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Ohio Pork Tour Website tells the truth about Ohio Pork!

What is the truth about Ohio Pork? As a family farming operation, and proud pork producer in Ohio, we invite you to visit a well designed website geared toward educating those interested in our operations producing high quality pork. The website, www.ohioporktour.com is sponsored by the Ohio Pork Producers Council and Soy Ohio. Visit the latest addition to the site, Connie Surber explaining pork production and how it truly is a proud family run operation.

Amber waves of efficiently farmed grain Farmers using GPS Technology to save time, money, resources...

By L.B. WHYDE
Advocate Reporter Original Publish Date: 10/14/2007

When the combine goes out to harvest the fields of the Heimerl Farms in Johnstown, it is doing more than just cutting soybeans. With the latest and greatest in farm technology, farming is becoming more efficient, less risky and less labor-intensive. That is exactly what it does for Matt Heimerl as he works on his family farm. "It definitely makes you more efficient," Heimerl said. "We can get yield maps and plot different soil types, which can let you up or lower the rate of fertilizer on a field." With the advent of global positioning systems, tractors can be equipped with a receiver that uses precise microwave signals from satellites orbiting Earth. The system enables a GPS receiver to determine its location, speed, direction and time. The tractor/combine equipped with a GPS and yield monitors comes back with information such as yield count, moisture percentage of the crop and soil types. The memory card is removed from the computer on the combine and placed in the home computer. Farmers can generate a map of the productivity of their field, and laying this over accurate GPS-produced maps, irrigation maps, fertilizing maps and elevation maps helps farmers become accurate in knowing where to apply water, fertilizers, soil and herbicides. "The next step, to get your money back is to do variable rates in fertilizer, chemical and seeds," Heimerl said. New technology also is available that helps the tractors practically drive themselves. This automated steering helps growers achieve the driving accuracy necessary to improve yields and reduce compaction from large equipment. Hooked up with a GPS unit, the tractor can drive a straighter line than an operator can. All the operator has to do is turn at the end of the row. So what do operators do with all this time on their hands? "It makes you more aware of everything else instead of just driving a straight line," Heimerl said. The first technology that farmers were able to purchase was about 30 years ago -- controllers on the sprayers. These controllers would adjust for any change in speed to allow a constant application of spray material, preventing any overages or shortages. About 10 years ago, both GPS and auto-steer became available to farmers. Dave Shipley is the owner of Agri-Trac Equipment, located at 3934 Johnstown-Utica Road in Utica. He has a variety of the latest gadgets for farmers. "It has been in only the last five years that they (GPS and autosteer) are more affordable," Shipley said. Auto-boom is another of the latest gadgets. It automatically will shut off if it goes over an area that already has been sprayed. This is extremely helpful with booms that are 90 feet wide. When making a turn, a section of the boom will stop spraying if that particular area has already been sprayed. "Before that area would either be over- or under-sprayed," Shipley said. "With this, a whole section can be shut off." With the auto-steer, farmers will be able to see a return on their investment. In the past farmers with equipment 40 feet wide might overlap 3 feet on each pass, as it is hard to judge the edge line 20 feet away. But with auto-steer, there is no overlap. This can save 10 percent or more for the farmer in time, fertilizer, herbicides, insecticides and seeds. And as the saying goes, time is money. "At the end of your day, you could actually get 10 percent more done in the same amount of time," Shipley said. "You spend less time because you are more efficient." Technology comes with a price, however. GPS and simple steering systems can cost from $1,500 to $20,000. "I would guess that of the commercial farmers in Licking County with large amount of acreage, half to three-quarters of them have GPS," Shipley said.

Family Farms Up FFA Degrees...

Family farms up FFA degrees
Heimerls cultivate their achievements
By L.B. WHYDE 1/2/2007

