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Ohio FFA shines in Proficiency awards at National Convention

 

By CELESTE BAUMGARTNER
Ohio Correspondent

OXFORD, Ohio — Ohio saw a healthy share of 2015 National Agricultural Proficiency winners at the 88th National FFA Convention & Expo last month. Awards were handed out in 49 categories nationwide.
Troy Mabis of the Talawanda FFA chapter in Oxford won in the Landscape Management Category. He works for Mabis Landscape and Construction, owned by his father, Scott. The company specializes in pavers, block retaining walls and natural stone patios; they also do new plant installations and maintenance.
Mabis plans to have his own enterprise in the future, whether he starts his own or takes over the family business. He is in his second year of school at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, majoring in landscape and horticulture. He started in the business because of his father.
“I liked working with my dad,” he explained. “That attracted me to the business. Then I just fell in love with it.”
Mabis, who also received his American FFA Degree at the convention, never expected to be a national winner. “It was a big honor to win that award. I am very thankful for FFA. I don’t know where I’d be without it.”
He was supported by his parents, Scott and Cathy, and his FFA advisors, Mike Derringer and Sara Casto.
Maggie Hovermale was tops in the nation in Agricultural Processing. She is a member of the Westfall FFA chapter in Williamsport and a senior at Westfall High School while working at Honeyrun Farm, a local honey operation.
“I am responsible for bottling honey and labeling honey bottles, milking down beeswax and pouring it into molds and unmolding them for candles; also, making different handcrafted body products including soaps, salves, lip balm,” she explained.
Honey production is not in Hovermale’s career plans – she wants to be a veterinarian – but her job has inspired her to have a passion for bees and for small, local businesses. “I am definitely going to grow up buying things directly from a farmer,” she said.
“Going out of my way to do something local that is benefiting the people in my community – that is the main thing that I pulled away from this job.”
Hovermale’s parents are Dan and Joy. Her FFA advisors are Rick Metzger and Rachel Scior.
Other Ohio Proficiency winners this year were:
•Agricultural Mechanics Repair and Maintenance, Zach Hasting of the Covington FFA Chapter. He started his supervised agricultural experience (SAE) by working alongside his father and grandfather. He began his own business purchasing damaged antique tractors, then repairing and restoring them. Hasting is supported by his father, Mark, and his FFA advisor, Jessica Helsinger.
•Collin Dunaway won in Agricultural Sales. As a longtime customer of Taulbee Feed and Supply, Dunaway, from the Felicity Franklin FFA chapter in Ohio, jumped at the chance to work there during his freshman year.
This position allowed him to develop computer skills, practice superior customer service and learn sales techniques. His parents are Todd and Shawnna and his FFA advisor is Holly Jennings.
•Katerri Ann Schmitmeyer, Versailles FFA chapter, won the award for Dairy Production. She is a herdsman at Line-View Dairy Farm, her father’s dairy operation, and involved in all aspects of it, including milking, feeding, vaccinating and supervising employees.
After obtaining a degree in agribusiness, she plans to return to her family’s farm. Her parents are Douglas and Brenda Schmitmeyer, and her FFA advisor, Dena Wuebker.
•Evan Schaefer, from the Miami Trace FFA chapter, was the winner in Diversified Crop Production. He went from seven acres of sweet corn to 513 acres of diversified crops in the third year of his SAE project. This land acquisition increased his net worth by $136,000.
The new acreage also allows him to experiment with new farming practices that can break through yield barriers. His parents are Tim and Mary Jo, and his FFA advisors, Bruce Bennett and Tracy Dendinger.
•Nole Gerfen won for Diversified Livestock Production. A member of the Ridgemont FFA chapter in Ridgeway, within his family’s farm he raises commercial breeding swine, finisher hogs, breeding sheep, roaster lambs, market steers and beef breeding heifers.
The diversity of his project is a risk management strategy that allows one livestock species to compensate for another when the market is low. His parents are Steve and Kim, and his FFA advisor is Stephanie Jolliff.
•The winner in Goat Production was Emily Beal of the Miami East FFA chapter in Casstown. She began her goat operation when she was 8 – her parents purchased a starter herd of 22 head for her.
Since that time, she has worked to transition her herd into high-quality, genetically sound show wethers and wether dams. In the future, Beal would like to become a spokesperson for agriculture. Her parents are Melissa and Johnn and her FFA advisor, Marie Carity.
Augustas L. Mitchem of the Miami Trace FFA chapter in Washington Court House was tops in the nation in Swine Production. He has lived on a swine farm all his life. His grandfather started him out with six sows and he has since expanded to a herd of 22.
He purchases purebred gilts and shows some of his own at county, state and national shows as a marketing strategy. Mitchem’s parents are Nancy and Steve and FFA advisors, Bruch Bennett and Tracy Dendinger.
11/25/2015