Class of 2022

The Steiner Stock Farm is a distinguished, picturesque landmark in Allen County at the intersection of State Route 117/Bellefontaine Road and Greely Chapel Road in Perry Township. David B. “Doc” Steiner is the owner of Steiner Stock Farm. The Steiner Stock Farm is a Standardbred harness, racehorse farm that currently features 26 brood mares. At any one time there are 50-70 horses at most on the farm. The Steiner family began the business in 1885 outside Bluffton, Ohio as a livery operation that sold horses, buggies, harness and other such supplies. Three brothers started the business – Eli C. (school teacher and businessman), Samuel “Gideon” (pharmacist), and David W. (DW) (physician).

Eli was Doc Steiner’s grandfather and David L. Steiner was Doc’s father. The livery business died off with the rise of the automobile, but it did not curtail the family’s love for horses. After his father Eli died, David L. Steiner kept the operation going with the help of a farm manager. In the 1960s and 1970s the operation really expanded and focused on performance excellence of their Standardbred brood mares. Today it operates with modern facilities, the latest technology, an excellent nutrition program, and an emphasis on breeding and producing the highest quality animals so that they are ultimately competitive in the Standardbred harness racing industry. The Steiner Stock Farm represents a love of horses and harness racing that has been passed from generation to generation.

Harrod area farmer Wallace A. Winegardner was inducted into the Allen County Agriculture Hall of Fame on July 19, 2022. The agricultural enterprises on his farm over his 68 year career were very diverse, including crops and livestock, at a time when farming was becoming more specialized with larger scale farms and bigger machinery. Wally and his wife Erma also operated the Apple Basket, a roadside market selling apples, produce, meats and cheeses. Wally was a salesman of farm machinery for the Kenton Implement Co., and had a successful Pioneer seed dealership for 25 over years.

Wally was also well known in his community as a school bus driver for the Harrod Schools and a 4-H club advisor for the Harrod Lively 4-H club. He also served on the Allen East School Board as president and was chairman of the Harrod Christian Church board. He was always glad to give his time to promote his favorite livestock enterprise, beef. He was a member of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association Board, where he served as the state president. He served the Allen County Fair for more than 25 years as the beef barn superintendent. As a member of the Allen County Cattlemen, he helped purchase the first concession trailer for the organization to promote beef at the Allen County Fair.

Wally has had a lifelong passion for agriculture. Their Harrod area farm continues to be operated by the Winegardner family, where they grow corn, soybeans, wheat, and hay in rotation and are well known for producing outstanding beef show cattle.