HOUSTON — The first combined annual meeting of the Shelby County Cattlemen’s Association and the Shelby County Dairy Association was held recently at the Houston Community Center, Houston.
Steve Steinke, of Anna, trustee of the Dairy Association, and Jason Gibbs, Jackson Center, and president of the Cattlemen’s welcomed over 100 attendees to the first joint annual meeting of both Associations. Gibbs explained that leaders from both groups saw an opportunity to join together to share resources and volunteers to increase each organization’s presence and influence within the county. Joint bylaws are being considered but have yet to be written.
“We came up with the idea of partnering during last year’s Shelby County Fair because each organization has similar goals within the cattle industry,” said Gibbs. “Although there’s been nothing official, I guess we’re still in the dating phase.”
Aubrey Hoying, Junior Fair Board secretary, recognized 4-H youth members who attended at the invitation of both Associations.
Mark Goecke, of Spencerville, representing the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association Board of Directors, covering the Shelby County area gave an update on his new role with the Ohio affiliate. He began by recognizing the 4-H members in attendance and reminding the audience that these, and FFA members were the future leaders of agriculture.
Goecke gave an example of how important local input was to Association policy stating that Ohio Senator Rob Portman will call upon the state organization to inquire what members thought of a particular piece of legislation.
Goecke stated his goal was to make sure the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association is brought back to the local level, ensuring that local cattlemen’s voices are heard.
Local aviation historian Bill Albers, of Sidney, gave the keynote address. Albers, born in the Netherlands, served in the Royal Dutch Airforce and came to the US as an intern in engineering in 1965. He became a US citizen in 1977 and spent a career in engineering and sales.
Albers told the story of the Korn Brothers, of Montra. Edward and Milton Korn were farmers and early pioneers of aviation from Shelby County. Inspired by the Wright Brothers, the Korns began tinkering with aviation with rubber band models of airplanes. Eventually, they opened Korn Field near Montra which was the earliest airstrip in Ohio. Their first plane flew in 1910 and second in 1911.
The most memorable airplane built, but not engineered by the Korn Brothers was the Benoist Type XII. The brother’s aviation career ended in this aircraft as it crashed on Aug. 13, 1913, in Montra.
That aircraft, known today as the Benoist-Korn Type XII hangs in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airport, Chantilly, Virginia.
According to Albers, Shelby County’s Korn Brothers are part of a prestigious group of early aviation pioneers known as the Early Birds.
Bill Albers is a pilot, aircraft owner, ground school flight instructor, and volunteers his time and engineering expertise at the Champaign Aviation Museum in Urbana. He travels the country lecturing on aviation history.
The Shelby County Beef and Dairy Association can be contacted through their joint website, www.shelbycountycattlemen.com, or on Facebook at Beef & Dairy Association, Shelby County OH.
