VERSAILLES – The Versailles FFA teamed up with many agriculture and civic stakeholders to promote and showcase the agriculture industry as part of the 2018 Poultry Days activities.
The Versailles FFA said it appreciates the opportunity that the Versailles Poultry Day committee gave it to display and promote agriculture. The Versailles FFA thanked all the FFA members, parents, FFA alumni members, Ohio Soybean Council, Weavers Eggs, Morgan and Matt Aultman, Versailles Garden Club and Darke County Farm Bureau for their assistance with the Versailles FFA Poultry Day’s activities.
As part of Poultry Days, the Versailles FFA had a float in the parade and was awarded the Outstanding Float in the Junior Division. The FFA thanked Jeff Wuebker for driving the truck in the parade, Cole Luthman for providing the wagon and Kyle and Jim Dirksen for providing the straw.
Also, the group thanked Versailles FFA members Franklin Shimp, Grace McEldowney, Anna Barlage, Courtney Batten, Marcus Berger, Jacob Wuebker and Isaac Gilmore for helping decorate the float and set-up for poultry days.
The Versailles FFA thanked members Nathan Grogean, Breanna Nieport, Darian Feltz, Tori Wuebker, Sara Cavin, Dallas Hess, Cayla Batten, Caden Buschur, Renea Schmitmeyer, Laney Petitjean, Sara Mincer, Franklin Shimp, Madison Henry, Xavier Grilliot, Marcus Berger, Jacob Wuebker, Lindsay Cheadle and Elliott George for riding in the parade.
On the Saturday and Sunday of Poultry Days, the Versailles FFA sponsored an agriculture awareness and promotion tent. Activities inside the tent included a petting zoo, combine simulator, hatching of eggs, an obstacle course, milk cow, corn hole, putt putt golfing, ag info wheel, free agriculture promotional material and hands on agriculture crafts.
The FFA thanked Darke County Farm Bureau for providing the coloring books, milk cow and tractor simulator. The group thanked the Ohio Soybean Council for donating 500 squeeze chickens and pens to hand out as part agriculture information wheel. Also, the FFA thanked the Poultry Days Committee and major sponsor Weavers Eggs for donating T-shirts that were handed out inside the tent as part of the agriculture wheel information and during the parade and for their donations.
The group also thanked Versailles FFA alumni member Brent Stammen for designing the T-shirts that were passed out. The FFA thanked Morgan and Matt Aultman for their donation of their hatching unit and chickens. The Versailles FFA thanked the Ohio Poultry Association for donating corn hole boards and bags and egg-shaped putt-putt golfing. It thanked Versailles Garden Club for sponsoring seed packets that were passed out at the parade and inside the agriculture information wheel by answering a question.
Also as part of the tent, Poultry Days participants could participate in the “guess that farm” pictures contest that featured local farms in the area. The Versailles FFA thanked the following local farmers for allowing it to use their property in the contest including Wuebker Farms, Jake Dirksen Dairy Farm, Paul and Randy Mangen turkey farm, Terry Knapke poultry farm, Buschur Dairy Farm and Jason Bergman Farms. Jon Bergman won the guess that farm contest.
Also, the Versailles FFA thanked Colleen Gehret and Olivia Buerning for making all the posters that were displayed at Poultry Days and on the float.
The group thanked FFA members for bringing animals two days for the petting zoo including Shelbie and Renea Schmitmeyer, Anna and Greg Dirksen, Asa Demange, Cory and Austin Timmerman, Dallas and Shiloh Hess, and Brad and Grant Pohlman.
The FFA thanked Versailles FFA members, parents and Versailles FFA alumni members who worked shifts inside and outside the tent and assisted with the presentations including Haley Mangen, Sarah Cavin, Caden Buschur, Cole Luthman, Gabe Thompson, Caleb Rush, Lauren Sherman, Caleb Fraley, Marcus Berger, Lindsay Cheadle, Austin Hecht, Elliott George, Maddy Henry, Jacob Wuebker, Jon Gehret, Noah Brown, Kole Litten, Laura Wuebker, Toby George, Noah Barga, Isaac Gehret, Dallas Hess, Isaac Grilliot, Ian Gehret, Courtney Batten, Kennedy Hughes, Caitlyn Luthman, Grace McEldowney, Melissa Gigandet, Paige Platfoot, Dylan Meyer, Emma Gasson, Anna Dirksen, Asa Demange, Greg Dirksen, Jeff Wuebker, Angie Mangen, Bob Dirksen and Gary Timmerman.
The group thanked the Versailles FFA alumni members, past graduates, Darke County Farm Bureau and friends of FFA for helping with Poultry Day activities.
The Versailles FFA congratulated Versailles FFA member Jamie Hart, who represented the chapter and was named Miss Chick first runner up, and Versailles FFA member Faith Wilker, who was named the 2018 Miss Chick. Thanks also was given to Courtney Batten, who also represented the Versailles FFA Chapter in the Miss Chick.
