Chamber hosts 'Agriculture is Everyone's Business' Jan. 18

The first-ever agriculture-related event – "Agriculture is Everyone's Business" – hosted by the Highland County Chamber of Commerce will be held 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 18 at the Southern State Community College Patriot Center. Tickets are $5.

Featured speakers will be Orion Samuelson of RFD-TV and WGN Radio in Chicago, and Ohio Director of Agriculture and former Highland County Commissioner David Daniels.

Samuelson, who was born on a dairy farm near La Crosse, Wis., has been heard over WGN Radio in Chicago since 1960, providing the Midwest farmer with agricultural news and information. Samuelson is heard over a syndicate of 260 stations airing his National Farm Report daily. Since 1975, he has produced and hosted U.S. Farm Report, a weekly television program seen on 190 Midwest stations.

Samuelson has received the American Farm Bureau's Distinguished Service Award in 1998; the National 4-H Alumni Award; and he is the only broadcaster in the nation to receive two Oscars in agriculture – one each for radio and television. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2003.

Prior to being appointed Ohio Director of Agriculture by Gov. Kasich, Daniels, a Greenfield native, served in the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives.

Tickets for the 8 a.m. breakfast, sponsored by the Highland County Cattlemen's Association, have been sold out. However, tickets remain for the guest speaker's presentation, auction and other events, beginning at 9 a.m. Tickets are available by contacting the Chamber of Commerce at (937) 393-1111.

Sponsors for the event include Tom Pitzer Trucking, Crop Production Services, Carraher Agriculture, Rick Williams Auction Company, Five Points Implement Company, Susan Davis, Attorney, and Preferred Midwest Title, Steve Thompson Funeral Homes, NCB, Farm Credit Mid-America, Ohio Asphaltic Limestone Corporation, Merchants National Bank, The Equipment Store, Master Feed Mill of Hillsboro, Inc., South Central Power Co., Zimmerman Brothers, Grange Insurance/Hamilton Insurance, Lerch's Barnlot Equipment, Ltd., Southern Hills Community Bank, Union Stockyards, Ervin Hill Sand and Gravel/Mark Edenfield Farm Fuel, and Southern State Community College.

According to Rick Williams, former Chamber President Katy Farber had discussed the concept of an agricultural forum with him following a Hillsboro Rotary Club meeting.

"Katy had mentioned to me that she wanted to do something a little different (as a Chamber fundraiser)," Williams said. "She had Orion scheduled, and we came up with the idea to have him sign two donated pedal tractors for the auction."

Those tractors include a reproduction John Deere 720, donated by Jeff Parry of Five Points Implement Co.; and a reproduction Super M McCormick Farmall, donated from Steve Thompson's collection.

The Farmall is sign by Joseph Ertl, founder of Scale Model Toys in Dyersville, Iowa.

"Rick (Williams) and I talked about it, and we thought they might need a red one (tractor)," Thompson joked.

Williams said the plan is for Samuelson to sign both tractors at the Jan. 18 auction.

Both Parry and Thompson encouraged the community to attend the Jan. 18 event.

"Agriculture is the number-one industry in Highland County," Parry noted.

"This is our first-ever agriculture-related event," Chamber President Melissa Elmore said.

"It's been two years in the making. We felt like we really need to embrace our agriculture community. In terms of the number of farms, Highland County is fourth in the state of Ohio."

Elmore said general admission tickets for the 9 a.m. event, which are $5 each, are limited to 400. Contact the Chamber at 393-1111 for additional information.