Advocate Reporter JERSEY TOWNSHIP -- Farming 2,800 acres while overseeing beef cattle, hogs, Holstein steers, seed and fertilizer sales and running a feed mill is a chore for Jim and Kathy Heimerl and their family. The Johnstown couple have their hands full, but they have three sons -- Matt, 24, and twins Brad and Jeff, 20 -- to help them on the farm. Even with all their chores and building projects, the boys still were able to obtain their American FFA Degrees. Brad and Jeff's degrees last fall brought the number in the family to four. "I think it's neat having this many in our family with degrees," Brad Heimerl said. "It is rewarding to show our accomplishments and what we do here on the family farm. I always knew we would get it." The National FFA Organization, which was called Future Farmers of America until 1988, is dedicated to preparing its members for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture, according to the Ohio FFA Web site. While obtaining multiple national degrees in one family is not uncommon, Steve Gratz, executive secretary of Ohio FFA, said obtaining four is unusual. One of the requirements for the national degree is the person must be out of high school for at least one year. During that time, many people do not continue to work toward the degree. But that's not the case in the Heimerl family. "It is a wonderful accomplishment, and it speaks highly of the Heimerls," Gratz said. "They have done well, and the sons have qualified for the Star Awards in Ohio, which means that they not only qualify for their degrees, they are usually one of the best ones we have." There are about 500,000 FFA members in the country, and less than 1 percent of that number receive their national degree each year, Gratz said. He gave credit to Kathy Heimerl for her persistence with the paperwork required for the national degree. Kathy was one of the first two girls in her chapter at Liberty Union High School in Baltimore, Ohio, to obtain her state FFA degree in the 1970s. "FFA has so many leadership roles, so much more than the regular person would know about," Kathy Heimerl said. "They offer so many ways for a child to excel beside sports. These activities develop the person. I am very proud of all the hard work they have done." Jim Heimerl, 49, was the first one in his family to receive the national award. "It is an honor to have the boys involved in FFA and the farm," Jim said. "It kinda shows that if you work hard, you do get rewarded." The inspiration for the FFA began in 1917 with the Smith-Hughes National Vocational Education Act, which established vocational agriculture courses, according to the Ohio FFA Web site. But the national organization did not start until 1928, with just a few national degrees being awarded. In 2006, more than 3,000 were given out at the national convention in Indianapolis. For Jeff, obtaining the national degree was a goal he set for himself while he was just a little boy. "I always wanted to be the same rank (as my older brother and father)," Jeff said. "It is kind of a big goal, but I set little goals to get to that big one. It shows farming is in our blood." While Matt was the first of the brothers to obtain his degree, it was his father who set the standard. Matt graduated from Ohio State University in 2005 in agribusiness and works on the farm full-time overseeing the trucks, cattle and the feed mill. "My dad had the degree, and I thought it would be neat and an honor to have the same thing he had," Matt said.

Heimerls earn American FFA Degrees...

Sons continue tradition with achievement

Thursday, November 16, 2006

By MARLA K. KUHLMAN
Independent Staff Writer

Johnstown's Brad and Jeff Heimerl have both earned the American FFA Degree, the top award given by Future Farmers of America. In addition to earning the crowning achievement in the FFA program, the Heimerl twins continue a family tradition. Their brother Matt received the American FFA Degree in 2002 and their father Jim earned his in 1978. The Heimerls received their FFA degrees in late October during the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. They are the sons of Jim and Kathy Heimerl. "It's the icing on the cake," said Brad Heimerl, a sophomore at Wilmington College, where he's majoring in criminal justice. "It's the highest degree you can be awarded." Jeff Heimerl, who's majoring in agricultural production at Wilmington, said most people don't realize what's required to earn the American FFA Degree. Candidates must meet eight qualifications, including a State FFA Degree; three years in an agricultural education program; an outstanding supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) program; earned and productively invested at least $7,500 or have earned and productively invested at least $1,500 and worked 2,250 hours in excess of scheduled class time; a record of outstanding leadership abilities and community involvement. Since he was a young boy, Jeff Heimerl said he didn't have thoughts of doing anything else but farm- ing. "Receiving the degree is an honor," he said. "Being able to do the different competitions throughout the years has been the most fun." At Johnstown-Monroe, his projects included feeder cattle, pool steers, market hogs, corn, wheat, soybeans, fair projects and improvement projects. As a freshman, he was a Star Greenhand. He was also District 7 Star Farmer in production for two years and a finalist for Star State Farmer. He also served two years as chapter vice president. Brad Heimerl said he wants to farm full-time and somehow be involved in law enforcement on the side. "The family aspect of our farming operation means a lot to me as well as carrying on the tradition," he said. "I've always liked being in the country and having a rural life -- growing and living off the land and making it profitable." Although farming can be challenging, Heimerl said hard work does pay off in the long run. "It's rewarding to look back and see what you did," he said. "My dad started out with a few head of cattle and 300 acres and it has grown." At J-M, Brad served as chapter president for two years and he was Star Chapter Farmer as a sophomore, District 7 Star in Agribusiness for two years and the 2005 Star State Farmer in Agribusiness. His past projects included feeder cattle, corn, soybeans, pool steers, market hogs, plant sales, produce sales, egg sales and fair and improvement projects. "Being a president two years was a highlight," Heimerl said. "I like leading. I was class president and FFA president. I like to talk to people and it was rewarding to get people involved." Both Heimerls return to Johnstown from college each weekend to work on the family farm. The American FFA Degree is symbolic of the highest achieve-ment of the National FFA Organization. Each degree recipient receives a gold key and a framed certificate.

A closer look

Johnstown-Monroe American FFA Degrees:1943 -- Merle Voris1968 -- Kirby Barrick1978 -- Jim Heimerl1983 -- Kirby Barrick Jr.1987 -- Allen Weaver2002 -- Matt Heimerl2003 -- Sabrina Piper2005 -- Jason Julian2006

Heimerl Farms Pictures featured on National Pork Website...

Heimerl Farms is honored to have 2 pictures of their farm present itself to viewers of the National Pork Website. The pictures can be viewed by going to their website at: www.pork.org and looking toward the top banner.

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