2017
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The Annual Meeting brings together the residents and landowners of Warren County to celebrate the stewardship and conservation of our natural resources. This year’s event will focus on the stories and sounds of bluegrass and the community’s connection to the land.
You are invited to a wonderful evening at Valley Vineyards! There will be excellent music, good food, and great community. We are excited to welcome the bluegrass band, Jake Speed and The Freddies, in providing entertainment and music for the evening. We also want to give a big thanks to Valley Vineyards for allowing us to hold our meeting at their beautiful space in Morrow. And don’t forget about our excellent door prizes! We encourage you to visit the more than 20 local business have made donations to this year’s takeaways. |
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August 23rd, 2017
Valley Vineyards 2276 East US 22 & 3 Morrow, Ohio 45152 Voting commences at 5pm. Dinner/grilling begins at 6pm. Award Program will start at 7pm. Jake Speed & the Freddies at 7:45pm. |
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Valley Vineyards Dinner Cookout
Online dinner reservations are now closed. Please call our office for assistance.
Please remember that no refunds will be issued for a dinner purchase.
Attending the program and election is free.
Please remember that no refunds will be issued for a dinner purchase.
Attending the program and election is free.
Enjoy these few samples of Jake Speed and the Freddies!
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board of supervisor candidates
The Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Commission will cause an election of Supervisors of the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District to be held in accordance with Chapter 940 of the Ohio Revised Code. Residents or landowners, firms, and corporations that own land or occupy land in Warren County and are 18 years of age and older may vote for Supervisor. A non-resident landowner, firm, or corporation must provide an affidavit of eligibility, which includes designation of a voting representative, prior to casting a ballot.
There are three ways an eligible voter can cast a ballot: (1) at the SWCD annual meeting/election event, which will take place August 23, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. at Valley Vineyards, 2276 E US Hwy 22 & 3 Morrow, OH 45152; (2) at the SWCD office until 3:30 p.m. on August 23, 2017; or (3) vote absentee by requesting the proper absentee request forms from the SWCD office at the following address:
Warren County Soil & Water Conservation District
320 East Silver St.
Lebanon, Ohio 45036
513-695-1337
Two(2) Supervisors will be elected. Nominees are:
1. Roy Miller
2. John Tkatschenko
3. Dan Koopmans
There are three ways an eligible voter can cast a ballot: (1) at the SWCD annual meeting/election event, which will take place August 23, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. at Valley Vineyards, 2276 E US Hwy 22 & 3 Morrow, OH 45152; (2) at the SWCD office until 3:30 p.m. on August 23, 2017; or (3) vote absentee by requesting the proper absentee request forms from the SWCD office at the following address:
Warren County Soil & Water Conservation District
320 East Silver St.
Lebanon, Ohio 45036
513-695-1337
Two(2) Supervisors will be elected. Nominees are:
1. Roy Miller
2. John Tkatschenko
3. Dan Koopmans
Roy Miller
Roy Miller and F & R Miller Farms were recognized as Warren SWCD’s 2012 Conservation Farmers of the Year. Roy, who graduated from O.S.U. in 1987, his late father Fred and mother Ruth, have partnered with the District on many conservation practices in the past, including tile drainage, grassed waterways, pond management, animal waste storage and nutrient management. The Millers continue to operate their farm with a good conservation ethic to this day, employing no-till on much of their acreage, and cover crops. The Miller farm operation encompasses over 1000 acres, with grain, hay, pasture, beef and hogs in and around Clearcreek Township.
Roy and his wife Lorena have five sons. Throughout the years they have been very involved in many 4-H activities and still raise 4-H animals to this day. Roy asks for your vote for the 2017 annual election to serve on the Board of Supervisors to aide in the district’s conservation activities. |
John Tkatschenko
John Tkatschenko was born in Heidenau, Germany 40 miles south of Hamburg and saw the Statue of Liberty in December 1950. After an introduction to the plains of South Dakota on a beef ranch his family moved to Salem, Ohio where they lived on a 60 acre general agriculture farm.
John earned a B.A. from O.S.U. in Russian, and then served in the U.S. Army as battalion clerk. He returned to O.S.U. to earn an M.S. in Soil Classification and Land Use. He then began to work as a Soil Conservationist in Seneca and Huron Counties. In March 1981 he became the District Conservationist for Warren County and served until 2008. During these 27 years he and the office staff rated 60,000 acres of cropland for the 1985 Food Security Program; administered Ohio’s largest fly-on cover crop program of 3,500 acres; surveyed, designed, and applied hundreds of waterways, ponds, structures, WASCOBS, and many other conservation practices; and met the majority of Warren County’s farm owners and operators. John currently resides on a 10 acre farmette with his wife Patty, 3 cows, a handful of chickens, 20+ fruit trees, and a bramble fruit. He has found it to be a pleasure working with Warren County’s best- its farmers. |
Dan Koopmans
Dan Koopmans and his wife, Vonda, are owners and operators of Mohrfield Farms, LLC located in Pleasant Plain. They farm a little over 1,000 acres of crops consisting of corn, beans, wheat and hay. Dan also manages a Hay Packaging Company that produces packaged hay products for the pet food industry. The company employs 12 people and produces products that are used throughout the U.S. and Canada, as well as some European countries.
