NT FFA hosting online auction

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NEW PARIS — National Trail’s Miami Valley Career Technology Center (MVCTC) FFA Chapter will be holding an online auction to benefit the construction of a new agriculture barn.

The chapter will be auctioning off old shop equipment which is no longer of use to the district.

Items for sale will include a wood planer, sanders, band saws, jointer, sheet metal tools, work benches, vices, metal lathe, wood lathe, welders, and surplus items (desks, chairs, shelves, etc.) the district is removing.

The auction began on Monday, Dec. 23, at harmeyerauction.hibid.com. There will be an auction preview held on Monday, Dec. 30 from 4-6 p.m. in the National Trail Ag shop. The auction will close on Wednesday, Jan. 1, at 6:30 p.m. Pickup of items will be held on Thursday, Jan. 2 from noon until 6 p.m.

All funds raised will benefit the new agriculture barn. The chapter is actively raising funds to build a 60×40 livestock facility to be located east of the current agriculture department. The auction is just one way they have chosen to raise these funds.

According to Advisor Eric Kennel, this building will be used for the Livestock Science class. He hopes it will give students hands-on experience raising livestock throughout the school year. It will be the students’ full responsibility to see the livestock are well cared for daily with the supervision of chapter advisors.

Additionally, the facilities will be used to host elementary agriculture days, implement STEM and research activities with livestock, host an agriculture careers day for middle school students, and host community events to showcase students’ projects.

“We’re looking at this barn as the hands-on application piece of our Livestock Science class and ultimately for the Ag Mechanics class as we start to build pens and things like that — the students can build those. We hope this will give our students hands-on experience,” Kennel said. “Our Livestock Science class is really the one class that does not have the hands-on facility to teach with. We hope this will teach our students without livestock at home and give them that experience here.”

Chapter Reporter Haley Koehl added, “I think it is important for us to have this barn, because many of our members do not have the opportunity to handle livestock as they live in a small town like New Paris. They don’t have the ability to care for these animals. If we have this barn, they can get that hands-on experience with livestock.”

“I took the Livestock Science class my sophomore year and while we did learn a lot about livestock, you couldn’t see [the animals] and see firsthand what you were learning. I think it would be great to be around the livestock and instead of learning from a textbook, you can put your eyes on the animal and learn that way,” Chapter President Abbey Rodefer said. “This is giving our students a great opportunity and I think that is really important.”

Chapter Vice-President Alyssa Zdobinski added, the auction itself is a learning experience for chapter members and will teach them how an auction is organized and run.

“It also gets them involved in the barn process. It’s not just, ‘Oh, we’re building a barn.’ This is a lot of work and you’re helping us build the barn,” she said.

Kennel hopes to have funds raised by the end of the school year and start construction this summer. However, he recognizes they have a “steep goal” at $265,000 and plan to start construction as soon as the funds have been raised, however long that takes.

The auction went live on Monday, Dec. 23 at harmeyerauction.hibid.com. For additional information regarding the auction or donating for the new agriculture barn, contact Eric Kennel at 937-437-3333 ext. 1213 or email [email protected].

By Kelsey Kimbler

[email protected]

Reach Kelsey Kimbler at 937-683-4061 or on Twitter @KKimbler_RH

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