Chelsea Skidmore, a senior at Mississinawa Valley High School, was recognized as a 2014 Ohio Star Farmer Finalist at the Ohio FFA State Convention for her work managing over 30 cows and heifers on a dairy farm. She spends her time between school, her college courses at Edison Community College, and caring for her cows. Skidmore has won numerous awards for her dairy cows at the state and national level over the past year. In addition to her individual honors, her high school FFA chapter received four awards at the state convention.

1. myownrurallife.com
Skidmore recognized as Ohio Star Farmer
By Irene Haluska
June 1, 2014
By Ilene Haluska
ihaluska@civitasmedia.com
UNION CITY - Mississinawa Valley High School senior Chelsea Skidmore was recently recognized as
a 2014 Star State FFA Degree Farmer Finalist by the the 85th Ohio FFA State Convention at the Ohio
Expo Center in Columbus.
“I had a great last year with state and national awards. It’s definitely an honor and shows that your
hard work pays off,” she said.
The state FFA officials came to the dairy farm in Union City to interview her. She gave them a tour of
her operation and showed them the 30 cows and heifers.
The junior dairy farmer plans to try again next year for top Star honor. She also found out two weeks
ago that she is MVS Class Valedictorian.
Skidmore spends her time as a part-time senior student at Mississinawa Valley High School, as a
post-secondary college-credit student at Edison Community College in Greenville and managing
more than 30 cows and heifers at the North Lane Farms in Union City.

2. According to the FFA, Skidmore placed in the top five in most shows she has entered. In November
2013 she received the Reserve Grand Champion in a Brown-Swiss Junior Show at the 86th National
FFA Convention and a FFA National Dairy Production Entrepreneurship Proficiency Award. Along
with her two-year-old cow, Paisley, they won the Reserve Grand Champion at the Southeastern
National Brown Swiss Junior Show in Louisville. In 2013 at the Great Darke County Fair she won
Supreme Grand Champion, just to name of few of her honors in the past 12 months.
When the award-winner is not in school, she’s with her cows, milking and delivering calves.
“I pulled him out this morning, a Brown Swiss. It’s her first calf,” she said motioning to the mother
cow standing behind her and as she got the newborn to feed from a bottle. The calf’s mother will be
milked later that day.
At the 85th Ohio FFA State Convention in early May, Skidmore’s fellow Mississinawa Valley School
FFA MVCTC members as a whole brought in four awards: 2014 Recognized for donating $1,400 to
CROP/CWS (Christian Rural Overseas Program, Church World Service); 2014 National Chapter
Award - Top Ten Community Division; 2014 National Chapter Award - Ohio Gold Medal Chapter
and the Farm Business Management 4th Award.
Ilene Haluska can be reached by calling 937-548-3151 ext. 250 at The Daily Advocate. Please visit
advocate360.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Link:http://new.myownrurallife.com/article/20140601/news/306019992/
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