Farm and Dairy

Farm and Dairy Farm and Dairy is a weekly agriculture and farming newspaper published in Salem, Ohio.
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On a sunny day at Hellbender Preserve in Bloomingdale, Ohio, students traveled back and forth through a path in the wood...
06/09/2026

On a sunny day at Hellbender Preserve in Bloomingdale, Ohio, students traveled back and forth through a path in the woods, measuring trees and sampling soil.

While this may not be a typical classroom, getting outside and exploring is just one benefit of competing in Ohio’s State Envirothon contest, which ran from June 1-3.

“I wouldn’t know half the things I know now if I didn’t do (Envirothon),” said Kylie O’Connor, who is going into her senior year at Lynchburg-Clay High School. “It pushes you to learn, to study and look up things on your own.”

Read the full story about the Ohio Envirothon and its impact on students at the link in the comments.

Ohio Federation of Soil and Water Conservation Districts

Earlier this week, the USDA confirmed a case of the flesh-eating New World screwworm in a Texas calf, marking its return...
06/05/2026

Earlier this week, the USDA confirmed a case of the flesh-eating New World screwworm in a Texas calf, marking its return after being eradicated in 1966.

To contain the outbreak, officials have established a 20-kilometer quarantine zone and are releasing millions of sterile flies to crash the population.

With the drought conditions experienced last year, many people remember seeing blowing soil across farm fields. Even rec...
06/05/2026

With the drought conditions experienced last year, many people remember seeing blowing soil across farm fields. Even recently, there have been reports of blowing soil in Defiance County, according to Fulton SWCD's Cole Plassman. Blowing soil is often caused by a combination of dry conditions and a lack of conservation practices such as cover crops and windbreaks.

A windbreak is a line of trees, often conifers, planted to slow wind speeds across open areas. Many soil and water conservation districts offer windbreak programs to help landowners establish these practices.

Learn more about windbreaks and how you can use them at the link in the comments.

06/04/2026

The Racing Report is back, and now it's in video, thanks to our sponsors Stratton Chevrolet and Polen Implement, Inc.

Mansfield Speedway reopened for the Comeback Classic on May 18 to a sellout crowd. 410 sprint cars, super late models and modifieds all ran on Friday night.

The track originally opened in 1959 as a ⅜ mile dirt oval. It was paved in 1999 and hosted NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events from 2004 to 2008. The track returned to dirt in 2017, but closed under financial pressure in 2019.

Former NASCAR driver Matt Tifft purchased the track in 2025 and invested heavily in upgrading the facility. Tifft and his crew spent millions modernizing and renovating the facility, with the goal to make it a destination for motorsports, concerts and events.

They hope this diversification will lead to long-term sustainability. With other local tracks, like Norton Raceway Park and Sandusky Speedway, closing recently, motorsports fans are pinning their hopes on Mansfield.

The peach, plum and apples at Huffman Fruit Farm in Salem, Ohio, are full of vibrant green leaves. But in between these ...
06/03/2026

The peach, plum and apples at Huffman Fruit Farm in Salem, Ohio, are full of vibrant green leaves. But in between these branches, fruit is few and far between, a rare sight for the beginning of June.

“I usually get 9 bushels of apples from this tree; I’ll be lucky if I get one,” Huffman said, pointing to a red delicious apple tree.

Huffman isn’t the only producer hit hard this year. Orchards across Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio saw record-breaking crop losses from hard freezes throughout spring that killed many fruit blossoms on the trees. Read about how producers are dealing with the setback at the link in the comments.

Want to help your kids build confidence this summer? Let them fail! It sounds counterintuitive, but resilience (the abil...
06/02/2026

Want to help your kids build confidence this summer? Let them fail!

It sounds counterintuitive, but resilience (the ability to bounce back when things get tough) is a learned skill. In this month's Family and Consumer Sciences column, Ohio State University Extension Educator Holly Bandy explains why letting kids struggle — and sometimes fail — is the secret to helping them grow. Instead of rushing to fix their mistakes, summer chores and activities offer the perfect chance for "safe failures" that build lasting confidence.

Read the full article at the link in the comments.

What does the Civil War teach us today? After visiting the 41st annual Civil War reenactment at Century Village Museum i...
06/01/2026

What does the Civil War teach us today? After visiting the 41st annual Civil War reenactment at Century Village Museum in Burton, Ohio, Farm and Dairy Reporter Paul Rowley takes us past the blank musket fire and 19th-century camps to explore how we remember the war. From the clear moral center of ending slavery to ongoing debates surrounding the "Lost Cause" narrative, this event is a reminder that history is never simple.

As Benjamin Frayser—portraying Major Gen. James Garfield—reminds us: "If we can just remember that we're all Americans, we'll actually get through [our modern problems], and will continue making efforts towards a more perfect Union."

Read the full story at the link in the comments ⬇️🔗

Once a massive uranium enrichment facility for the Cold War nuclear arsenal, the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in P...
05/29/2026

Once a massive uranium enrichment facility for the Cold War nuclear arsenal, the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon, Ohio, is entering a new era.

As the White House eyes a "nuclear renaissance" to power the massive energy demands of artificial intelligence, this 4,000-acre site has been tapped to house the world’s largest AI data center. A new nuclear power plant, built to power Meta's data center supercluster in central Ohio, is also proposed for the site.

While these projects promise to bring a much-needed economic boom to the region, it also reopens old wounds. For decades, local residents and former Portsmouth plant workers have reported staggering rates of cancer and respiratory illness, citing independent studies that found radioactive contamination in waterways and even in local schools.

Can one of the most contaminated legacy sites in the U.S. truly be cleaned up enough to power the future? Explore the intersection of big tech, government-backed nuclear expansion and the human cost of Ohio’s industrial heritage in this report by Farm and Dairy's Liz Partsch. The link is in the comments.

Dormant and aging nuclear plants are getting a second life thanks to the massive energy demands of AI.Microsoft and Meta...
05/28/2026

Dormant and aging nuclear plants are getting a second life thanks to the massive energy demands of AI.

Microsoft and Meta are leading the charge, signing 20-year deals to ensure their data centers stay online 24/7. But with the average U.S. reactor turning 44 years old, the path to a "clean" energy future comes with big questions about waste, safety and infrastructure upgrades.

Read the full story by Liz Partch at the link in the comments. This story is part of our Powering a Nation series exploring the U.S. energy crisis driven by AI data center development and its impact on our region.

Address

PO Box 38, 185 E State St
Salem, OH
44460

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

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+18008373419

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