NEWS
RELEASE
The Board of
The Commissioners were
presented with various resolutions and documents for approval. Commissioners also reviewed agenda items, discussed
upcoming meetings and reviewed the calendar of events.
9:30 A.M. Morris Murray, Defiance County Child
Support Director, came before the Board to discuss shredding confidential documents
by Shred It, Inc. The Commissioners
will review the documents and contract on Thursday.
10:00 A.M.
10:30 A.M. Bruce Clevenger, OSU Extension, reported
to the Board that fields with subsurface drainage have been essential for
farming in NW Ohio but drainage can contribute to stream impairment. A new research plot has been established at
the DARA site to study controlled drainage in field crops. Controlled drainage can reduce peak water
flow and total nitrate-nitrogen discharge and improve crop yields by utilizing
rain events more efficiently. Also
reported that a $15,000 grant was received from USDA ARS – Soil Drainage
Research Unit, $4,640 from Hancor and $7,225 from Agri-Drain Inc., for a total
of $26,865.00.
Bruce noted that forty-five
County Master Gardeners volunteered 2,481 hours during 2005. The Independent Sector Foundation rates
volunteer service at $17.19 per hour. At
this rate, the Master Gardeners provided $42,648 worth of service to
Bruce also reports that a
soybean seed treatment plot compared a fungicide treatment, a
fungicide/insecticide combo and a non-treated seed treatment. Both the seed treatments averaged a 10 bushel
gain over the non-treated. This gain in
yield was attributed to the fungicide, and the economic advantage was $50.32
per acre. Two year gypsum plot results
from the Defiance Ag Research Association site indicates no yield advantage to
either 1 or 2 tons of gypsum/acre for corn and soybean production, compared to
0/tons/acre of gypsum.
Teresa Johnson gave her
report on 4-H Youth Development. Teresa
reported that there were 490 4-H Members for 2005 (up 30 members). The 4-H Educator presented programs to 155
Barb Rohrs gave her report on
Family and Consumer Sciences. There were
thirty-one people who have completed the 7 week HOPE (Helping Others with
Positive Experiences) Program. Through
interactive learning experiences, families work to improve communication,
problem solving, anger management and create more family time. There were also Homebuyer sessions that were
offered to 24 families beginning the process of owning their own home. The 8 hours program includes developing a
budget, managing credit, basic insurance knowledge, developing a net worth
statement, estate planning, and home ownership responsibilities. After completing the session, families were
able to manage their resources to enable them to afford their first home. Barb also reported that the Defiance County
Extension office received a Family Nutrition Program grant totaling over
$36,000. The Family Nutrition Program
presented 156 educational sessions with approximately 775 participants. Evaluations of participants indicated they
have gained new knowledge and are using nutrition and food safety knowledge.
Approved for news release: _____________________________
Otto L. Nicely, Commissioner