4-H is a non-formal, educational youth development program for individuals aged 8 and in 3rd grade or 9 years old through age 18, as of January 1, 2026.

This 4-H club is unique in that they focus on one specific topic – Small Engines and Farm Tractors. Meetings are on Monday nights, January through March each year. Advisors teach members how to work on small engines and tractors while visiting different businesses and agriculture shops throughout the county. No experience is necessary – This is a great opportunity to learn something new!

The club is also using a new curriculum that focuses on tractor safety and how to properly perform tractor maintenance. The Tractor Maintenance courses are available to members who have completed the small engine project books or have had previous experience working on machinery.

The club meets every Monday in January through Mid-March. The first meeting will be Monday, January 5, 2026, at 7:00p.m. at the Fairfield County Ag Center, 831 College Ave, Lancaster. Joining 4-H is relatively inexpensive – Members can participate in the Tractor Maintenance and Small Engine Club for $25! All interested members are welcome to attend this first meeting to learn more and get registered! For more information, contact the Fairfield County Extension Office at 740-653-5419

Tractor and Machinery Safety In-Service for Extension, High School Ag Teachers, and other Tractor Enthusiasts and Volunteers

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Please join us and also share this training opportunity with others who assist with tractor safety programs:

TRACTOR and MACHINERY SAFETY IN-SERVICE 

for EXTENSION, HIGHSCHOOL AG TEACHERS, and OTHER TRACTOR ENTHUSAISTS & VOLUNTEERS

 

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 12, 2025 from 10AM – 3PM

LOCATION: MOLLY CAREN AG CENTER – GWYNNE CONSERVATION CABIN, LONDON, OHIO

This in-service program is designed for instructors who would like to offer tractor safety courses for a variety of audiences: young workers, new & beginning farmers, and women in agriculture.

Learn the federal regulations for hiring youth and how to issue a Department of Labor training certificate for students wanting to work (for hire) on farms before age 16. This credential is also a great resume builder for any age.

Panel sessions will identify agricultural-friendly partners to help you teach and sponsor a tractor course in your area.

PROGRAM AGENDA 

9:30-10 AM – Registration with light breakfast snacks

10:00AM – Welcome, Introductions & Overview

  • The Why’s of Teaching Tractor Safety
    • Youth Labor Laws for Agriculture
    • Resources for Teaching Safe Tractor Operation

11:30AM – Lunch, with Panel Discussion

  • Working Together: school & community courses
  • Women in Ag trainings
    • New & beginning farmer programs

1:00PM – Hands-On Training:
• Written test and issuing training certificates

  • Skills and pre-operation stations Driving courses

2:55PM – Q & A, Wrap-up and Evaluation

3:00PM – Adjourn

REGISTRATION: $25 includes lunch

Payment can be made online with credit card or by check made payable to The Ohio State University.

Registration LINK: https://web.cvent.com/event/54059015-dd60-4106-8283-ca6f42b6b702/summary

Registration deadline: Nov 7. 2025

Summer Judging Results – Available Online!

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All results from this past week are/will be posted online. Click here for all results.

Congrats to all 4-H members who completed their projects and participated in judging this week! You all did a great job… keep up the great work!

All award winners will be invited to attend Summerfest to receive their awards. Summerfest will be held on Sunday, August 17th at 6:00 p.m. at the Old General Sherman Building. Emailed invitations will be sent to county award winners in a few weeks.

Tractor Maintenance Wraps Up Another Successful Year

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The Fairfield County Small Engines & Tractor Maintenance 4-H club wrapped up another year of programming with a traditional banquet on Monday, March 18th at the Amanda United Methodist Church.  The Club is one of only a handful of such clubs in the state at the county level and has been in existence for more than 75 years.

At the banquet, Mr. Adam Sharp from the Ohio Farm Bureau, a former member of the Club, spoke about the agricultural industry in Ohio and the importance of the skills and lessons we learned this year, such as problem-solving, time-management, conflict resolution, critical thinking, communication, and teamwork.

Next, Club Advisor Kim Root thanked the 2024 Club Officers: Brice Beery, President; Vice President, Carter Miller; Secretary, Grady Philson; Treasurer, Jacob Duke-Ward; and News Reporters, Henry Pratt and George Kraner.

