The ninth annual Ag is Everyone’s Business event will take place Friday, July 16, at the Highland County Fairgrounds in Hillsboro, and will be presented by the Highland County Chamber of Commerce.
Jamie Wheeler, the chamber’s executive director, said that the date and location of the event are different than in years past due to COVID-19 restrictions that were in place during the planning stages, but the pause in scheduling allowed the planning committee to adjust the focus of the event for 2021.
“This year the planning committee has decided to not have a keynote speaker address the attendees, but instead to take a ‘family focus’ approach and offer a variety of speakers not only for adults but also for the youth of our county,” she said. “This expanded offering of educational opportunities should appeal to a variety of individuals, and we are holding our event in conjunction with the Highland County Fair Jr. Fair Entry Day.”
Doors will open at 7:30 a.m. with a light breakfast available, with welcoming remarks scheduled for 8:20 a.m., and the first sessions to kick off at 8:30 a.m.
Seth Phillips, Highland County Chamber of Commerce president, noted that the organization began the event for the ag community because “ag truly is everyone’s business.”
“This event is an opportunity to join our business community with our farmers, as well as our future farmers and business leaders,” he said.
Sessions for the main program, which will be in the Chicken & Rabbit Building, include:
• Animal Health: Why Vaccines Work and When Antibiotics Should Be Used, presented by Jake Osborn of Merck Animal Health.
• Landowner Rights, presented by Highland County Division of Wildlife Officer Jim Karnes.
• Grain Market Outlook, presented by Ben Wiginton of Patriot Ag Solutions.
Sessions for the youth are scheduled to be presented in the the Show Ring, and include:
• Swine Showmanship, Feeding, and Skin Care, presented by Dylan Dobbs.
• Sheep & Goat Showmanship, Feeding, and Skin Care, presented by Ty & Lauren Hamilton of Hamilton Livestock.
• Cattle Showmanship, Feeding, and Skin Care, presented by Jake Osborn of Osborn Show Cattle, and Brian Cummings of Cummings Cattle.
There will also be giveaways and door prizes for the youth participants.
A trade show that will feature sponsors and speakers of the event will also be available for attendees, which will include representatives from a variety of industries spotlighting finance, equipment, seed, feed, animal health, marketing and more.
This year’s event will also include a session for beef producers who want to obtain or recertify their Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certifications, since certifications that were completed three years ago will expire later this year.
Presale tickets for the event are $5 and can be purchased by going to the chamber’s website at www.thehighlandchamber.com; visiting the chamber office at 338 W. Main St. in the Scott House, in Hillsboro; or by calling 937-393-1111.
Tickets will be available the day of the event at the gate for $7, but those tickets may not include breakfast.
Announcements about the event, as well as other chamber activities, will be made available at the chamber’s website at www.thehighlandchamber.com, as well as in The Times-Gazette and the chamber’s social media accounts.
Reach Tim Colliver at 937-402-2571.
