For the past couple of years we have been in the process of changing our home cropland to livestock production and management. It’s something I have wanted to do ever since I bought the farm more than 30 years ago. A few years ago we were able to sign a contract with the Natural Resources Conservation Service or NRCS to implement an Environmental Quality Incentives Program or EQIP plan to fence our fields and install a watering system. The process has taken a long time. In addition…

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Having never raised cattle, I was not really expecting the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association Annual Meeting to be old home week. I was invited to participate in the evening’s ceremonies to present the Young Cattleman of the Year Award on behalf of Ohio Farmer as a sponsor. When I arrived at the Columbus Marriott Northwest I asked Elizabeth Harsh, executive vice president of the group, to introduce me to the winner Patrick Saunders from Gallipolis. Patrick and I had played some phone…

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Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending a birthday party for my friend and fellow ag journalist Mike Wilson in Decatur, Ill. Although it is a long 6 and half hour drive to Decatur, it is one I enjoy as it gives me a chance to observe the Midwestern agriculture that stretches between the two states. Mostly what I saw was flooding – worse along the Wabash in Indiana than anywhere else. With the exception of some chisel plowing, very little field work had been done at that point. I did not…

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