XENIA — Agriculture has changed greatly over the years as have the farmers who worked the land in what is Greene County.

The Feb. 27 meeting of the Greene County Farm Forum will focus on the role minority farmers including Native American and black farmers played in farming the Greene County area. Bob Ford and Mark Thordsen have been working on who these farmers are and where they settled. Are any of them still farming? Do you remember or have you heard of any minority farmers who lived and worked in the area? Be prepared to share your thoughts on this topic as well.

The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at Union United Methodist Church, 1145 Union Road, Xenia. For those interested, a meal ($12 per person) will be served at 6:30 p.m. followed by the program. Make your meal reservation by contacting Paul Ayres at 937-352-6379 or [email protected] by Friday, Feb. 24. No reservations are necessary for those planning to only attend the meeting. The program is open to the public.

Greene County Farm Forum Ag Scholarships available

Greene County Farm Forum will award a total of $4,000 in scholarships divided between two deserving current year graduating high school students or college freshmen pursuing higher education in a field related to agriculture in 2023. Applications are due April 14 and can be obtained by contacting Farm Forum Scholarship Chair Jim Byrd at [email protected] or 937-429-1805. Applicants must be a resident of Greene County or have attended Greene County schools. Farm Forum is an organization promoting fellowship among citizens of Greene County with programs emphasizing subjects pertinent to agriculture.

As of 2022, Farm Forum has awarded more than $43,100 to students pursuing a course of study related to agriculture in the last 14 years.