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We are all pioneers! Rob Busch, Secretary, OAA |
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When I was a kid, I watched Davy Crockett, Roy Rogers, Wagon Train and
Bonanza regularly on television. I lamented that I had not been born a
hundred years earlier so I could have been a cowboy or a pioneer.
Overlooking the obvious conveniences of cars, electricity, indoor plumbing, refrigeration, central air and heat, and well-stocked grocery stores, I romanticized about being a pioneer and heading out west. Those pioneers, bolstered by a dream, headed west with little skill in what they were doing and little knowledge of what really was ahead. Many quit or died trying, but some overcame all the obstacles they faced, and they succeeded. The continental United States developed from their efforts and today we take pride in the courage and rugged individualism that Americans exhibited then and still do today. Well, welcome to Ohio aquaculture where you can still be a pioneer even in the 21st century. Instead of heading west you can head off to your aquaculture venture. Instead of a covered wagon, you can ride your savings account into the relative unknown of an aquaculture business. Your journey should not be as physically dangerous as that of the earlier pioneers. Nonetheless, you will need a pioneer's courage, common sense, rugged individualism, and tenacity to make your business work. Every active OAA member I have met is a pioneer. Each is developing a business unique to his circumstances and desires. Most fish farmers in Ohio probably started small because of limited capital and a lack of fish farming experience. As they developed their businesses they acquired the experience, production data and a better knowledge of local markets. This allowed them to proceed, revise their game plan, expand, or maybe even quit if it really didn't seem worth the effort. My wife, Margie, and I began our "part time" fish culture venture three years ago by raising channel catfish fry in a small pond on my brother-in law's farm. Those fish are now in the 2-3 pound range. Two years ago, we bought a 20 acre farm in Shelby County, Ohio. Since then we have built six small production ponds and renovated a pre-existing pond on |
our place. We are raising hybrid bluegill, channel catfish, and large
mouth bass. We will market our crop on our farm through a fee fishing
operation and fish sales for pond stocking. We recently obtained a
conditional use permit from our township trustees to operate a store for
the fee fishing operation. We just completed a gravel parking lot. We need
to build a fence around the three fee fishing ponds. Over the winter we
will renovate a portion of our large metal tool shed to serve as the Busch
Family Fish Farm headquarters and store. We still have to apply to and
comply with EPA to install restroom facilities in the store. With a
vender's license and additional liability insurance for the fee fishing
operation in hand, we should open for business by late April or early May.
Will we proceed as we initially envisioned, revise our plan, expand in the
future or quit? Only time, experience, and effort will tell. It's true we
are betting on success, but at least in this game of chance we have more
control of our destiny.
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OAA Bylaw Changes ________________________________________ The Ohio Aquaculture Association’s Board of Directors passed a motion accepting proposed bylaw changes and to forward them to the general membership for final approval. The Bylaws with included changes are attached. Please note that boldfacing indicates proposed additions while strikethrough indicates deletions. The general membership will be asked to vote on these proposed changes at the OAA’s annual business meeting at the 2003 Ohio Aquaculture Conference & Banquet.
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