Fayette County Agricultural Hall of Fame applications due

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The year of 2019 will be remembered in history for the very wet and rainy winter that continued into spring planting time.

The year 2019 was when more of Fayette County’s corn and soybeans were planted in June versus the typical April and May time period. Then as the growing season progressed with very dry weather, it is sure to take a toll on the final yields. But as history has shown, Fayette County can and will survive adversity however it is dealt.

The Agricultural Hall of Fame gives us an opportunity to celebrate and honor the accomplishments of individuals who have lived, worked and contributed to the agricultural industry. These individuals have not only contributed to agriculture here in Fayette County, but also includes contributions in agriculture at the state, national and many times international levels. The 56 people who are represented in the beautiful oak cabinet located in the hallway at the Fayette County Agricultural Center are former seed breeders, livestock producers, crop producers, agricultural education personnel, agricultural business people, agricultural extension personnel, and designers of agricultural equipment for both livestock and crop production, just to illustrate the diversity of the inductees and their agricultural accomplishments.

The Agricultural Center is located at 1415 US Hwy 22 SW in Washington Court House.

The time has come for Fayette County residents to reflect on their agricultural heritage. During this reflection time, I want you to think of an individual or individuals whom you have known that have accomplished many contributions to the agricultural industry. The accomplished individual may be a local farmer, agricultural business person, agricultural teacher, agricultural engineer or an agricultural entrepreneur. The individual must have made contributions to the agricultural industry in Fayette County, the state level, the national level and possibly even the international level of the agricultural industry.

The most recent Fayette County Agricultural Hall of Fame inductees most definitely fit the before mentioned criteria. In 2019 the selection committee inducted two outstanding recipients for the award: Thomas L. Lindsay and the late Floyd Eichelberger. Tom has spent countless hours around beef cattle, not only on the home family farm but as the superintendent of the Ohio State Fair Beef Show, in the show ring judging beef cattle and in leadership positions for many county and state beef cattle organizations. Tom as a 4-H member received both champion and reserve champion Born and Raised Steer at the Fayette County Fair in the same year. Tom and his wife Connie are proud of their family; daughter Heather (Lindsey) Hoffman, their son, Shawn, their daughter in-law, Aimee, grandsons, Seth, Nicholas and Silas, and their granddaughter, Natalie. Tom and his son continue to raise beef cattle, hay and grain crops in the Deer Creek area of Fayette County.

The late Floyd Eichelberger was a pioneer during his short lifetime in the Jeffersonville area of Fayette County. Floyd was born in 1881 and unfortunately died in 1927. During his life, Floyd was very successful in growing high quality corn that produced very good yields, even for the beginning of the 1900s. He was a founding member of the Ohio Certified Seed Improvement Association in 1908, he was the first member of the Ohio 100-Bushel Corn Club in 1923, and he was awarded a Master Farmer award in 1926.

It is time, once again, to nominate an outstanding individual for their accomplishments, contributions or involvement in the world of agriculture. The Ag Hall of Fame applications are available online at www.fayette.osu.edu. The format allows you to complete the application online, save it to print and bring to the Extension office or email to [email protected]. The application states the necessary information needed about a nominee. Once an application has been submitted for consideration by the committee, the application will continue to be considered each year.

Applications to be considered for the 2020 Fayette County Agricultural Hall of Fame are available and are due back to the Extension Office by Sept. 10. The committee will be meeting on Sept. 12 to discuss the current nominations and set a date for the 2020 annual banquet.

If you have any questions or you would be interested in serving on the Ag Hall of Fame committee, please feel free to contact Ken Ford at 740-335-1150 or at [email protected] .

By Ken Ford

OSU Extension Fayette County, ANR Educator

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