Welcome to the Athens Chapter of the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association. Our chapter is located in Southeastern Ohio including Athens and surrounding counties. Our activites include regular gatherings at area farms, a spring co-operative seed order and the sale of Thanksgiving food baskets.

December 10, 08: For our December meeting we are sponsoring a presentation on Farms and Water Quality by Kelly Capuzzi - Ohio EPA Division of Surface Water. Kelly does water quality monitoring of rivers and streams. She will give a presentation on the effects of farming on surface water and the best management practices on farms to improve water quality.

The meeting is at 7:00 Pm at the Athens Cooperative Extension Service Meeting Room, 280 West Union St Athens.

Desert potluck to follow the presentaion so please bring a desert item to share.

November 08: Athens Chapter got 23 orders for our “Have a Local Thanksgiving” boxes containing products from the Athens area. The boxes included a turkey or ham, stuffing mix, jam and a variety of fresg vegetables. Boxes were distributed on Monday, November 24, from 5-7 PM at the Village Bakery in Athens. For more information e-mail Ed Perkins at perkaber@juno.com putting “turkey” in the subject line.

Sunday, Oct 5: We went to the King Family Farm near Albany. The King’s raise pork and poultry without the use of hormones or antibiotics. Feed is grown on their own and a neighbors farm. They will be supplying the turkeys for our Chapter thanksgiving boxes.

After the tour we had a potluck supper followed by our chapter meeting.

Directions: From Athens take SR 50 to Albany. Take SR 681 North thru Albany. As you leave Albany turn left onto Factory Road. Go 1 1/4 miles. Farm on left with King Family Farm sign.

Carpool from Acenet parking lot - 94 N Columbus Road, Athens - at 3:00.

See you there. Ed Perkins 740-664-3370 perkaber@juno.com

Sunday, August 17: We went to Cowdery Farms in Meigs Co. The Cowderys have been raising vegetables for over 100 years. The farm is located along the Ohio River and is not organic. They grow many traditional vegetables and a few not so traditional ones like edible gourds. They use raised beds with black plastic mulch and drip irrigation.

Larry and a neighbor gather used cooking oil and convert it to bio-diesel for use in their equipment. All the parts were assembled from instructions found on the internet.

Directions: From Athens take US 50E to RT 7 south. 1.5 mi. S of Tuppers PLains turn left on CR 46 (Success Rd, after Mail Pouch barn), follow it to end and turn left on SR 248, follow it to end. Turn left on SR 124, go 1.5 miles. Watch for signs, driveway on left. Go up long driveway to log home on hill.

Carpool from Acenet parking lot, 94 N Columbus Rd Athens, at 3:00 Pm.

Ed Perkins - Athens chapter President, perkaber@juno.com