Youth Gardening to promote educational skills.

Youth is the heart of Paulding County! When we talk about opportunities to develop skills that last a lifetime, we are talking about those career development skills and life skills like time management, and hard work. Paulding County Extension is offering its fourth season of a youth gardening program starting on June 4, 2024, and running through August 6, 2024.

“This year, we have expanded the program to offer meal and snack possibilities from produce grown in the garden.”, shared Emma Horstman, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences.

We are inviting all youth ages 8-12 to join the Paulding County Extension Office in their children’s gardening and cooking summer program. This program is geared towards 8-12-year-old youth interested in gardening, cooking, and healthy eating. This goal is to attend all sessions and enrollment is limited to 20 youth.​ Registration is required by going to the link http://go.osu.edu/24GreenThumbs.

The program aims to develop life and career skills while learning educational concepts in gardening and cooking. Youth will meet every Tuesday morning from 9:30 – 10:30 AM starting June 4 in the Youth Leadership Building, 503 Fairground Drive, Paulding, OH 45879. ​ Continue reading Youth Gardening to promote educational skills.

Celebrate our rivers at RiverFest 2024!

For the eighth year in a row, Defiance is celebrating the Maumee and Auglaize Rivers with RiverFest, hosted at Pontiac Park from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Saturday, June 29th, 2024. There will be activities, demonstrations, food, and fun for everyone! Bring your kids, ages 1 to 100 for Kids River Passport STEAM activities, including Project Wet and other demonstrations by Defiance Soil and Water Conservation District, Defiance City Schools, Defiance College Science Club, Yoga in the Park, Camp Lakota/Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts of Western Ohio, ODNR Scenic Rivers, OSU Extension, The Nature Conservancy, Maumee Watershed Alliance, and more! A living history encampment will provide a taste of local history, then you can grab a taste of current history by visiting one of the food trucks at the park! A kayak raffle will also be held during RiverFest! More information can be found at the Land To Lake website, landtolake.org, or Click here to view the event flyer.

23rd Annual Master Gardener Volunteer Plant Sale

The pop of color from a flower, the bees on the native plants, and the taste of a homegrown tomato are all aspects of spring and summer in NW Ohio and one the Paulding County Master Gardener Volunteers love. The 23rd annual sale will continue in 2024 with some changes. The sale will be one day only on Saturday, May 18th from 8:00 AM until 12:00 PM or until the plants are sold out. The sale will occur at the Paulding County Fairgrounds inside the Block Building at 503 Fairground Drive, Paulding, OH 45879.

Plants and more will still be available at the 2024 Paulding County Master Gardener Volunteer plant sale. The sale will include perennials, annual flowers, herbs, vegetables, trees, potting containers, natives, and shrubs. Most items are between $1-$10 each. The proceeds from the sale will go back into the community Master Gardener Volunteer projects and programs. Continue reading 23rd Annual Master Gardener Volunteer Plant Sale

Timeline for Solar Eclipse from Paulding County EMA Office

Press Release from Paulding County Emergency Management Agency, Edward Bohn EMA Director, 451 McDonald Pike  Paulding, Ohio 45879

Office (419)-399-3500, ema@pauldingcounty-oh.com, Cell (419)-399-7226

April 4th, 2024

TIMELINE FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE IN PAULDING COUNTY, OHIO

Monday April 8th, 2024

It BEGINS at 1:51 pm

The TOTALITY begins at 3:09 pm

The TOTALITY ends at 3:12 pm

The Solar Eclipse will be OVER at 4:34 pm

Farm Science Review is just around the corner!

LONDON, Ohio – More than 50 companies will join the ranks as exhibitors for the 61st Farm Science Review Sept. 19-21 at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center. The new exhibitors represent various sectors in the agriculture industry including livestock handling, equipment advancements, agronomic technology, agricultural policy, and more.

