BOUNDARIES Meet our new editors

SALEM, Ohio — New leadership is taking over in the newsroom at Farm and Dairy, but they’re familiar names to readers of the 109-year-old publication.

Farm and Dairy Publisher Scot Darling announced that Rachel Wagoner stepped into the position of editor of Farm and Dairy, effective July 10. Wagoner is replacing Rebecca Miller, who left the company in June.

“She is likely a familiar name to many as she has served the last four of those years as a staff writer for Farm and Dairy, producing awardwinning work as recognized by the North American Agricultural Journalists and the National Newspaper Association,” Darling said.

Additionally, digital editor Sara Welch was promoted to managing editor to replace Aimee Tenzek, who worked in Farm and Dairy’s editorial department for 17 years.

Pig show at Ohio State Fair offers show-ring experience to disabled youth

By Rachel Wagoner rachel@farmanddairy.com

COLUMBUS — Miley Caldwell is no stranger to the show ring. She’s been showing pigs in Ohio and throughout the country for several years.

That’s why she wanted to be involved with the Breaking Boundaries Pig Show, a mentorship program for youth and young adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.

The show, presented by the Ohio Pork Council and the OH-PIGS youth swine program on July 28 at the Ohio State Fair, gave five participants with disabilities the opportunity to care for and show pigs in front of a state fair audience complete with judges with help from 25 youth mentors.

Miley wanted to share her love of the activity with others, but it also opened her eyes to the challenges others face on a daily basis.

“Giving them the same opportunity that my peers and I have just opens doors to see how working with animals can bring us all together,” she said.

Miley and her sister, Maddie, both of Leesburg, Ohio, mentored participant Joel Buyer during the show.

“Even though [he] was in a wheelchair, he was still very capable of showing a pig,” she said. “He wasn’t scared and was really excited about showing, which allowed him to do a great job.”

Background. Kelly Morgan, OH-PIGS manager, and Ohio State Fair assistant swine

Sisters Maddie and Miley Caldwell mentor Joel Buyer at the inaugural 2023 Breaking Boundaries Pig Show, July 28, at the Ohio State Fair. (Submitted photo) superintendent, and Cheryl Day, executive vice president of the Ohio Pork Council, came up with the idea last year for a show to accommodate children with different needs.

“We know the real-world life lessons that are gained in the show ring for so many youths around Ohio and the nation and we wanted to create that type of opportunity for this special group of young people, too,” Morgan said.

“While the experience may have only been for one evening at the state fair, we hope that for the young people and their families that this inaugural show created a lifelong memory that creates good emotions.”

Morgan said there were few dry eyes in the barn and a lot of smiles during the show. Day said it went so well that they hope to make it an annual event at the state fair. (Editor Rachel Wagoner can be reached at 724-2011544 or rachel@farmanddairy.com.)

“Her keen eye for detail, excellent copy-editing skills and deep familiarity with our stories make her a great fit for the job,” Darling said, of Welch.

Wagoner. Wagoner always dreamed of being a journalist, but she came to agriculture in a roundabout way. She grew up in Darlington, Pennsylvania, a rural part of Beaver County that borders Ohio. After college, she settled down in her hometown with a fourth-generation farm boy who grew up just over the hill from where she was raised.

She co-manages the family farm, Tall Pines Farms, with her husband and in-laws raising beef cattle and sheep. Wagoner and husband Chris have a 4-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter.

Wagoner is a proud state school graduate with a bachelor’s degree in mass media arts, journalism and communication studies from Clarion University of Pennsylvania.

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