Rodney Creech sure put the icing on the cake when he addressed the Ansonia FFA banquet attendees last Thursday night.
Everybody there knew the reasons they were invited…to celebrate the success of the student members…but, like I said, he added icing to the cake.
The 40th District State Representative Creech is a fourth-generation grain farmer, and said he got involved with politics for all the right reasons.
Yes, he was also a member of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) as a youth, which he said impacted his life immensely.
“I got to where I am and was very fortunate to be in my family. Dad was a farmer and that’s all I wanted to do,” Creech said. “As a little guy, I was excited to go out with Dad and Grandpa.”
He went on, “When I got into high school, I got into ag classes and FFA put me on track. I listened and learned and applied that to home.”
Creech, who attended Twin Valley South in Preble County, said that program taught him a lot.
Upon graduation from high school, he knew he wanted to become an ag leader, so at Morehead State, he majored in agronomy and got very involved in the collegiate FFA program.
“I took college seriously, and graduated with honors,” he said. “FFA and ag kept me in tune. After college 29 years ago, I took a couple of internships.”
He urged those who were also interested in furthering an agricultural career to build as many relationships as they can if they want to go far in the future.
Having learned all about ag and sales, Creech started his own lawn care business 19 years ago and there are now 52 employees.
“I have lived on Grandpa’s farm for 24 years,’ he said. “Grandpa was a township trustee and, if a tree blew down on the road, he’d go and get me to help him. I ran for trustee when I started the business and served for six years and then I became a county commissioner for several years.”
Creech said this is his fourth year in the Ohio House.
“I am honored to serve Ohio and my two goals are to make ag better and efficient. I try to educate people,” said Creech, who noted that there are only six farmers in the Ohio State House.”
He encouraged future leaders to get involved and informed them about H.B. 135 which was introduced last year.
“I am very excited about that bill. It’s a good, clean simple bill,” he concluded.
I truly enjoyed listening to his speech. What a tribute he made to agriculture! I already knew that the FFA is a great program but I also learned more about how it affected this man’s life and how it’s going to affect these FFA students’ lives.
Good luck in the future to everyone involved!
More on the banquet will be appearing on My County Link this week.
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Jamie and I extend our condolences to the families and friends of Elizabeth Koch, Tom Francis, Greg Whistler, Kenneth “Jack” Midlam, Ida May Girton and David A. Meyers.
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Please pray for these people: DeWayne Yohey, Katrina Hoening, Kent Snyder, (Cousin) Carol Byrd, Don Dietrich, Kinley Bernard, Kathy Burke, Gladys Neff, Kara Didier, Dave and Ginny Reese (of Hopewell, Pa.), Carl Francis, Craig “Cheese” Thompson, Katie West, Bridget Brown, Don DeBord, Otis Stewart, Chris Clark, Kyle Kaiser, Tina Ruble Ullery, Cindy Lovejoy, Janet Kammer, Slug Midlam, Bob Peters, Phyllis Brumbaugh, Sonny Custer, Judy Collins, Linda Gasper, Carol Hemmerich, Stephanie Klingshirn, Alice Knick, Brenda Schlechty, Betty Burnfield, Dan Lockhart, Roberta Hall, Pam Norman-Penticuff, Kelly Kelch, Mike Mayse, Larry Linder, Steve Waymire, Jamie Knick, Nikole Baldridge, Chester Bryant, Lester Beisner, Delores Beisner, Kermit Foureman, Chuck “C.W.” Cruze, Mark Lovejoy.
Also, Judy York, Donald Booker, Dennis Leeper, Connie Stachler, Randy Heck, Ronnie Norton, Jeremy “Jerm” Burke, Gary Eichler, David Pretzman, Clinton Randall, Ralph Byrd, Doug Winger, Sonja and Dan Coppess, Bruce Kaiser, Amanda Mote, Paul Gigandet, Doug Whittington, Tracy Pratt, John Rimmer, Joan Keen, Larry P. Fitzwater, Jim Thomas, Neal Gray, Judie Hathaway, Randy Garrison, Kathy Gragorace, Becky Everhart, Donna Bixler, Cathy Melling, Scott Clark, and all others who are suffering from other life-altering illnesses.
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Happy birthday to:
April 25 to Emily Clark, Debbie Hammontree, Allen Blackburn, Richie Black, Makayla Waymire, Donn Thornhill, Ethan Reichard and Kent Wilcox.
April 26 to Laque Stevens, Russell Potter, Brad Boyter, Michael Kelly, Ryan Stoltz, Deanna Moody and Mike Husted.
April 27 to Bill Roll, Paul McCleskey, Kathy Bothast and Alex Niekamp.
April 28 to John Chrisman, Tasha Mikesell and Darin Whittington.
April 29 to Allison Stith, Kassie Frye, Nancy Holden and Kristen Cooper.
April 30 to Bernie May, Jeff Dohme, Marietta Beane, Cindy Horsley, John Bennett and Dr. Beth Vehre.
May 1 to Bruce Akdkins, LeAnn McClure, Becky Schultz and Jean Runner.
Happy anniversary to Nathan and Tonya Leeper on April 28.
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Think about it: “Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done.” — Author Unknown
