03/02/2023
Marie Nemes-Crawford, Editor
March Calendar – Bob Sneed, Program Chair
2nd: Rural Urban Day
9th: Ana Dutra – Brazil Rotary Student Exchange
13th: Soup Kitchen
16th: New Hope Students – Guardians on Honor Flight
23rd: Megan Moorman – CHS FFA
27th: Soup Kitchen
30th: Terry Klinker – Hurricane Katrina
Upcoming Dates:
- April 28-29, 2023 – District 6690 Conference – Veteran’s Memorial
- June 16, 2023 – Golf outing at Pickaway Country Club
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- Presiding: President David M. Crawford
- Pledge of Allegiance: Judy Wolford
- Prayer: Norm Wilson
- Attending: Crawford, Nemes-Crawford, Poling, Spangler, Ankrom, Beavers, Brown, Canfield, C.Chamberlain, Colburn, Dailey, Dean, Droste, Elick, Ellis, Foster, Fountain, Fouts, Hooks, Johnson, Justinger, Kramer, Maroscher, Mavis, McNemar, C.Neff, Rawlins, Riegel, Robinson, Rothe, Schreiner, Sneed, I.Webb, Wilson, R.Wolfe, Wolford, Layton, Hafey, Young, Blanton, Horning
Merit Badge help needed: Scouts in Troop 52 are working on their Geology merit badge. They are in search of a geologist or Civil Engineer willing to help them learn about our environment. If you can help out, please contact Joe McNemar (614-580-8074) or Scoutmaster Rob Fanska (850) 529-6724.
New member board approved: Tom Duvall has been approved by the executive board for membership. He is a retired product manager and currently serves on Circleville City Council. Tom is sponsored by Gary Dean.
Rural Urban Day: We had approximately 90 people in attendance, one of the largest crowds in the past several years. Rotary showed its appreciation to the agricultural community who keeps us food secure and provides stewardship of the land. We thank the Presbyterian Church congregational care team for our wonderful meal and table decorations.
Earliest mention of Rotary’s Rural Urban Day in the Herald is 1965.
Ellery Elick thanked his committee – Warren Spangler, Judy Wolford, Angela Beavers, Fred Mavis & Rick Rawlins. He introduced Mike Estadt from Pickaway Co. OSU Extension who spoke on “Pickaway County – A Look Back, A Look Forward”
1 – 49 acres: 1920 – 429 farms; 2020 – 346 farms
50-179 acres: 1920- 1,085 farms; 2020 – 183 farms
180-999 acres: 1920 – 604 farms; 2020 – 323 farms
1000+ acres: 1920 – 2 farms; 2020 – 88 farms
Farmland Value Per Acre: 1920 – $148.48 ($2,324 adjusted for inflation); 2020 – $6,033
Major Crops
Corn Acres: 1920 – 85,871; 2017 – 105,880
Corn Production: 1920 – 4,231,316; 2017 – 19,214,444
Wheat Acres: 1920 – 78,069; 2017 – 9,386
Oats Acres: 1920 – 2,346; 2017 – 1 farm
Livestock
Sheep: 1920 – 10,727; 2020 – 1,062
Swine: 1920 – 57,761; 2020 – 2,841
Beef Cattle: 1920 – 17,784; 2020 – 2,155
Dairy Cattle: 1920 – 9,933; 2020 – 1,775
Fruits and Vegetables
Acres of potatoes: 1920 – 632; 2017 – 117
Trees in orchards: 1920 – 36,860; 2017 – 39
Strawberries/Raspberries/Blackberries: 1920 – 22 acres; 2023 – 1 farm
What is going on right now?
Electric tractors and laser weeder in development
Vertical farming
Gene splicing to help those with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity
High rise hog farm in China currently used – 100,000 sows in the building
Artificial Intelligence is coming – sensors in fields to measure insects, moisture, etc. keeping farmers in front of computers more and more
A look back at the Stevenson family and others who farmed our county