Staff report

VERSAILLES — The Versailles FFA teamed up with many agriculture and civic stakeholders, to promote and showcase the agriculture industry as part of the 2022 Poultry Days activities. The Versailles FFA appreciates the opportunity that the Versailles Poultry Day committee gave them to display and promote agriculture. The Versailles FFA would first like to thank all the FFA members, parents, FFA alumni members, Ohio Soybean Council, Weavers Eggs, Versailles Poultry’s Day Committee, 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. A special thanks to Versailles FFA Alumni Treasurer Curt Goubeaux and his wife Monica, for driving the truck in the parade and providing the wagon, and straw. Versailles FFA was recognized as the 1st place Junior Civic Float. A special thanks also to FFA members Grifon Miller, Emma Middendorf, Colin Batten, Isaiah Hess, Riley Kruckeberg, Camille George, Zoe Billenstein, Reagan Winner, Levi Barga, Gretta Broering, Rhylan Broerman, Lucy Schmitmeyer, Noah Shimp Brayden Heitkamp, Delaynee Bulcher, Jacob Schoeff, Ryan Schoeff who all participated in the parade.

On Saturday, June 11th, Mallory York represented the Versailles FFA in the Poultry Day’s Miss Chick Contest and congratulations extended to Mallory for being named 2nd runner-up in the 2022 Versailles Poultry Day’s Miss Chick Contest. Mallory is the daughter of Dan York and Mindy Kissinger and is a 2022 graduate of Versailles High School.

On Saturday and Sunday as part of Poultry Days the Versailles FFA Sponsored an Agriculture Awareness and Promotion Tent. Activities inside the tent included a petting zoo, milk cow, corn hole, putt-putt golf, coloring table, Ag info wheel, free agriculture promotional material, guess the farm and hands-on agriculture crafts. A special thanks to Darke County Farm Bureau for providing the coloring books and milk cow. Thank you to the Ohio Soybean Council for donating squeeze chickens, sunglasses, bags and frisbees to hand out as part of the agriculture information wheel. Thank you to Ohio Poultry Association for providing pencils, cups and promotional educational materials that were displayed or passed out as part of the tent. Also, thank you to the Poultry Days Committee, Weavers Eggs, and Versailles FFA 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. Also the Versailles FFA would like to thank everyone who participated in the Guess that Farm activity Greta Phlipot guessed all the farms correctly and was drawn to win a prize. The following people also guessed all of the farms correctly included: Stacy DeMange, Oliver Knapke, Matt Schmitmeyer, Samantha Klingshirn, Isaac York, Jacob Wuebker, Curt Goubeaux, and Laura Wuebker. A special thank you to Versailles FFA member Isisah Hess for taking the pictures and thank you to the following farms for allowing us to take their pictures to participate they included: Jake Dirksen, Adam Dirksen, Michael Schmitmeyer, Wuebker Farms, Jason Billenstein, and Buschur Dairy Farm.

A special thanks to the following FFA members and Versailles FFA Alumni for bringing animals for two days for the petting zoo they included: Asa DeMange, Goubeaux Family, Blake and Ryan Schmitmeyer, James and Ted Schmitmeyer, and Kendra Milligan. A special thanks to the following Versailles FFA members, parents and Versailles FFA alumni members who worked shifts inside and outside the tent and assisted with the presentations, they included: Colin Batten, Noah Shimp, Kendra Milligan, Jacob and Ryan Schoeff, Brayden Heitkamp, Molly White-Shappie, Eli White Shappie, Ruthie Smith, Abby Smith, Jayna Luthman, Gretta Broering, Rhylan Broerman, Lucas Sperati, Camille George, Riley Kruckeberg, Zoe Billenstein, Reagan Winner, Grant McClurg, Abby Henry, Andrew Lyons, Levi Barga, Eden Barga, Asa DeMange, Emily Delzeith, Andrew Wuebker, Owen DeMange, Karmidy Mertz, Ameila Grillot, Ethan and Max Wilker, Sam Albers, Laura Wuebker, Paige Gehret, Grace Borchers, Owen Rindler, Trevor Luthman, Kaleb Petitjean, Maggie McGlinch, Kley DeMange, and Lucy Schmitmeyer.