OSU Extension recognition luncheon held

COSHOCTON – Donna Peddicord credits 4-H for helping her develop a skill she still uses today.

She honed her sewing skills while involved with a 4-H club in Walhonding and her husband Herb has volunteered for more than 50 years at the Coshocton County Junior Fair Livestock Auction. They were both honored for their support of the agriculture community and their dedication to OSU Extension programs with a proclamation award that was given to them on Sept. 11 at the annual Coshocton County OSU Extension Advisory Committee Recognition Luncheon.

The award was presented to the Peddicords by Bambi Zinkon, OSU Extension advisory committee chair and State Representative Bill Hayes. A second proclamation award was presented to their daughter and son-in-law, Heather and Ryan LePage by Mark Fortune, OSU Extension committee member and State Senator Jay Hottinger. The LePages raise beef cattle and are active with 4-H and the OSU Advisory Committee.

The Peddicords and LePages were both surprised by their awards.

“I had no idea,” Heather said. “This is overwhelming.”

Herb also was surprised.

“I’m tickled to death,” he said. “People need to know about OSU extension and it’s important for us to keep it in Coshocton County.”

A friend of extension award was presented to Danielle and Kurt Ellis. The were both in 4-H when they were growing up and Danielle was the chair of the OSU Extension Levy Committee and Kurt worked right alongside her to help get the levy passed.

“Unfortunately, they are out of town and unable to be here,” said Emily Adams, who read their recognition to the audience. “They both wanted me to share that they are very honored to receive this and wish they could have been here.”

Local OSU Extension programs have impacted the lives of many area residents including Bill and Kyle Daugherty, Collin McCoy and Gerald Finlay and Kayla Finton.

“I grew up on a dairy farm so I’ve always been involved in agriculture, but one summer I went to 4-H camp and I really enjoyed it. I met new friends from other schools and we are still the best of friends.”

Kyle has been a camp counselor for three years and is looking forward to going back for his fourth and final year.

“As the youngest (in my family) no one ever looked up to me so it’s been fun seeing the same kids every summer, watching them grow and build relationships with them,” he said.

Kyle’s dad Bill also has found the OSU Extension office to be a great source for information when dealing with problems on the family’s farm.

“We had a ventilation situation and Emily Adams (OSU Extension Educator, Agriculture & Natural Resources and County Director) put us in touch with a dairy education specialist,” Bill said. “We ended up installing 18 fans that helped immensely with the heat we’ve had. Our entire family is very grateful for OSU Extension.”

For McCoy, 4-H projects helped him save money for college and lead him to a future in agriculture.

“My parents are not farmers so without 4-H and OSU Extension I would not have been exposed to agriculture at this level,” he said.

Finton has found OSU Extension useful in several phases of her life. Growing up she was involved in 4-H and as an adult OSU Extension is a helpful source of information for her careers in agronomy and farming.

Finlay also uses OSU Extension as a resource.

“When you want to get the latest information, who else do you go to, but OSU Extension,” he said. “I thank Emily and her staff for being there for us.”

Ryan took a moment after he and Heather received their award to thank all the supporters of OSU Extension who attended the luncheon.

“You all busted your tails to keep 4-H in this community and without you, we wouldn’t be here because 4-H wouldn’t be here,” he said.

Zinkon agreed that OSU Extension is invaluable to the community.

“We live in a great community and the resources and programs OSU Extension offer help make it even better,” she said.

For more on OSU Extension in Coshocton County, visit http://coshocton.osu.edu/.

josie@coshoctoncountybeacon.com

Category: Clubs & Organizations, Multimedia, Photo Galleries