Paulding County Extension Office has tickets for sale at a discounted price total of $10 per ticket. Tickets will be for sale until Monday, September 18 at noon. Continue reading Farm Science Review is just around the corner!

Recap of the Virtual Jr. Swine Day in Ohio 2021

From Dale Ricker, OSU Extension Swine Program Specialist

The Junior Swine Day recording can be found at the link below. This is great to show to your 4-Hers and FFA members taking Swine Projects.  Additionally, there is a Showmanship Video.

Video from the event: https://osu.zoom.us/rec/share/jgIGuk8mUJw-rwcxGv-D7tiMfAsBxx1fL6hciXrCfpaMvjGLZO9rXWZ2U4vrpXzH.apQP95CSC3pR4juh

Showmanship video: https://youtu.be/TwrEyYgVVvw

Ohio Pork Information Center Website:   http://porkinfo.osu.edu/

Contact Information:

Dale Ricker, OSU Swine Extension Program Specialist
Phone: 419-523-6294
Putnam County OSU Extension
1206 E. 2nd. Street
Ottawa, Ohio 45875

Take some time during Farm Science Review to share the film SILO.

Earlier in the year, I had the opportunity to watch the film SILO during the American Farm Bureau Federation National Meeting.  If you are involved in farming or work in agribusiness this movie is a great one to watch.  Safety around grain bins is one of the areas of focus I have had for Paulding County. Many of our local fire departments have volunteers trained in grain bin rescue and via grants have the equipment to use in the county if the need arises to complete a rescue. With Farm Science Review in a virtual, online format, the opportunity to see the movie is free.  There are specific times but please take time for this great opportunity.

Free screenings of the film SILO will be offered as a part of Farm Science Review 2020. It is a great opportunity for friends and family to spend an evening together watching a movie from the comfort of their own home. A way to start a dialog around safety for families, FFA chapters, or older 4-H members. Thank you for your support in keeping our farm communities safe this harvest season.

Link and flyer to get registered for the event

2020 Paulding County Jr. Fair Buyer Add-On Packet Now Available

From Sarah Noggle, Extension Educator, Agriculture, and Natural Resources, Paulding County with an excerpt from Michael Schweinsberg, Extension Educator, 4-H Youth Development, Paulding County’s blog post.

This week is one of my favorite weeks of the year, but this year this week is bittersweet. Usually, the first county fair in the State of Ohio, our fairgrounds and barns, are sitting empty. You won’t hear the laughter of 4-H and FFA members from the barns.

Our hats go off to the Paulding County Sr. and Jr. Fairboards as this tough decision was made a few weeks ago. The economic impact on the fair board with social distancing and other guidelines made it almost economically impossible to hold the fair. While this situation does stink, especially, because fair is where my heart is personally every summer. This is because of the connections I have developed over the years.  While this year’s pandemic has put a wrench in the fair plan, the plan was already in another person’s hands that we have learned to live by faith with.

Our Paulding County 4-H and FFA members are some of the best kids around. They are hard-working, honest, community-serving, and they look out for each other. While 4-H and FFA are looking different in 2020, these youth are still alive and resilient. They have learned one of the hardest lessons in life through the COVID-19 Pandemic. Many of our county youth have completed all the requirements (quality assurance, skillathon, livestock record keeping books, club or chapter meetings, community service, and a demonstration) to exhibit and show an animal at the county fair in a typical year. They didn’t give up even though the fair was canceled.

Our Paulding County 4-H and FFA members have managed to shine through their respective organization mottos – “To Make the Best Better” (4-H) and “Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live and Living to Serve” (FFA). These youth are learning the true meaning of livestock markets today. They are seeing what it is like to be raising livestock in a lower economy.  The child and their families who have completed these projects have more than likely thought through, “What are they in this for, and what do they hope to gain?”

As a 4-H advisor, I have heard from parents comments like, “I am glad my kids had animals in the barn to keep them working during quarantine; My kids have a reason to get up on time and stay active; These are still some of the best life lessons; I am glad for these animals because my kids would have probably been playing video games during all this time at home; These animals are truly providing food for our family; This isn’t at all about winning, it’s about life lessons.”