Dan grew up a cheese head in southern Wisconsin, but has been a Warren County resident for the past 22 years. Dan has served on the Warren County Farm Bureau board and the Ohio Holstein Association board and served on several committees for National Holstein Association, World Dairy Expo. Dan and his wife are members of the St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. They have a son, Alex, who will be a freshman at The Ohio State University this fall. |
Warren County SWCD Educator of the Year
Keith Vinson
Science Teacher and Head Track & Field Coach
Franklin High School
Teaching is my dream job and my students are my life. When I teach, I am always trying to find a way to connect the subject to the students’ personal lives or the world around them so that they can make a personal connection. As a young man, I was told that I would never reach my dream of becoming a teacher, so I make sure students have a pathway to their dreams.
I spent 8.5 years in the military with a MOS of storage and handling specialist, climbing to the rank of Sergeant. Afterwards, I graduated from Miami University in 2007, receiving a B.A. in Science Education with a focus on Earth and Life Science. (8-12). I then earned an M.A.T. in the area of Educational Leadership from Marygrove College in Detroit in 2013. I have 10 years of teaching experience, spending over 8 years at Middletown High School and beginning at Franklin High School in 2015. When I am not at school I enjoy spending time with my wife, coaching track and field, running and cycling through the local area.
Since coming to Franklin High School, I have given my students the opportunity to learn about their environment from their own backyards. We have taken several trips to the creek, testing pH, micro-invertebrates, and how the upstream sod farm and golf course are affecting the local stream. I have also taken my students to the Warren County Pump Station and the Waste Water Treatment Plant. I think the most important improvement I made is introducing my class to the Warren County Soil and Water group. I want my students to understand that they can have an affect on the environment at the local level and that they do make a difference. I hope my students enjoy their time in my classroom.
Science Teacher and Head Track & Field Coach
Franklin High School
Teaching is my dream job and my students are my life. When I teach, I am always trying to find a way to connect the subject to the students’ personal lives or the world around them so that they can make a personal connection. As a young man, I was told that I would never reach my dream of becoming a teacher, so I make sure students have a pathway to their dreams.
I spent 8.5 years in the military with a MOS of storage and handling specialist, climbing to the rank of Sergeant. Afterwards, I graduated from Miami University in 2007, receiving a B.A. in Science Education with a focus on Earth and Life Science. (8-12). I then earned an M.A.T. in the area of Educational Leadership from Marygrove College in Detroit in 2013. I have 10 years of teaching experience, spending over 8 years at Middletown High School and beginning at Franklin High School in 2015. When I am not at school I enjoy spending time with my wife, coaching track and field, running and cycling through the local area.
Since coming to Franklin High School, I have given my students the opportunity to learn about their environment from their own backyards. We have taken several trips to the creek, testing pH, micro-invertebrates, and how the upstream sod farm and golf course are affecting the local stream. I have also taken my students to the Warren County Pump Station and the Waste Water Treatment Plant. I think the most important improvement I made is introducing my class to the Warren County Soil and Water group. I want my students to understand that they can have an affect on the environment at the local level and that they do make a difference. I hope my students enjoy their time in my classroom.
Annual Contests
We have a lot of fun with our annual contests!
All winners will be recognized at our Annual Meeting on August 23th.
All winners will be recognized at our Annual Meeting on August 23th.
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Coloring Contest
$25 Target gift card to the
winner in each age category! 
Click picture to download/print the full pdf.
Contest Rules: All eligible entries must be filled out completely with parent/legal guardian signatures, contact information, and first name of child. Contest ends August 7th, 2017. Submit contest entries at the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District fairgrounds display or at the Warren SWCD Office located at 320 East Silver Street, Suite 300, Lebanon, Ohio 45036. Mailed entries must be postmarked by August 7th, 2017. A panel of Warren SWCD Employees and/or Board of Supervisors will select one winning picture from each of the following age categories: ages 5 and under, ages 6-8, and ages 9-12. Each individual may only earn one prize but may have more than one entry in the coloring contest. Contest winners will be recognized at the Warren SWCD Annual Banquet held on Wednesday, August 23, 2017 at Valley Vineyards..
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Biggest Tree Contest
2017 Tree: American Beech
Click picture to download/print Contest information..
To Enter the Contest:
1. Measure the circumference of your tree at four feet up from the base and make a rough estimate of the tree’s height. 2. Call the District with the tree’s measurements and your contact information between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Deadline to enter is August 4th, 2016. 3. If your entry is among the largest we will contact you to make arrangements to have the tree measured by our judges. The winner will receive a plaque commemorating the tree which will be presented at the District’s Annual Banquet Wednesday August 23th, 2017 at Valley Vineyards. Visit the Ohio Dept. of Forestry Page about American Beech.
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LocationValley Vineyards
2276 East US 22 & 3 Morrow, Ohio 45152 USA Valley Vineyards is located along the hills and valleys of the Little Miami River in Warren County, Ohio between Dayton and Cincinnati. The region is comprised of glaciated soils especially beneficial for growing premium wine grapes. You’ll find nationally award-winning, estate-grown table and dessert wines from our vineyards in the Ohio River Valley Appellation. Since 1970, the Schuchter family has been dedicated to bringing you a wide variety of fine wines, and now, craft beers. Visit Valley Vineyards online! |
