Madison Messenger - June 27th, 2021

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PAGE 4 - MADISON MESSENGER - June 27, 2021 www.madisonmessengernews.com Farm in the family for more than 150 years By Dedra Cordle Staff Writer Howard “Chic” Foust did not give it too much thought when his mother announced she was going to pay off the remaining balance of a farm loan for their property in Plain City. “I was proud of her for taking that step,” he said, “but that was pretty much all there was to it.” A few weeks later, however, when that loan documentation started arriving on their doorstep, he began to give her decision a lot of thought. “I remember this day so well,” Foust recalled with a laugh. “I was out here mowing when a UPS truck stopped in front of the house. The driver gets out and starts to unload these big, heavy boxes that were filled with all of the original paperwork they had on our farm.” Knowing his mother would not be able to transport more than 100 years’ worth of paperwork history, Foust took on the tax of carrying the boxes to the place where “all the family documentation goes.” He said that at that moment, he felt a little bit of pity for himself for the extra work, but more pity for the poor soul who would have to go through all of the paperwork to find deeds, wills, and what have you. That poor soul turned out to be his daughter, Lauren Karn. Karn said that since she moved into the house and onto the 93- acre farmstead with her husband, Eli, and their two young children, Abe and Ike, in 2019, she continued in her father’s tradition of ignoring the boxes full of paperwork. “When we moved here, we knew not to throw anything out,” she joked. “We don’t do spring cleaning in this house; we do a careful spring relocation.” Then the pandemic happened, and she needed a new focus. Though there was plenty to keep her busy—like her job as a nurse in the cardiothoracic surgery department at Riverside Methodist Hospital, helping Eli with farming and marketing, and tending to her boys who are under the age of 4—she wanted something outside of the norm to keep her mind occupied. So she opened up those heirloom boxes with a mission in mind, and it wasn’t just to “put things in order.” “I knew about the Ohio Historic Family Farms program [established by the state department of agriculture], and I wanted to see whether we had the documentation to prove that we qualified for one of their designations,” she said, referring to the 100-149 year Century Farm designation, the 150-199 year Sesquicentennial Farm designation, and the 200-year or more Bicentennial Farm designation. She knew the Karn Farm, formerly Pleasant Valley Farms, had Messenger photo by Dedra Cordle Family farms that reach longevity milestones can receive signage through the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Historic Family Farms program. The one on the left denotes 150 years; the one on the right, 100 years. Messenger photo by Dedra Cordle On June 15, Dorothy Pelanda, the Ohio Director of Agriculture, visited the Karn Farm in Plain City to recognize their operation as one of the state’s “Historic Family Farms.” In addition to receiving a proclamation from Gov. Mike DeWine, the descendants of L.D. Converse received their certification as a Century Farm and a Sesquicentennial Farm as they have recorded more than 100 years of same-family ownership. Shown here after the ceremony are: (front row, from left) Henleigh Reed, Olivia Reed, Bob Converse and Abe Karn; (back row) Ike Karn, Whitney Reed, Michele Converse-Troyer, Laura Vowell, Mindy Foust, Howard “Chic” Foust, Lauren Karn, Dorothy Pelanda and Eli Karn. Lauren, Eli, Abe and Ike operate and reside at the farmstead located on U.S. Route 42. not been around long enough to fall under the Bicentennial Farm designation, but she knew their same-family ownership would meet the standards of the other two designations. “It was just a matter of piecing [all of the paperwork] together to prove that no ownership of our farm had changed hands to someone outside of the family,” she said. With the help of her relatives— “they answered any questions and helped me locate needed information”—and with the assistance of the county recorder, she put together the timeline of their family farm. Hailing from the Boston-area, L.D. Converse, Karn’s great-grandfather six times removed, purchased the “swampland” in 1843 where he raised livestock, primarily cattle. Five years later, he constructed the red brick house and used exterior and interior accents found in materials throughout the property. Over the decades, the property was handed down to his descendants and they continued in the tradition of preserving the use of their farmland to feed the community and provide work for their families. With six generations of operational same-family proof of ownership in her hands, Karn sent copies of the “(The Historic Family Farm) program was created to recognize the hard work farming families put into providing needed resources for their community, their state, and their country, and for us to be recognized for our contributions alongside these other families is a wonderful thing.” –Lauren Karn documents to the Ohio Department of Agriculture for consideration. In May 2021, Karn and her relatives received word they had proven their farm is, in fact, an “Historic Family Farm,” and were awarded certification as a Century Farm and a Sesquicentennial Farm. They also received a visit on June 15 from Ohio Director of Agriculture Dorothy Pelanda, who presented the family with a proclamation from Gov. Mike DeWine praising them for their “commitment to preserving the agricultural heritage in the state.” Karn said that news, along with the visit from the director, was worth the painstaking, albeit interesting, effort of documenting the history of their farm. “It is so exciting to be named as an Historic Family Farm,” said Karn. “That program was created to recognize the hard work farming families put into providing needed resources for their community, their state, and their country, and for us to be recognized for our contributions alongside these other families is a wonderful thing.” The Karn Farm is located on U.S. Route 42 in Plain City. They are only the third farming family from Madison County to be recognized as an Historic Family Farm by the state department of agriculture.