As a mom to two current 4-Hers/FFA member, I wish they could be at their favorite vacation spot of the year, but I know these kids will be okay.  They are alive and healthy. They are still members of this community. They have learned some of the best but hardest lessons in life. It’s how they handle these lessons that make them stronger.

While the youth might now be showing animals this week, they are learning more significant lessons in life. They are still learning:

  1. Citizenship in our community
  2. Effective Leadership Skills
  3. Goal Setting
  4. Sense of Belonging
  5. Independence
  6. Mastery
  7. Generosity

The youth have learned it’s not about the ribbon, prize, or trophy. It’s not about winning because you spent thousands and thousands of dollars on an animal or for bragging rights.  Those things aren’t what the kids remember from the county fair.

They remember the good times. They are truly missing out on being with their fellow 4-Hers and FFA members. They are missing out on the non-related family bonding with the friendships they developed over the years at the fair. It’s the club booths and floats (which they sometimes complain about doing), then walking down the up and down the midway, hanging out in the barns, it’s the FFA Sausage Sandwiches, the Grover Hill Homemade Ice Cream, and the safety of our small hometown fair. It’s seeing our community pull together for the greater good, whether it’s physical labor or monetary donations.

Our Paulding County Fair is not the largest or flashiest in the state, but it’s ours, and we value it. Our Paulding County agricultural community is robust. The loyalty and camaraderie among us are more significant than words can describe. Reach out to your 4-H and FFA members and their families this week. While there is not an official livestock sale, our kids still have outlets for their livestock projects. If you would even like to support the 4-H or FFA members, please see the form below.

A special Thank you to all those still working so hard for our 4-H and FFA youth – 4-H Educator – Michael Schweinsberg; Jr. Fairboard Advisors– Tony Miller, Abram Klopfenstein, Luke Jackson, Pam White; Sr. Fairboard Members – Dan Howell, Heather Cooper, Kenny Speice, Lori Davis, Gus Davis, Bruce Farquhar, Corey Carnahan, Luke Jackson, Abram Klopfenstein, Francis Saxton, Sue Miller, Mel White, Austin Howell, Jacob Turner, Randy Tressler, Jonathon Rose, Lisa Hefner, Brian Yenser, Austin Conlon; 4-H Advisors-Brittany Clevenger, Austin Conlon, Heather Cooper, Suzanne Cooper, Brenda Doster, Erin Finfrock, Lindsay Franklin, Ruth Graham, Amanda Grimes, Lisa Hefner, Dorothy Hoagland,  Alexis Howell, Dan Howell, Deb Howell, Jandra Kilgore, Cherry Klopfenstein, Jerry Klopfenstein, Mary Kupfersmith, Julie McCloud, Nikki McClure, Mandy Miller, Sue Miller, Ryan Noggle, Jerrolyn Parrett, Linda Reineck, Lindsay Schabbing, Beth Schweinsberg, Pat Spitnale, Amanda Stoller, Tracy Trausch, Gina Weidenhamer, Pam White, Deb Wiley, Krisi Williams, Jennifer Workman, Hillary Zijlstra, Amber Zuber; FFA Advisors-Staci Miller, Lori Heiby, Jacquelin Mosier and Mike Miller; Hats off to each and everyone of you. You are all a part of helping these youth grow and succeed.

Sarah Noggle, Extension Educator, Agriculture, and Natural Resouces, Paulding County.  

Excerpt from the 4-H Blog – The link below will open the 2020 Paulding County Jr. Fair Buyer Add-On packet.  On behalf of all Paulding County youth and volunteers, we thank you for your continued support of our 4-H and FFA youth.  Please note that the address for payment has changed for this year.  The address to send the form and payment is located on the add-on form.

2020 Buyer Add-On Packet