The Advisors [Kim Root (Small Engines I), Andrew Hettinger (Small Engines II), Nate Seitz (Small Engines III), Brandt Coffman (Tractor Maintenance I), Nate Howdyshell (Tractor Maintenance II), and Clark Hunsinger (Tractor Maintenance III) also recognized their 35 students who completed the project books, hands-on projects, and/or final tests at each project level and gave each of us a certificate of completion.

The Club also thanked the hosts of the weekly meetings this year: OSU Extension Office, Millersport Agri Service Inc., Miller Farms, Fairfield County Ag Society, Travis Cupp Farm, Company Wrench, Liberty Union Agricultural Education Department, Foltz Ag Enterprises, and Specialty Tractor as well as the staff of the Fairfield County Extension and 4-H Office, Stacy Hicks and Aubry Fowler.

We can’t wait until next year to do it all again!

4-H is a non-formal educational youth development program for individuals 8 and in third grade or 9 years old through age 18 as of January 1, 2024 for more information, contact the Fairfield County Extension office at 740-653-5419.

Kim Root, Advisor

Fairfield County Small Engines & Tractor Maintenance

Submitted on behalf of Club News Reporter, Henry Pratt

Save the Dates: 2024 Summer Judging will be July 15 & 16

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NEW for 2024, we will be having summer project judging on TWO days. The judging schedule will be as follows and project judging will take place at the Ed Sands Building at the Fairgrounds.

Monday, July 15, 2024

  • Food and Nutrition Projects
  • Creative Arts Projects
  • Family & Consumer Sciences Miscellaneous Projects
  • ALL Self-Determined Projects
  • Clothing/Sewing Projects
    • Details are still being worked out for the Style Revue.

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

  • Leadership
  • Communications
  • Engineering
  • Environmental Sciences

Tractor Maintenance 1st Meeting – January 8th

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TRACTOR MAINTENANCE & SMALL ENGINES 4-H CLUB

The Tractor Maintenance & Small Engines 4-H Club is looking for new members! 4-H is a non-formal, educational youth development program for individuals age 8 and in 3rd grade or 9 years old through age 18, as of January 1, 2024.

This 4-H club is unique in that they focus on one specific topic – Small Engines and Big Tractors. This club meets on Monday nights from Jan – March. They also teach individuals how to work on small engines and tractors while visiting different businesses and agriculture shops throughout the county. No experience is necessary – This is a great opportunity to learn something new!

The club is also using a new curriculum that focuses on tractor safety and how to properly perform tractor maintenance. The Tractor Maintenance courses are available to members who have taken the small engine project books or have had previous experience working on machinery.

The club meets every Monday in January through Mid-March. The first meeting will be Monday, January 8, 2024 at 7:00p.m. at the Fairfield County Ag Center, 831 College Ave, Lancaster. Joining 4-H is relatively inexpensive – Members can participate in Tractor Maintenance for $18! All interested members are welcome to attend this first meeting to learn more and get registered! For more information, contact the Fairfield County Extension Office at 740-653-5419.

Congrats to Ohio State Fair Project Winners (non-livestock)

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The non-livestock results from the 2022 Ohio State Fair are posted online. Click here to see a complete list.

Clothing:

Rian Raver, Sundresses and Jumpers, Outstanding of the Day

Saige Howard, Sew for Others – Junior, Outstanding of the Day

Hannah Brown, Dress Up Daywear, Clock Trophy Winner

Julia Ribo, Sew Fun – Senior, Outstanding of the Day

Mary Cate Kitsmiller, Clothes for High School and College, Outstanding of the Day

Scarlett R. Sims, Designed By Me, Outstanding of the Day

Rachel Sponseller, Ready, Set, Sew Active, Outstanding of the Day

Creative Arts:

Isabella Byrd, Get Started in Art – Senior, Outstanding of the Day

Jaela Kim, Seeing Through Graphic Design, Outstanding of the Day

Creative Arts – Cake Decorating:

Alexis Kline, Cake Decorating Advanced – Junior, Clock Trophy Winner

Communications:

