Ancestors

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Biography

Born at Blanchard Valley Hospital (Findlay, OH), on the same day as one of my McComb school classmates. I started driving farm tractors at 10 and much of my afterschool, weekend, and summer vacation time was spent farming, livestock chores, and grain elevator work. During my high school years, our family had a large flock of show sheep that were exhibited annually at NW OH county fairs (up to 9) and at The Ohio State Fair. Our farm consisted of up to 400 acres of row crops (corn, wheat, soybeans, and lesser amounts of: oats, alfalfa, clover, and pasture). I was involved in 4-H clubs for 9 yrs. and McComb FFA chapter for 5 yrs. I earned the State FFA degree in 1977 and the American FFA degree in 1978. I was at the 1978 national FFA convention in Kansas City, MO when Paul Harvey spoke his now famous "God made a Famer" speech. (He got a 5-minute standing ovation!) I bought my first car (with cash) - before I had my license (my Sr. yr. in high school). I earned and saved enough to pay for my first college education (2 yr. degree in business) - before I graduated. I have an Assoc. Degree in Agri-Business Mgt. from Owens Tech.. My first full-time job and home was 18 miles west of McComb and near enough to make it worthwhile weekend trips to 'help'. I worked for an 'ag. service center' (fertilizer and chemicals). I also drove vehicles to spread (dry) or spray (liquid) products on farmer's fields. After 4 years, I moved to Ames, Iowa. I had saved (and worked during the college years) enough to pay for all of the first 3 years. Jenni married me after my 1st yr. at ISU, and we rented a basement of 3-plex house from a landlord in Ames (an inheritance story that showed up on "Strange Inheritance" (Fox Bus. ch.) in 2017). He owned 50 antique 'orphan' cars at that time. We lived next door to him & his wife, and we grew a fond friendship with them while we lived there. I helped him with various projects - when I had extra time. While at college, I was a team member for a Crops Judging team. We represented Iowa at 2 annual national contests. There were 8 other teams representing other colleges at the Kansas City, MO and Chicago contests. I was on the team for 2 years. At the 1982 KC contest, I placed 1st, and at Chicago, I placed 3rd. (ISU had not had another winning individual for 21 yrs.) I graduated in 1985 with a B.S. in Agronomy. I started my post-graduate job the day after I graduated. It was my 'dream job' as an agronomist for a food processing co. This Ackley, IA business was family-owned (bought out of insolvency) - during my first 2 yrs. there, then it was sold to a large corp. They also had a large farming operation (3,000 acres). 8,000 acres of sweet corn was processed during my 4th & 5th years there. During the rest of the year (in between corn packs) - they canned (and dry-packed) dry edible beans (kidney, navy, pinto, garbanzo, etc.) They also grew as many as 1,500 acres of corn (not sweet). My job consisted of planning the planting & harvesting intervals of sweet corn, supervise the pest control of all corn, assist in crop contracting, evaluate and make recommendations for the 'processing waste' (corn husks, cobs, etc.) removal (to cattle feeders), design & implement field test plots (and lab testing), and assist in crop growing advisory (corn and beans). Our son, Dan, was born in Waterloo, IA. In 1990, we moved to Ohio (near both families). We rented a house (in Putnam county) from a family estate after our son, Todd, was born in Lima, OH. I worked at a farm service center. My job consisted of a variety of technical and labor efforts to provide services and products for area farmers. The business was bought (out of insolvency), by a family - so it was a long, gradual series of improvement phases. In 2001, I went to work for a farm equip. manufacturer in Kalida, OH. My job there consisted of technical and labor efforts in several departments from processing steel in many forms to shipping parts to farm equip. dealers - globally. The equip. in concern were tillage, transports, sprayers, conveyors, and wheels. In 2015, we bought (and moved into) a house ('fixer-upper') that Jenni's parents owned - after they died, in an ancient Indian village - 5 miles from Continental, OH.

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Rick