Farm and Dairy

11/21/2025

Local stables and arenas in the tri-state area are tightening up their safety measures as concerns grow over an outbreak of Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy, or EHM.

There have been no cases of EHM confirmed in Ohio, Pennsylvania or West Virginia, but the number of cases stemming from a barrel racing event in Texas grows each day, with at least 16 confirmed in five states as of Nov. 21. Cases have been identified in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Colorado and New Mexico.

Full story linked in the comments 🔗🔗🔗⬇️

11/20/2025

Anthony Ondo isn't your average beekeeper. At 23 years old, Ondo runs his own beekeeping business, using the money from his honey sales to pay for his education at Chatham University's Eden Hall Campus.

There, he also leads the school's apiary program, where students get hands-on experience working with bees.

Anthony Ondo uses the money from his beekeeping business to pay for his education at Chatham University's Eden Hall campus while teaching other students.

11/19/2025

Nearly 100 advocates, horse owners and concerned residents from northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania gathered Nov. 16 at the Eleanor Acres Event Center in Lisbon for a memorial called “Justice for the Final Four,” honoring the horses whose skeletal remains were found locked in a round pen last month at Pure Gold Stables, in Salem, Ohio.

As the local equine community debates what comes next, advocates say the Pure Gold case reflects more than a local failure and highlights gaps in the nation’s equine-welfare system, where overworked rescues, stretched resources and inconsistent oversight leave horses vulnerable to neglect and abuse.

🔗🔗🔗 Link to the full story in the comments 👇

11/18/2025

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the 2025-26 budget on Nov. 12, after a four-month-long impasse.

The budget significantly cuts ag preparedness funding from last year, but keeps the rest of agriculture funding relatively the same.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the 2025-26 budget on Nov. 12 after a four-month impasse; the budget cuts agriculture funding by $40 million.

11/11/2025

Darrell Leffingwell was taking 27 medications a day to manage his chronic pain after being discharged from the Marine Corps.

“The medicines I was on were destroying me, killing me,” he said, which consisted of opioids.

This is a common reality for many veterans diagnosed with chronic pain, which has led to high opioid overdose rates over the years.

That's why Leffingwell founded the Ohio Veteran's Alliance for Medical Cannabis in 2019, to help veterans heal using natural medicine: medical cannabis.

Darrell Leffingwell founded the Ohio Veteran's Alliance for Medical Cannabis to advocate for and give veterans access to medical ma*****na to heal pain.

11/10/2025

As demand for food assistance continues to rise across her community, Stephanie Sweany, executive director of the Stark County Hunger Task Force, said the situation feels all too familiar.

“I was here through COVID. And I would kind of compare the need and sort of the desperation that people are feeling, and the uncertainty that people are feeling, to COVID,” she said.

Read the story at https://tinyurl.com/9a97mfcr

11/07/2025

In a field where global consolidation has narrowed seed diversity, companies like Rupp Seeds are one of the few remaining family-owned vegetable breeding operations in the United States working to keep seed innovation in the hands of growers.

Founded in 1946 on 80 acres off County Road B in Fulton County, Ohio, Rupp Seeds began as Sylvan L. Rupp Seed Farm, focusing on grain and forages. When Midwest vegetable production surged in the 1980s, the company shifted toward vegetable breeding, a decision that would define its modern identity.

Rupp Seeds in Ohio develops new squash and vegetable hybrids, preserving seed diversity and creating flavorful, high-quality varieties for growers.

11/06/2025

The Wayne County Fair - Ohio Junior Fair Sale brought in $2 million from its sale earlier this fall. Congrats to all the exhibitors, buyers and Wayne County 4-H Ohio supporters!

Get the full results and a photo gallery only on our website:
https://www.farmanddairy.com/news/2025-wayne-county-junior-fair-sale-results/893723.html

11/06/2025

After long careers, veteran brothers Joe and Dan Holoubek decided to open up Brother Monk Ciderworks in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, as part of their retirement project.

“So many people fall into bad habits when they retire, not having something to do when getting up in the morning,” Joe said. “Doing nothing was not how we were raised.”

Today, they can be found at farmers' markets and stores across western Pennsylvania, selling their hard cider products.

Joe and Dan Holoubek started their hard cider business Brother Monk Ciderworks in Indiana County, Pennsylvania as part of their post-retirement plans.

11/06/2025

Our plucky reporters, Paul Rowley and Liz Partsch, are back this week to deliver our Weekly Rundown of the top stories in the newspaper. Check out this week's episode for all the headlines and some stories about their family members' time in the military, as we prepare to celebrate Veterans Day.

🎧 Listen in: https://www.farmanddairy.com/news/farm-and-dairy-weekly-rundown-episode-31-11-06-25/894544.html

11/05/2025

Do you remember the worker’s turkey tradition? Before giving gift cards became commonplace, businesses sent their employees home with turkeys for Thanksgiving. Many have moved away from this working-class tradition since the mid-1990s, but it’s making a comeback in northeast Ohio thanks to Mason Kisamore Family Farms LLC. Every year, Mason and his wife, Stacy, raise over a thousand turkeys and sell hundreds to local businesses at a discounted price. The Kisamores spend a lot of time and take on considerable risk to keep raising turkeys year after year, but after more than a decade, they’ve persisted and are happy to offer a quality product and preserve an American tradition.

“It’s a gesture of goodwill. That’s what we’re trying to encourage,” Stacy said.

Mason Kisamore Family Farms supports the tradition of giving turkeys to employees for Thanksgiving by selling hundreds to local businesses at a discount.

11/05/2025

A group of local officers was recognized at a graduation ceremony and luncheon on Oct. 24 at the Public Library of Youngstown for completing the Mahoning County Mental Health and Recovery Board’s Crisis Intervention Training, or CIT.

The 40-hour program, held in partnership with NAMI Mahoning Valley, aims to strengthen connections between law enforcement, mental health providers and individuals experiencing mental illness or crisis.

Mahoning County’s Crisis Intervention Training helps police better support people in crisis through empathy, de-escalation and mental health collaboration.