Gracie Weber, Demonstration – Junior, Outstanding of the Day

Companion Animals:

Hannah Jones, You & Your Dog Interview (Ages 8-10), Outstanding of the Day

Gracie Weber, Reptiles & Amphibians (Age 8+), Honorable Mention

Engineering Excitement:

Kendall Wild, Science Fun with Electricity, Outstanding of the Day

Family Life:

Megan Maloney, Babysitting, Outstanding of the Day

Food and Nutrition:

Charlotte Werner, Yeast Breads on The Rise, Outstanding of the Day

Julia Luallen, Kitchen Boss, Outstanding of the Day

Cece Woods, Sports Nutrition – Senior, Outstanding of the Day

Health:

Max Sims, Staying Healthy-Junior, Clock Trophy Winner

Matthew Taylor, First Aid in Action-Junior, Outstanding of the Day

Home Decorating:

Sophia Preston, Makeover My Space-Junior, Clock Trophy Winner

Leadership:

Kate Johnson, Club Leadership, Clock Trophy Winner

Grace Terflinger, Leadership Self-Determined (Camp Counseling), Outstanding of the Day

Photography:

Daisy D’Amico, Controlling the Image – Level 2, Outstanding of the Day

STEM:

Gracie Weber, From Airedales to Zebras – Vet Science I, Outstanding of the Day

Shooting Sports:

Alayna Leppert, Shooting Sports-Archery, Junior, Outstanding of the Day

Brendan Logsdon, Shooting Sports-Archery, Senior, Outstanding of the Day

Natural Resources:

Josiah Edwards, Beekeeping – Junior, Clock Trophy Winner

Gracie Weber, Outdoor Adventurer: Beginning Fishing, Outstanding of the Day

Lucille Fish, Explore the Outdoors, Outstanding of the Day

Julia Ribo, Grow Your Own Vegetables, Clock Trophy Winner

Workforce Prep:

Brin-Leigh Hoisington, Workforce Prep – Junior, Clock Trophy Winner

 

4-H Summer Judging for STEM Projects: Wednesday, July 13th

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Hello 4-H Members enrolled in STEM Projects!

We hope that you are busy working on your 4-H projects this summer. Here are a few important updates to be aware of:

  • All STEM Projects will be judged on Wednesday, July 13, 2022 from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (by appointment, see scheduling info below).
    • If you cannot attend this judging day, you can:
      1. Attend Late Judging on Tuesday, July 26th from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. by calling 740-653-5419 to schedule an appointment. Participation in Late Judging receives a grade only, and is not eligible for county awards or state fair consideration.
      2. Advisor Completion – Talk to your club advisor as they can work with you to review your project for completion only. No grades or awards will be given with this option.
      3. There will be no early judging.
  • Scheduling is now open for summer judging!
    • We ask that you schedule an appointment that works best for you by using this link: go.osu.edu/fcsummerjudging
    • Scheduling will be open through MIDNIGHT, Sunday, July 10th. 
    • If you have more than one project judged on this day, please be sure to schedule an appointment for EACH PROJECT. Also, please allow time between appointments to complete each interview.
  • Please review the 4-H Member Handbook and 4-H Project Member Guidelines as you complete your project(s) and prepare for judging.

Please contact the Extension Office if you have additional questions about project judging! We can’t wait to see you in less than one month!

Scholarship Opportunity: Precision Agriculture – Due 9/25/2020

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Precision Agriculture:  Positive Impacts on the Environment Scholarship Contest
Farms.com is pleased to announce a contest for a chance to win one of three US $2,000 scholarships for students who have a precision agriculture idea that will have a positive impact on the environment.

In addition to the $2,000 scholarship prize, the winners, as determined by voting in each country, will be invited to participate in a Student Panel as part of Farm.com Precision Ag Virtual Conference in November 2020, where they will have the opportunity to present their thesis idea in more detail to farmers attending the Farms.com Virtual Precision Agriculture Conference and Trade Show. Full details and application can be found at https://www.farms.com/precision-agriculture/conferences/virtual-precision-ag-conference-2020/scholarship-contest. Deadline is 11:59 pm, Friday September 25, 2020