Members of the Ashland County Cattlemen’s Association recently met for their annual banquet on the Hillsdale High School campus.
The 2017 Carl and Thelma Stitzlein Memorial Scholarships were presented. Elizabeth Ramey, a Loudonville High School senior, was presented with a $1,000 scholarship. She will pursue a vocation in the agricultural field following her graduation.
She is the granddaughter of Carl and Thelma Stitzlein. She was introduced by her mother, Saundra Ramey, noting her achievements as the 2016 Loudonville Fair queen, her willingness to assist other showmen, and her scholastic accomplishment.
Emily Wesner was presented as the post-graduate $1,000 scholarship recipient. Emily, a 2015 Ashland High School graduate, is currently in pursuit of a career in agricultural communications, served as the 2016 Ashland County Fair queen, and represents the passion of agriculture in her activities.
Since 2002, the Ashland County Cattlemen have awarded 30 youth funds to assist Ashland County students in their agricultural educational quest, according to Dorothy Stitzlein of the scholarship committee.
More donations
She noted additional donations may be made through the Ashland County Community Foundation. The cattlemen will continue to work a food trailer for two main events in the fall as their principal fundraisers.
They will also continue to provide a location for the state district 6 quality assurance programs as called upon. Pam Haley, director 6, gave her state update, noting appreciation of the association’s meeting site provision in the previous year.
She urged members to watch for meeting dates focused on providing usable information and seed stock opportunities to enhance their herds. Following a Kansas Relief report shared by local cattleman, Nick Farquhar ,who had recently returned from Ashland, Kansas, the cattlemen voted to approve the donation of $800.00 that would be used for additional assistance of fellow cattlemen adversely affected by devastating wild fires.
Helping others
Farquhar’s team took 5 tons of fencing materials and a number of loads of hay in a semi-truck convoy. He shared that relief efforts will be needed for a long time due to the extreme devastation of the livelihood of these fellow cattlemen.
Officers were elected to serve in 2017 were President Matt Stewart, Vice President Jared Wynn, and Treasurer/Secretary Nan Wertz.
All reports given were approved, including the addition of scholars that could apply next year to be a resident of Ashland County or attending an Ashland County High School.
This is intended to open the pool to qualified high school candidates.
Mike Allerding of ABS Global, gave the main speech, “Sire Selection for Increased Profitability,” to assist the local producers in breeding selection with the focus on cattle growth, reproduction and final carcass at harvest utilizing EPD data as tools and to better the overall herd health and profitability.