www.madisonmessengernews.com Livestock 101 event is new to the county fair By Kristy Zurbrick Madison Editor Youths who are curious about what it’s like to exhibit an animal at the fair now have a chance to give it a try with no strings attached. Madison County Fair organizers have introduced Livestock 101, a competition for youths 17 or younger that mimics a Junior Fair livestock show. The event will take place at 1 p.m. July 16 in the Eby Arena on the fairgrounds. “This is a very unique concept. It’s never been done before,” said Paul Gross, Senior Fair Board president. “We have 51 kids already signed up for it which is a pretty good number. We expect to have over 100 by fair time.” Participants can choose the species/project they would like to show—cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, alpacas, poultry, or rabbits. Experienced 4-H and FFA youth exhibitors will serve as their coaches, providing guidance before and during the show. “The mentors will be tasked with leading the novices through the mechanics of showing an animal. It’s a way for them to share their knowledge and skills,” Gross said. Actual livestock judges will judge each species category. Local and state dignitaries will be in the ring, as well, as a show of support. Prizes will be awarded. “We’re trying to make the kids feel like this is really cool. There will be lots of pomp and circumstance to make a big deal of their first experience,” Gross said. About the dignitaries, he added, “We have a big following of people who are supporting this. It’s gotten a lot of statewide attention that we didn’t expect but I’m not really surprised by.” Most of the youths who have already signed up are from Madison County, but the event also has attracted participants from several other counties. “We never expected that. We’re thrilled because it makes for a bigger, better fair,” Gross said. “We also have 4-H kids who want to show a different animal. We didn’t expect that either.” The overall goal of Livestock 101 is to introduce youths to the 4-H, FFA, and fair experience with the hope they will engage in Sara Oney of London, a member of the Country Bunch 4-H Club and London FFA, competes in swine showmanship at last year’s Madison County Fair. In addition to presenting the usual Junior Fair livestock shows, this year’s fair includes Livestock 101, a chance for youths who have never shown an animal to give it a try with guidance from experienced 4-H and FFA exhibitors. the programs on a long-term basis. “We hope they will enjoy the experience and spend their summer next year with an animal of their own” Gross said, adding that he’d like to see more youths get involved with 4-H to see what it has to offer. There is no charge to sign up for Livestock 101. Registration is due by July 1 at madisoncountyfairoh.com. Each participants receives an event t-shirt. Bluebird Retirement Community is the event sponsor. This year’s Madison County Fair takes place July 10-17 at the Madison County Fairgrounds, 205 Elm St., London. For a schedule and additional information, visit madisoncountyfairoh.com. Hospital golf outing revamped The Madison Health Foundation’s golf outing returns this year with a new name and format. The Memorial Golf Classic, formerly the Bob Powers Classic, will be held on Aug. 5 at the London Country Club. This new one-day format features two scramble flights with tee times at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Golfers receive a complimentary gift, snacks, and boxed lunch. This event is expected to draw more than 120 golfers and volunteers and provides sponsorship opportunities for businesses and organizations serving the Madison County area. Online registration is available at www.MadisonHealthMemorialGolfClassic.c om or contact Jodi Homan, development coordinator, at (740) 845-7053. MADISON-PLAINS LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT June 27, 2021 - MADISON MESSENGER - Page 5 NOW HIRING School Bus Drivers Summers off Retirement Program Free training provided to qualified applicants Perks Include: School Calendar Vacation Schedule Earn extra income driving field trips Medical Insurance Flexible schedule $16.24 hour/with a CDL Please contact: Kim Rogers @ 740-490-0619 or apply on line by visiting our website @ mplsd.org. On the website from the main page, click Departments, then Human Resources, then employment opportunities, then classified application. Complete the application, then click the submit button -- What Are Your Housing Goals? -- -- - -
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Madison Messenger - June 27th, 2021

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