Wayne SWCD salutes Farriss family


WOOSTER, Ohio – Kathie Tisher and Bill and Carol Farriss were honored for their conservation efforts during the 54th annual meeting of the Wayne Soil and Water Conservation District.

Bill and Carol Farriss of Farriss Dairy Farm in Dalton received the district’s 2001 Conservation Farm Award.

During the 1950s, Raymond Wecht, the farm’s original owner, installed conservation practices, such as field strips on the farm. Farriss purchased the farm from Wecht in 1961 and continued to work with the soil and water district to install conservation practices on the farm.

They have installed contour strips, field strips, grass waterways, and systematic tiling.

Farriss farms 700 acres, rotating corn, and alfalfa on the strips. They store the manure from their 250 head of dairy cows in a slurry system and minimum till it into the soil. The solids are removed from the manure with a separator and recycled back as bedding for their livestock.

They also buried tile along the roadways and cleared the banks to give them access to the road from their fields.

“We have made a lot of changes on our farm, but we try to do things that will help us do a better job of farming the farm,” Farriss said.

Educator honored. Tisher, a teacher at Fredericksburg Elementary School, was named Conservation Educator of the Year. She teaches a class for 7th and 8th grade Amish students.

Tisher’s program covers a variety of conservation and stewardship activities ranging from studying water quality by collecting and indexing macroinvertebrates from a nearby stream to maintaining aquatic species tanks to assuming responsibility for the school’s greenhouse. The students plant and sell vegetables and flowering annuals. They also learn about soil testing and proper levels of soil pH with an emphasis on crop productivity.

Supervisor election. During the meeting, David Rohrer of Green Township was reelected to the board. He farms 1,100 acres in partnership with his brother, Paul. They have a dairy operation and raise potatoes.

Rita Flinn was elected to her first term on the board. She resides in Congress Township with her husband, Jerry. They farm 650 acres of owned and rented land. Crops include hay, corn, soybeans and wheat. They custom raise 75 heifers per month and feed out 300 head of steers per year.

The district recognized retiring board member Terry Ewing for his service to the district.

Pat Leimbach, a well-known humorist and writer, provided the evening’s entertainment.


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